mpm-documentation-kit/START_HERE.md

MPM Documentation Kit

Everything needed to produce Message Point Media technical documents that look and read the same, whoever writes them:

• Technical notes (TN)
• Installation guides (INS)
• Procedures (SOP)
• Bills of materials (BOM)
• Site surveys (SVY)
• Technical action plans (TAP)
• Drawings (DWG)
• Service bulletins (TSB)
• Proposals (PRO)
• Statements of work (SOW)
• Field work orders (WO)

Technical notes and drawings can also be issued as a Simplified Chinese edition for manufacturers.

Every document is built from a short Python script into a branded PDF. Claude writes and builds those scripts for you when the plugin is installed.

What's in the kit

Folder / file	What it is
_STANDARDS/MPM_Document_Standard.md	The rules. Types, numbering, revisions, file names, layout, writing. Read §1–§4 before your first document.
_STANDARDS/registry.md	Customer codes and issued numbers. A snapshot: claim new numbers in the shared master registry (standard §11).
_STANDARDS/glossary_zh.md	Master English → Chinese terms for Chinese editions (standard §12).
_STANDARDS/mpmdoc/	The build engine. Don't edit it in your copy; changes come with a new kit version.
_STANDARDS/templates/<TYPE>/	A starter for each document type, with a preview PDF of what it produces.
_EXAMPLES/	(in the kit zip on Drive, CW-034 folder; not in the git repo) Real documents with their source: a TN (CommTran), an INS (LakeTran), an SOP (UniFi Talk), and a DWG with its Chinese edition (WeGo Star).
_ASSETS/mpm/	MPM fonts and logos. The only copies documents use.
_PLUGIN/mpm-technical-documents.plugin	The Claude plugin that runs this workflow.
setup.sh, requirements.txt	One-time setup for building PDFs on your computer.

1. Set up (once)

1. Unzip the kit somewhere permanent, for example Documents/MPM Documentation/. Your own project folders go next to _STANDARDS, inside that folder.

2. Mac / Linux: open Terminal in the kit folder and run ./setup.sh. It installs:

   • the Python packages
   • Chromium, which renders the PDFs
   • poppler, which places the revision block (via Homebrew or apt, if present)

   Windows: install Python 3.10+ and poppler, then run:

   py -m pip install -r requirements.txt
   py -m playwright install chromium
   

3. Check it works: cd _EXAMPLES/"COMMTRAN PINGO P2.5"/source && python3 build.py. The PDF in that folder is rebuilt.

2. Install the Claude plugin

In the Claude desktop app, drag _PLUGIN/mpm-technical-documents.plugin into a chat and accept the plugin when Claude shows it. Then give Claude your kit folder: open a Cowork task on it, or link the computer that holds it.

3. Make a document

With Claude (recommended): say the type and the subject, and attach or point to your inputs.

"TN for CommTran: per-sign power roll-up for the 4×2 Pingo layout" "INS for LakeTran: 15-inch sign on a round pole. Photos are in LAKETRAN 15in SIGN/_INPUTS" "Chinese edition of DWG-NSH-STAR-01 for the manufacturer"

Claude follows the standard: it asks for a number from the shared registry, sets up the project folder, writes source/build.py, builds the PDF, checks every page and shows it to you.

By hand:

1. Claim a number in the shared registry, for example TN-LT-15R-01, and add the row to your registry.md.
2. Create the project folder <CUSTOMER> <PROJECT>/ next to _STANDARDS, with source/, _INPUTS/ and _superseded/ inside it.
3. Copy _STANDARDS/templates/<TYPE>/ into source/ and fill in build.py; the comments in it say what goes where.
4. Run python3 build.py in source/. The PDF lands in the project folder.

Rules that matter most

• Numbers: TYPE-CUST-SUBJ-NN, claimed in the shared registry before the first build, and never reused.
• Revisions: 0.x is a draft and 1.0 the first release. Every change after a document is shared gets a new revision and a history line. The old PDF moves to _superseded/.
• Inputs: originals go in _INPUTS/ and are never edited.
• Numbers in documents: every number traces to a source. Anything unconfirmed is marked TBC and listed as an open item, never guessed.
• Chinese editions: build the English first. The English governs, and both editions move revision together.

Updates and questions

Kit versions follow the standard's version (see the top of _STANDARDS/MPM_Document_Standard.md). Replace _STANDARDS, _ASSETS and the plugin when a new kit is released; your project folders are untouched.

Questions, new document types or glossary corrections: Jason Stedwell, Director of Technical Services.