How to keep documentation up to date with code changes

Keeping Documentation Current

Documentation goes stale because code changes and docs don't. The fix is process, not motivation: make documentation updates a required part of the code change workflow.

PR Template with Docs Checklist

## Pull Request Checklist

- [ ] Code changes are tested
- [ ] CHANGELOG.md updated under [Unreleased]
- [ ] README updated if installation or usage changed
- [ ] API reference updated if endpoints or parameters changed
- [ ] Migration guide added for any breaking changes
- [ ] JSDoc/docstrings updated for changed functions

CI Documentation Checks

# .github/workflows/docs.yml
- name: Check for broken links
  run: markdown-link-check docs/**/*.md

- name: Lint documentation
  run: markdownlint docs/

- name: Check changelog updated
  run: |
    if git diff --name-only HEAD~1 | grep -q "src/"; then
      git diff --name-only HEAD~1 | grep -q "CHANGELOG.md" || \
      (echo "Source changed but CHANGELOG.md not updated" && exit 1)
    fi

Assign Documentation Ownership

In CODEOWNERS, assign documentation reviewers the same way you assign code reviewers. A documentation review from someone who didn't write the code is the best test of clarity — if they can't understand it, your users can't either.