GuidesJune 9, 2026· 7 min· 2 890
Side project documentation: how to keep it alive
The minimum useful documentation for a personal project and how to keep it updated automatically.
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Side project documentation is often abandoned because it is painful to update manually. A month later, even the author forgets why the code works this way.
What you really need
- README: what it is and how to run it
- Project map: which modules do what
- Decision notes: why important choices were made
- API or interface docs if they exist
The main problem is drift
Code changes and docs do not. After a few iterations, documents start lying and people stop reading them.
Docs that update from code
AI SDLC recovers module maps, objects and draft documentation from code, then updates artifacts when the code changes.
Key idea
Do not keep documentation on the side. Connect it to code and artifacts so it lives with the project.
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