Docs as Systems with Manny Silva of Skyflow and Doc Detective

In this episode of Behind the Docs, Patrick sits down with Manny Silva, Head of Documentation at Skyflow, to explore what happens when technical writing evolves into full-scale content systems.

From growing up building computers to working at Apple and Google, Manny shares how his path into technical communication led to a deeply systems-driven approach to documentation.

Today, as a team of one, Manny is rethinking what it means to scale docs—building automated workflows that turn Slack threads into structured drafts, enforcing style guides with AI, and creating feedback loops that continuously improve content quality.

He also dives into Doc Detective, his open-source project for testing documentation like code—validating procedures, capturing screenshots automatically, and ensuring docs stay accurate as products evolve.

Along the way, Manny shares insights on:

1. why technical writers are becoming content orchestrators
2. how AI agents are powered by documentation at their core
3. and what it really takes to reduce friction in modern content operations

If you’re curious about the future of documentation, AI workflows, and doc ops, this episode is packed with practical ideas and forward-looking perspective.

Docs as Tests website

Docs as Tests book