# RichardLitt/standard-readme

A standard style for README files

Repository: https://github.com/RichardLitt/standard-readme
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/standard-readme
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: readme, readme-standard, standard, docs, documentation
Last push: 2026-06-17T20:49:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 75/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 88, release rhythm 43, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3974, "days_push": 77, "days_rel": 168, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6352, forks 2512 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:42.766910+00:00)

## What it is
Standard Readme is a specification and style guide for writing consistent, well-structured README files, primarily aimed at open-source libraries. It includes the spec itself, a badge, example READMEs, and links to a companion linter and generator.

## Use cases
- standardize readme format across an organization's repositories
- write a good readme for a new open-source library
- lint and validate readme structure
- generate a readme from a template
- learn best practices for documenting open-source projects

## When to choose
- you maintain multiple open-source repositories and want consistent documentation
- you're starting a new library and want a proven readme structure
- you want a lintable readme spec with tooling support

## When to avoid
- you need full API documentation tooling rather than readme structure
- your project requires a highly custom readme format
- you need end-user application documentation rather than a library readme

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: stable
- function: documentation, markdown, linter
- domain: documentation, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: readme, readme-standard, specification, docs, style-guide, open-source, nodejs

## Member repositories
- RichardLitt/standard-readme (main) score 75

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:42.766910+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:46:05.965839+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/RichardLitt/standard-readme (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:42.766910+00:00, sha 7167326e7b9e)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.