# Reference format

Use when the reader needs exact facts: parameters, commands, fields, limits, defaults, or compatibility.

## Great instance

- Groups topics by lookup path, not narrative order.
- Uses tables for fields and options so reviewers can comment on one cell.
- States defaults, requiredness, valid values, and failure behavior.
- Keeps examples minimal and canonical.

## Cut

- Tutorial pacing, persuasion, and speculative future fields.
- Duplicate descriptions in prose after the table already says it.
- Hidden assumptions about auth, scope, or version.

## Skeleton

````markdown
# Reference: <surface>

## Summary
<scope, version, and stability>

## <Topic or endpoint>
| Name | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| <field> | <type> | <yes/no> | <value> | <constraint> |

## Examples
```text
<small canonical example>
```

## Errors and limits
| Code | Cause | Recovery |
| --- | --- | --- |
````

## Section prompts

- Use one `h2` per topic, endpoint, command, or object.
- Put every comparable fact in a table.
- Mark unknowns explicitly instead of smoothing over them.
- Keep examples short enough to inspect line by line.

## Renderer moves

Catalog: ../building-artifacts.md#what-each-file-type-becomes - md doc reader sections; table cell anchors.