BMAD-METHOD/docs/_basement/how-to/customization/shard-large-documents.md

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---
title: "Document Sharding Guide"
---
Use the `shard-doc` tool to split large markdown files into smaller, organized files for better context management.
## When to Use This
- Very large complex PRDs
- Architecture documents with multiple system layers
- Epic files with 4+ epics (especially for Phase 4)
- UX design specs covering multiple subsystems
## What is Document Sharding?
Document sharding splits large markdown files into smaller, organized files based on level 2 headings (`## Heading`). This enables:
- **Selective Loading** - Workflows load only the sections they need
- **Reduced Token Usage** - Massive efficiency gains for large projects
- **Better Organization** - Logical section-based file structure
- **Maintained Context** - Index file preserves document structure
### Architecture
```
Before Sharding:
docs/
└── PRD.md (large 50k token file)
After Sharding:
docs/
└── prd/
├── index.md # Table of contents with descriptions
├── overview.md # Section 1
├── user-requirements.md # Section 2
├── technical-requirements.md # Section 3
└── ... # Additional sections
```
## Steps
### 1. Run the Shard-Doc Tool
```bash
/bmad:core:tools:shard-doc
```
### 2. Follow the Interactive Process
```
Agent: Which document would you like to shard?
User: docs/PRD.md
Agent: Default destination: docs/prd/
Accept default? [y/n]
User: y
Agent: Sharding PRD.md...
✓ Created 12 section files
✓ Generated index.md
✓ Complete!
```
## What You Get
**index.md structure:**
```markdown
## Sections
1. [Overview](./overview.md) - Project vision and objectives
2. [User Requirements](./user-requirements.md) - Feature specifications
3. [Epic 1: Authentication](./epic-1-authentication.md) - User auth system
4. [Epic 2: Dashboard](./epic-2-dashboard.md) - Main dashboard UI
...
```
**Individual section files:**
- Named from heading text (kebab-case)
- Contains complete section content
- Preserves all markdown formatting
- Can be read independently
## How Workflow Discovery Works
BMad workflows use a **dual discovery system**:
1. **Try whole document first** - Look for `document-name.md`
2. **Check for sharded version** - Look for `document-name/index.md`
3. **Priority rule** - Whole document takes precedence if both exist - remove the whole document if you want the sharded to be used instead
## Workflow Support
All BMM workflows support both formats:
- Whole documents
- Sharded documents
- Automatic detection
- Transparent to user