Document Spell Check

Detect and automatically fix spelling errors in Markdown, plain text, and documentation files with support for custom dictionaries and batch processing.

Document Spell Check Skill

Purpose

Automatically detect and fix spelling errors in documentation files across any project. This skill provides comprehensive spell checking for Markdown, plain text, and other documentation formats.

Features

1. Multi-Format Support

• Markdown files (.md, .mdx)
• Plain text files (.txt)
• Documentation directories (recursive scanning)
• Specific file patterns (glob support)

2. Comprehensive Error Detection

• Common misspellings (recieve → receive, teh → the)
• Word form errors (formating → formatting, occured → occurred)
• Contextual spelling mistakes
• Custom dictionary support for technical terms

3. Automated Fixing

• Interactive correction suggestions
• Batch auto-fix for common patterns
• Safe dry-run mode to preview changes
• Git integration for clean commits

4. Integration Capabilities

• Works with existing project structures
• Respects .gitignore and excluded paths
• Configurable severity levels
• CI/CD compatible output format

Usage

Basic Commands

bash

# Check single file
doc-spellcheck check docs/guide.md

# Check entire directory  
doc-spellcheck check docs/

# Auto-fix common errors
doc-spellcheck fix docs/guide.md

# Dry-run to preview fixes
doc-spellcheck fix --dry-run docs/

Advanced Options

bash

# Custom dictionary
doc-spellcheck check --dict custom-words.txt docs/

# Exclude patterns
doc-spellcheck check --exclude "**/node_modules/**" docs/

# Specific error types
doc-spellcheck check --errors "misspelling,word-form" docs/

# Output format for CI
doc-spellcheck check --format json docs/

Implementation Details

Core Dependencies

• Aspell: Primary spell checking engine
• Custom word lists: Project-specific terminology
• File system walker: Efficient directory traversal
• Git integration: Safe commit management

Error Categories

1. Basic Misspellings: Common typos and transpositions
2. Word Form Errors: Incorrect verb/noun forms
3. Technical Terms: Domain-specific vocabulary validation
4. Contextual Errors: Words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly

Safety Measures

• Backup creation: Automatic file backups before fixing
• Atomic operations: Changes applied as single git commits
• Rollback support: Easy revert of applied fixes
• Permission checks: Respects file system permissions

Workflow Integration

Local Development

1. Run spell check before committing changes
2. Use interactive mode for manual review
3. Add custom dictionaries for project terminology

CI/CD Pipeline

1. Integrate as pre-commit hook
2. Fail builds on critical spelling errors
3. Generate reports for documentation quality metrics

Team Collaboration

1. Shared custom dictionaries across team members
2. Consistent terminology enforcement
3. Automated documentation quality gates

Configuration

Default Settings

• File extensions: .md, .mdx, .txt, .rst
• Excluded paths: node_modules/, .git/, dist/
• Severity level: warning (non-blocking)
• Auto-fix: disabled by default

Customization Options

• Language selection (en-US, en-GB, etc.)
• Custom ignore lists
• Severity thresholds
• Output verbosity levels

Best Practices

For Maintainers

• Run comprehensive checks before major releases
• Maintain project-specific dictionaries
• Document accepted terminology variations
• Set up automated CI checks

For Contributors

• Check spelling before submitting PRs
• Use consistent terminology
• Respect project style guides
• Include new terms in dictionaries when appropriate

Examples

Fixing Common Errors

bash

# Before: "The recieve function handles incoming data"
# After:  "The receive function handles incoming data"

# Before: "This occured during the formating process"  
# After:  "This occurred during the formatting process"

Batch Processing

bash

# Process entire documentation directory
doc-spellcheck fix --batch docs/

# Review changes interactively
doc-spellcheck fix --interactive docs/guide.md

Limitations

Known Constraints

• Cannot detect contextually incorrect but correctly spelled words without AI
• May flag technical terms as errors without custom dictionaries
• Performance impact on very large documentation sets
• Requires proper language pack installation

Workarounds

• Use custom dictionaries for technical terminology
• Combine with grammar checking tools for comprehensive validation
• Run incrementally on large projects
• Pre-install required language packs in CI environments

Maintenance

Updates

• Regular dictionary updates for new terminology
• Engine version upgrades for improved accuracy
• Pattern library expansion based on common errors
• Performance optimizations for large-scale usage

Monitoring

• Track false positive rates
• Monitor performance metrics
• Collect user feedback on suggestions
• Maintain compatibility with documentation standards