---
title: Guides
description: Follow focused Presswork workflows for checking and maintaining repository documentation.
sidebar:
  label: Guides
  order: 4
---

## Check a repository

Run `presswork check` from inside the repository. To avoid ancestor discovery in automation, select the Repository Root explicitly:

```sh
presswork check --root /path/to/repository
```

Use `--json` for one machine-readable Check Report. Use `--no-color` when human output must contain no ANSI decoration. A Violation exits `1`; fix the reported source and follow its recovery guidance before running the Check again. An incomplete Check exits `2` and reports the operation that must recover first.

## Create a typed document

First inspect the repository's Document Types and Creation Policies:

```sh
presswork create --list-types
```

For a type whose Creation Policy is `presswork`, provide every required field as a repeatable option:

```sh
presswork create DOCUMENT_TYPE --field name=value
```

Creation never overwrites an existing document. It reports the new Document Draft and updated Index Document; resolve every remaining Template instruction, then run `presswork check`. An `external` policy names the owning workflow, while a `manual` policy leaves creation to the contributor.

## Generate repository-specific agent guidance

Install the static `presswork-docs` Agent Skill with the version-pinned skills CLI. For a project-local installation, run:

```sh
npx skills@1.5.23 add evilkiwi/presswork --skill presswork-docs --yes
```

Review the installed source and commit the project-root `skills-lock.json` when the skill belongs to the project. The supported global form adds `--global`:

```sh
npx skills@1.5.23 add evilkiwi/presswork --skill presswork-docs --yes --global
```

Use the project-local or global form according to how your agent loads installed skills. These are supported skills CLI installation forms, not a claim that a generic Agent Skills specification requires a particular installation location.

Before invoking the installed skill, verify the Presswork executable version:

```sh
presswork --version
```

The supported version is `1.0.0`. If `presswork` is missing or reports another version, install the supported executable version:

```sh
npm install --global presswork@1.0.0
```

The bootstrap itself checks only whether the executable is available; it does not automatically compare versions. When invoked, the installed skill delegates to the installed executable by running `presswork skills docs` from the current repository. That command resolves the Repository Root, selected Profile, Document Types, Templates, Creation Policies, Index Sections, and an operationally complete Check before writing one complete repository-specific `presswork-docs` Agent Skill to standard output. Existing Violations do not prevent guidance from rendering. Use `presswork skills docs --root <path>` to select a Repository Root explicitly.

Review the underlying [Concepts](/concepts/) when a workflow needs more context, and use [Check Report](/check-report/) to interpret the final Check.