Getting Started with PAELLADOC

PAELLADOC is a powerful documentation system that adapts to your workflow and language preferences. This guide will show you how to use the PAELLA command for different documentation scenarios.

⚠️ Important: Enable Auto-run Mode (YOLO)

Before starting, you MUST enable auto-run mode (also known as YOLO mode) in Cursor settings:

Open Cursor Settings
Go to Chat section
Check “Enable auto-run mode”
This allows PAELLADOC to:
- Run commands automatically without confirmation
- Create and modify files instantly
- Provide a seamless documentation experience
- Execute all necessary operations without interruption

Without YOLO mode enabled, PAELLADOC cannot function properly as it needs to:

Create directory structures automatically
Initialize and update .memory.json files
Generate documentation templates on the fly
Update files in real-time
Execute commands without manual confirmation

💡 Pro Tip: YOLO mode is essential for PAELLADOC’s automated workflow. It allows the system to work efficiently without requiring constant user confirmation for each operation.

Requirements

Cursor IDE 0.47+ - PAELLADOC is designed to work with Cursor IDE
Auto-run Mode Enabled - Required for automatic file operations
Node.js 14+ - Required for running scripts
Internet connection - For research capabilities
Git - For repository management

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/jlcases/paelladoc.git

Open with Cursor IDE: Ensure you’re using Cursor 0.47 or higher.
That’s it! No additional setup required.

Command Structure

Basic Syntax

PAELLA [--path="path"] [--name="name"] [--lang="[language_code]"] [--type="api|lib|app"] [--start="entry_point"]

Core Parameters

--lang="[language_code]" (Required First)
- Documentation language (ISO 639-1 code)
- Must be selected first
- Supported languages:
  - 🇪🇸 es - Spanish (Español)
  - 🇬🇧 en - English
  - 🇫🇷 fr - French (Français)
  - 🇩🇪 de - German (Deutsch)
  - 🇷🇺 ru - Russian (Русский)
  - 🇨🇳 zh - Chinese (中文)
  - 🇯🇵 ja - Japanese (日本語)

--path="path"

Documentation location
Optional (defaults to ./docs)

Examples:

--path="./docs"              # Standard location
--path="/custom/path/docs"   # Custom location

--name="name"
- Project name
- Optional
- Example: --name="MyProject"
--type="api|lib|app"
- Project type
- Optional
- Values: “api”, “lib”, “app”
- Determines base templates
--start="entry_point"
- Documentation approach
- Optional
- Values:
  - “product” - Start with product documentation
  - “engineering” - Start with technical documentation
  - “existing” - Import existing documentation
  - “code” - Generate from codebase

Use Cases

1. Product Documentation (PRD First)

# Basic product documentation
PAELLA --lang="es" --start="product" --name="MiProducto"

# With custom path and type
PAELLA --lang="en" --start="product" --name="MyProduct" --path="/docs/product" --type="app"

Creates:

Product Requirements Document (PRD)
User Stories
Market Research Template
Product Roadmap
Feature Specifications

2. Technical Documentation

# API documentation
PAELLA --lang="en" --start="engineering" --type="api" --name="MyAPI"

# Library documentation
PAELLA --lang="de" --start="engineering" --type="lib" --name="MeinePaket"

Generates:

Technical Architecture
API/Library Specifications
Development Guidelines
Component Documentation
Testing Strategy

3. Code-First Documentation

# From existing codebase
PAELLA --lang="en" --start="code" --code-path="/path/to/source" --type="api"

# With custom output
PAELLA --lang="fr" --start="code" --code-path="/src" --type="lib" --path="/docs/api"

Produces:

Code Structure Analysis
API/Component Documentation
Setup Instructions
Development Guides
Dependency Documentation

4. Documentation Import

# Import and enhance
PAELLA --lang="es" --start="existing" --docs-path="/old/docs" --path="/new/docs"

# Import and translate
PAELLA --lang="de" --start="existing" --docs-path="/en/docs" --path="/de/docs"

Performs:

Documentation Import
Structure Analysis
Gap Identification
Content Enhancement
Translation (if needed)

Memory Management

PAELLADOC maintains a .memory.json file that tracks:

Selected language
Project information
Documentation progress
Created documents
Translation status

Best Practices

Language Selection
- Always select language first
- All interactions will be in chosen language
- Can be changed later but requires re-initialization
Project Structure
- Use recommended /docs directory when possible
- Keep documentation with code for better versioning
- Use custom paths for separate documentation management
Documentation Flow
- Start with clear project purpose
- Define target audience
- Set concrete objectives
- Choose appropriate templates
- Iterate and improve
Version Control
- Commit documentation with code
- Use meaningful commit messages
- Track documentation versions
- Maintain change history

Error Handling

PAELLADOC provides:

Clear error messages
Recovery suggestions
Automatic rollback on failures
Path validation
Permission checks

Advanced Features

Multi-language Support
- Documentation in multiple languages
- Automatic translation tracking
- Language-specific templates
- Cross-reference management
Template Customization
- Modify existing templates
- Create custom templates
- Import template sets
- Share templates across projects
Integration Capabilities
- Code analysis integration
- Version control hooks
- CI/CD pipeline integration
- Automated updates

Next Steps

After initializing your documentation with PAELLA, you can:

Review generated documentation structure
Fill in the templates
Customize the documentation to your needs
Use version control to track changes
Set up continuous documentation updates

For more detailed information, check out:

For detailed information, visit the PAELLADOC GitHub repository.