THE GITHTML FIELD GUIDE
Update AI-assisted documentation after a focused code change
When code changes, update the documentation claims affected by that change instead of regenerating the entire guide blindly. Identify the old and new revisions, collect the changed behavior and supporting evidence, and request a bounded draft. Review the resulting meaning changes as well as the textual diff before publication.
Map the change to documented claims
Begin with the interface, behavior, or configuration that changed. An illustrative parser update might alter how empty rows are handled without changing the upload flow or authorization model. Locate the paragraphs, examples, and diagrams that describe that behavior. Include indirect mentions such as a summary that promises every row is imported. GitHub's stable source links make the old and new evidence easier to compare. Do not assume a small code diff implies a small documentation impact, especially when a default changes.
Ask for a constrained revision
An illustrative prompt is: Update only the empty-row handling explanation using the supplied old and new excerpts. Preserve unrelated text. Identify every changed claim, cite the new evidence, and list any missing context. Do not modify repository files or publish the result. This keeps the generator's assignment distinct from the user's later editing workflow. Provide enough surrounding source to explain the change, but avoid uploading the entire repository as a substitute for scope. Request a proposed replacement and rationale so a reviewer can see what the tool believes changed.
- Identify the affected behavior and all places the document describes it.
- Provide old and new evidence with revision identifiers.
- Require a list of changed claims and unresolved questions alongside the draft.
Review for accidental meaning drift
Read unchanged-looking summaries, examples, and edge-case notes after applying the edit. A generator may remove a condition, rename a concept inconsistently, or broaden a claim while improving the prose. Check that the revised document still describes one coherent release. Preserve useful human corrections rather than overwriting them during repeated generation. Run the user's normal local HTML checks after authoring and inspect the rendered result with scripts disabled. gitHtml reads the committed update; it does not watch the repository for changes or regenerate documentation in the background.
Sources and further reading
AI-assisted writing with source-linked guidance and illustrative examples. Read our editorial approach or report a correction.