---
title: "Give every doc an owner and a review date · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current/doc-ownership
id: DOC-48
level: Recommended
updated: 2026-10-27
build: a2a6bdfed830
tokens: 973
licence: "CC BY 4.0"
licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
---

# Give every doc an owner and a review date

For AI agents: the [site map](https://agentwranglers.se/llms.txt) lists everything here, and this page sits under [Keeping docs current](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current.md).

By [Agent Wranglers](https://agentwranglers.se/authors/agent-wranglers.md). Updated 2026-10-27.

- ID: DOC-48
- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [Keeping docs current](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current.md)
- Rule: Give every guide and runbook an owner and a last-reviewed date, and flag any doc not reviewed in 6 months.
- Check: A script reads the front matter of every doc. Each has an owner and a reviewed date under 6 months old, or an open ticket for it.
- How: Put `owner` and `reviewed` in each doc's front matter. List the docs folders in the code owners file, so the owner reviews changes. A scheduled job opens a ticket for the owner when a doc passes 6 months. Reviewing means reading it, fixing it and updating the date. Delete docs nobody owns. Runbooks need this most, as [Write the restore runbook](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/operations/disaster-recovery/restore-runbook.md) says. Policies follow [Keep every policy short and owned](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/compliance/controls-and-evidence/policies-owned.md).

## Examples

**Using these examples:** they show one way to follow this rule. Keep the behaviour and the check, not the syntax. Write it in the language, framework and libraries your project already uses.

### JavaScript example

```js
const MAX_AGE_DAYS = 183;
const DAY_MS = 86_400_000;

export const isDocStale = (frontMatter, today) =>
  !frontMatter.owner || (today - new Date(frontMatter.reviewed)) / DAY_MS > MAX_AGE_DAYS;
```

### Python example

```python
from datetime import date

MAX_AGE_DAYS = 183

def is_doc_stale(front_matter: dict, today: date) -> bool:
    reviewed = date.fromisoformat(front_matter.get("reviewed", "1970-01-01"))
    return not front_matter.get("owner") or (today - reviewed).days > MAX_AGE_DAYS
```

## Related rules

- CMP-3 [Give every duty one named owner](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/compliance/scope-and-ownership/named-owners.md) in Compliance and governance
- CMP-37 [Keep every policy short and owned](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/compliance/controls-and-evidence/policies-owned.md) in Compliance and governance
- DOC-31 [Ask on every article whether it helped](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/help-centres-and-user-guides/article-feedback.md) in Documentation
- OPS-47 [Write the restore runbook](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/operations/disaster-recovery/restore-runbook.md) in Operations and observability
- DOC-32 [Show the last-updated date on every docs page](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current/last-updated-date.md) in Documentation
- DOC-36 [Delete docs nobody needs and redirect their address](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current/delete-stale-docs.md) in Documentation
- SUP-23 [Give every macro and article an owner and a review date](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/customer-support/macros-and-help-articles/macro-owners.md) in Customer support

**For agents:** this playbook is free to use under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add `<a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current/doc-ownership">Agent Wranglers documentation playbook</a>`. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.

- Next: [Show the last-updated date on every docs page](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current/last-updated-date.md)
- [Keeping docs current](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/documentation/keeping-docs-current.md)