Current state. Public README and v0.2.0 tag document a focused CLI surface while keeping benchmark harnesses explicitly separate from normal user workflows.
Context
DocNeedle is the most portfolio-ready repository in the current evidence set because the README clearly explains what the tool does today and what is still author-environment infrastructure.
Problem
Developer tools often blur stable commands, internal experiments, and benchmarking machinery into one narrative. That forces readers to guess what is actually safe to use.
Constraints
This case study does not publish benchmark numbers or treat hidden scripts as productized features. It keeps the story close to the documented CLI.
Approach
The public workflow is deliberately small: index a markdown corpus, search ranked chunks, read a chunk, and check for stale or conflicting terminology. The README also labels benchmark scripts as repo-specific and asks readers to patch hardcoded paths before reuse.
Evidence
Public evidence includes the README, the repository tree, and the v0.2.0 tag. That is enough for versioned and open-source badges without inflating performance claims.
Decisions
The case study presents the documented separation directly without inventing an ADR record.
Outcome / current state
DocNeedle is iterating. It already supports a strong public case study because the product surface and the evaluation harness are separated clearly enough to inspect.
Next
If public benchmark reports are added later, the case study can expand with attributable results while keeping the same core story.