Elixir Docs Review

Reviews Elixir documentation for completeness, quality, and ExDoc best practices. Use when auditing @moduledoc, @doc, @spec coverage, doctest correctness, and cross-reference usage in .ex files.

Kevin Anderson@anderskev

Install

openclaw skills install @anderskev/elixir-docs-review

Elixir Documentation Review

Quick Reference

Issue Type	Reference
@moduledoc, @doc quality, anti-patterns	references/doc-quality.md
@spec, @type, @typedoc coverage	references/spec-coverage.md

Review Checklist

Module Documentation

All public modules have @moduledoc
First-line summary is concise (one line, used by tools as summary)
@moduledoc includes ## Examples where appropriate
@moduledoc false only on internal/implementation modules

Function Documentation

All public functions have @doc
All public functions have @spec
@doc describes return values clearly
Multi-clause functions documented before first clause
Function head declared when arg names need clarification

Doctests

Doctests present for pure, deterministic functions
No doctests for side-effectful operations (DB, HTTP, etc.)
Doctests actually run (module included in test file)

Cross-References

Module references use backtick auto-linking (MyModule)
Function refs use proper arity format (function/2)
Type refs use t: prefix (t:typename/0)
No plain-text references where auto-links are possible

Metadata

@since annotations on new public API additions
@deprecated with migration guidance where appropriate

Valid Patterns (Do NOT Flag)

@doc false on callback implementations - Documented at behaviour level
@doc false on protocol implementations - Protocol docs cover the intent
Missing @spec on private functions - @spec optional for internals
Short @moduledoc without ## Examples on simple utility modules - Not every module needs examples
Using @impl true without separate @doc - Inherits documentation from behaviour

Context-Sensitive Rules

Issue	Flag ONLY IF
Missing @moduledoc	Module is public AND not a protocol impl
Missing @spec	Function is public AND exported
Missing doctests	Function is pure AND deterministic
Generic @doc	Doc restates function name without adding value

Gates (sequenced — do not skip)

Work in order. Do not draft or ship a finding until the prior step passes.

Scope lock — Pass when: You listed the exact .ex/.exs file paths (or Module names) under review; no vague “the project” scope.
Full-context read — Pass when: For each candidate issue, you read the full surrounding definition (all clauses for multi-clause functions; full @moduledoc block for module-level claims), not only a diff hunk or search snippet.
Evidence bundle — Pass when: Every draft finding uses the [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE header (line range allowed) and includes a verbatim quote or pointer to the @doc / @spec / doctest text in question. Module.function/arity may appear as supporting context but does not replace the [FILE:LINE] anchor. For “doctest fails” claims, Pass when: you cite mix test output for the relevant file or line, or the exact error string.
Protocol before report — Pass when: You loaded and followed review-verification-protocol (its Pre-Report checklist) before finalizing the issue list—not after.

When to Load References

Reviewing @moduledoc or @doc quality, seeing anti-patterns -> doc-quality.md
Reviewing @spec, @type, or @typedoc coverage -> spec-coverage.md