Claude Code for Technical Writers: Beyond the Chat Interface

🤖 Most AI writing tools keep you in a chat box. This talk is about what happens when you step outside it.

Led by Max Clayton Clowes, afractional product manager, we'll look at how technical writers — regardless of coding background — can use Claude Code to work in a docs-as-code environment, extend their documentation tooling, and build workflows that hold their own standards over time.

We'll cover:
- Why Claude without proper context is a frustrating experience and how Skills fix that
- How Claude Code enables technical writers to work with frameworks like Docusaurus without needing to be developers
- Building and extending documentation tooling — plugins, components, GitHub Actions — that most teams don't have the time or skills to build from scratch
- Using Claude Code to maintain docs at scale: auditing, keeping content in sync with a changing codebase, and automating the checks that keep quality consistent

The talk is aimed at technical writers of all levels. You don't need to be comfortable in a terminal to get value from it — we'll show a clear path from the Claude web interface through to Claude Code, and you can engage at whichever level suits you.

Want to follow along?

Pick the level that works for you and get set up before you arrive:
- Web interface: A Claude account at claude.ai. Free tier is fine.
- Claude Code: Download the Claude desktop app at claude.com/download. Requires a paid Claude plan (Pro or above). On macOS/Linux, run curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash to install. Windows users can download the installer directly. No other dependencies needed.

Not set up? Everything will be on screen — you can explore at your own pace afterwards.

🗒️ Agenda
When: Thursday 19 March, from 6.30pm
Where: TBD
What:
18.30 - 19.00 Arrival
19.00 - 19.10 Welcome & Housekeeping
19.10 - 19.40 Part 1 of presentation
19.40 - 20.00 Break
20.00 - 20.30 Part 2 of presentation
20.30 - 21.00 Closing and networking
All times are approximate.

📍 How to find us:
Look for WTD signs and organisers.

📸 Photos:
Note that the organizers will take some photos for the WTD group.