Support Documentation

Support Documentation

When to Use

Activate when a founder or team member needs to create customer-facing documentation that helps users solve problems independently. This includes prompts like "write a help center article," "create an FAQ," "document our API," "write a troubleshooting guide," "build a getting-started guide," or "our support tickets keep asking the same questions."

Context Required

• From startup-context: product type, target user technical level, existing documentation (if any), top support ticket categories, and tools used for docs hosting (e.g., Notion, GitBook, Zendesk, ReadMe).
• From the user: the specific topic to document, the target audience (end users, admins, developers), the user's technical sophistication, common failure modes or confusion points, and whether this is a new article or an update to existing content.

Workflow

1. Identify document type — Determine which template fits: help center article, FAQ, troubleshooting guide, API reference, or getting-started guide. Each serves a different user intent.
2. Define the user's entry point — How will someone find this document? Search query, error message, support agent link, in-app help button? This determines the title and opening line.
3. Write in problem-solution format — Lead with the user's problem (in their words), then provide the solution. Never start with product architecture explanations.
4. Apply progressive disclosure — Put the most common answer first. Nest edge cases, advanced options, and technical details in expandable sections or later in the article.
5. Add searchability elements — Include the exact error messages, feature names, and colloquial terms users search for. Repeat key terms naturally.
6. Test with the "3 AM rule" — Read the article as if you are a frustrated user at 3 AM with a broken workflow. Does it get you to a solution in under 2 minutes? If not, restructure.
7. Link related articles — Add "Related" or "Next steps" links at the bottom to keep users in the self-serve flow.

Output Format

A markdown document following one of the five templates below. Every support doc should be scannable in under 30 seconds and solvable in under 2 minutes.

Template 1: Help Center Article

# [Action-oriented title: "How to X" or "Setting up Y"]

[One sentence describing what this article helps you do.]

## Before You Start
- Prerequisites or permissions needed

## Steps
1. Action step with specific UI path (Settings > Integrations > Slack)
2. Next action step
   > **Note:** Important callout for common mistakes

## Frequently Asked Questions
**Q: Common question about this feature?**
A: Direct answer.

## Still Need Help?