neat-freak

Overview of neat-freak skill

neat-freak is an end-of-session cleanup skill for projects where docs, agent memory, and code drift out of sync. The neat-freak skill is best for technical writers, agent operators, and developers who need a reliable handoff after a feature, refactor, or milestone—not just a prettier README, but a coherent knowledge base that matches the current code.

Its core job is simple: reconcile project docs like CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, and docs/ against reality, then remove stale guidance, merge duplicates, and add the missing rules that future humans and agents will actually need. That makes neat-freak especially useful for Technical Writing workflows where accuracy, handoff quality, and newcomer readiness matter more than prose polish.

What makes neat-freak different

Unlike a generic “update docs” prompt, neat-freak is opinionated about knowledge hygiene: it treats docs as living operating instructions, not a change log. It also recognizes multiple AI ecosystems, so the same skill can be used across Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, OpenCode, and OpenClaw with less guesswork.

Best-fit use cases

Use neat-freak when you have:

• finished a dev slice and need to sync documentation before handing off
• conflicting or stale instructions across project markdown files
• a new teammate or agent who should be able to start cleanly
• a documentation set that has grown by accretion and now needs pruning

What blocks adoption

If you want this skill to be useful, you need access to the project tree and permission to edit the knowledge files. It is less helpful for one-off brainstorming, isolated copyediting, or tasks where the source of truth is intentionally external to the repo.

How to Use neat-freak skill

Install and trigger it in context

A typical neat-freak install starts from the repository path and skill name, for example: npx skills add KKKKhazix/khazix-skills --skill neat-freak. Once installed, trigger it at the end of a work session or whenever docs and memory need reconciliation. The skill is designed to fire on phrases like “sync up,” “tidy up docs,” “update memory,” “clean up docs,” “/sync,” or “收尾,” so it fits milestone-based workflows naturally.

Give it a complete cleanup brief

Strong neat-freak usage starts with a concrete boundary: what changed, what files may be stale, and what should be treated as authoritative. Instead of saying “clean up the docs,” say something like:

• “We changed the auth flow and renamed one env var; sync CLAUDE.md, README.md, and docs/.”
• “This branch is done; reconcile memory with the code and remove outdated setup notes.”
• “新人能直接上手: check the handoff docs, remove duplicate setup steps, and add any missing red lines.”

That kind of prompt helps neat-freak distinguish between cleanup, consolidation, and onboarding documentation.

Read these files first

The repo points to a practical starting path: SKILL.md first, then references/agent-paths.md and references/sync-matrix.md for platform paths and sync rules. Those references are the highest-value reads because they tell you where knowledge lives and what should be added or deleted, which is more useful than skimming the whole repository blindly.

Workflow tips that improve output

Treat neat-freak as a reconciliation pass, not a rewrite. First identify the project facts that must survive the next session, then remove historical noise, and only then add missing guidance. This matters most when the repo has separate docs for operators, agents, and newcomers, because each audience needs a different level of detail.

neat-freak skill FAQ

Is neat-freak only for Technical Writing?

No. neat-freak for Technical Writing is a strong fit because the skill is built around doc accuracy and handoff quality, but developers and AI agent operators can use it too when they need project knowledge to match implementation.

How is neat-freak different from a normal prompt?

A normal prompt can ask for doc cleanup, but neat-freak adds workflow intent: it looks for stale instructions, cross-file drift, and the right files to update for the next agent. That reduces the risk of only polishing one document while leaving conflicting guidance elsewhere.

When should I not use the neat-freak skill?

Skip it when the project is still exploratory, the docs are intentionally provisional, or you do not yet have a stable code or process baseline. It is also a poor fit if you only need a single paragraph edited and there is no broader knowledge sync to perform.

Is the neat-freak skill beginner-friendly?

Yes, if you can point it at the repo and name the milestone. Beginners usually get better results when they specify the changed area, the target audience, and whether they want cleanup, handoff prep, or memory reconciliation.

How to Improve neat-freak skill

Start with the highest-value facts

The best neat-freak results come from telling it what is definitely true now: new features, renamed concepts, broken assumptions, or changed setup steps. If you leave those implicit, the skill may preserve outdated material because it cannot safely infer what should be deleted.

Feed it the right context, not just the symptom

A weak input says “docs are messy.” A stronger one says “CLAUDE.md still mentions the old deployment path, README duplicates setup steps, and the handoff doc needs to reflect the new env vars.” That specificity helps neat-freak decide whether to merge, relocate, or remove information.

Watch for common failure modes

The most common failure is over-retaining historical detail that no longer helps the next agent. The second is under-updating project rules in one file while leaving the same rule contradicted elsewhere. Use the neat-freak guide to force a full pass across the relevant knowledge surfaces instead of stopping at the first acceptable edit.

Iterate after the first pass

After neat-freak makes its edits, compare the output against the actual repo tree and ask what a new contributor would still miss. If the answer is “setup,” “ownership,” “red lines,” or “where to read first,” feed that back explicitly and rerun the cleanup with those gaps named.