README with install and usage example
Why it matters
A README without install command, import statement, and a working usage example forces every prospective consumer to read source code or issue trackers before they can evaluate the package. Adoption stalls at the discovery stage: npm page visitors bounce, stars never convert to weekly downloads, and support channels flood with questions the quickstart should answer. For SDKs, this directly undermines user-experience and content-integrity — the two taxons this pattern is tagged under — because the package's public contract is invisible at the moment of evaluation.
Severity rationale
High because a missing or boilerplate README blocks nearly every downstream adoption decision and multiplies support load.
Remediation
Rewrite README.md so the first screen answers install, import, and first call. Lead with a one-sentence description, then a bash-fenced install command, then a language-fenced usage example that exercises the package's primary entry point with real input and output. Push badges, contributing guidelines, and deep API reference below the quickstart.
# your-package
Brief description of what it does.
## Installation
```bash
npm install your-package
Usage
import { createClient } from 'your-package'
const client = createClient({ apiKey: process.env.API_KEY })
const result = await client.getData()
console.log(result)
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the SDK / Package Quality Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from sdk-package-quality·automated