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description Ensure documentation and examples use only generic, cliche placeholder data — never real or sensitive data sourced from local scripts, configuration, task files, or prompt context.
applyTo **/*.{md,js,mjs,cjs,ts,tsx,jsx,py,json}

Use Cliche Data in Documentation

When updating or writing documentation for a tool, never include real data that was provided in prompts, local configuration, scripts, task files, or any other implementation-specific source. Documentation must use only generic, commonly recognized placeholder data that cannot expose sensitive information.

Why This Matters

A tool's source code and local configuration often contain real names, real email addresses, real organization details, and real domain names. These values are necessary for the tool to function, but they have no place in public-facing documentation. Leaking real data into docs can expose:

  • Internal business names and contacts
  • Email addresses and domain names
  • Client or customer identifiers
  • Account names and credentials
  • Organization-specific terminology that reveals private operations

Core Rule

If data came from a prompt, a local file, a script, a config, or a task — it does NOT go into documentation.

Documentation examples use only well-known, fictional, or obviously placeholder data.

What Counts as Real Data

Any value that originates from:

  • Local configuration files (e.g., config.json, .env, account modules)
  • Scripts and task files (e.g., batch scripts, shell scripts, task runners)
  • Prompt context (e.g., data the user supplies when asking an agent to build or update the tool)
  • Map or filter files (e.g., JSON mappings, data extraction rules)
  • Git-ignored files (e.g., files excluded from version control that contain environment-specific values)

Approved Placeholder Data for Documentation

Use these generic, cliche substitutes in all documentation and examples:

Category Approved Placeholder Examples
People Jane Doe, John Smith, Alice, Bob
Email addresses jane.doe@example.com, admin@example.org
Organizations Acme Corp, Contoso, Northwind Traders
Domains example.com, example.org, example.net
Addresses 123 Main Street, Suite 100, Springfield
Phone numbers (555) 123-4567
Accounts / usernames demo-user, test-account
File paths accounts/acme.mjs, config/reports.json
Project names My Project, Sample App, Demo Tool

How to Apply This Rule

When Adding a Feature

If you add a feature using real account data (e.g., a script named after a real client), document the feature using a fictional account name instead.

Real implementation file: an account module configured for a specific business

Documentation example:

// accounts/acme.mjs — Example account configuration
export default {
  name: 'Acme Corp',
  email: 'reports@example.com',
  folder: 'INBOX',
};

When Updating Configuration Docs

If a config file references real domains, real paths, or real credentials, replace every real value with a placeholder before including it in documentation.

Documentation example:

{
  "host": "imap.example.com",
  "user": "admin@example.com",
  "folder": "INBOX/Reports",
  "outputDir": "./downloads"
}

When Writing Script Examples

If a script automates a task for a specific organization, the documentation example must use a generic organization name and generic parameters.

Documentation example:

@echo off
REM Example: Run the extraction task for Acme Corp
node extractEmail.mjs --account acme --task download

The Boundary Between Code and Docs

Context Real Data Allowed?
Local scripts and config files used at runtime Yes
Git-ignored files with environment-specific values Yes
Prompt data provided to build or configure the tool Yes (in code only)
README.md, docs/ folder, and example templates No — use placeholders only
CHANGELOG.md entries No — describe changes generically
Code comments in committed source files No — keep generic

One Exception

A word from real data may appear in documentation only if it is a common English word used in its ordinary sense and not in the context of an example. For instance, the word "development" is acceptable in a sentence like "This tool is under active development" even if it also appears in a real organization name.

Summary

Documentation is public. Implementation data is private. Keep them separate. Every example in every doc file should pass a simple test: could a stranger read this and learn nothing about the real users, clients, or organizations behind this tool? If the answer is no, replace the data with cliche placeholders.