| name | adr-compliance |
| description | Use when deeply validating an ADR's format, approval chain, linkage to standards, or deciding the correct ADR status |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| owner | platform-governance |
| tier | full |
| source | .enterprise/governance/agent-skills/adr-compliance/SKILL.md |
| quick | .enterprise/governance/agent-skills/adr-compliance/SKILL-QUICK.md |
| portable | true |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
ADR Compliance
When to use
Use this skill when:
- creating a new ADR
- reviewing a submitted ADR for approval
- validating that a change requiring an ADR has one
- checking that an ADR correctly references affected standards
- generating an ADR draft on behalf of a human author
1. When an ADR is Required
An ADR MUST be created for:
- AD-01: Architectural changes (new patterns, new boundaries, structural refactoring)
- AD-02: Technology or framework additions (new dependency, new platform, new language)
- AD-03: Breaking changes to APIs, events, or data contracts
- AD-04: Security posture changes (auth method, encryption change, new exposure)
- AD-05: Deviation from any active standard or policy
- AD-06: Data migration or schema evolution affecting production data
- AD-07: Performance-impacting changes (new caching strategy, query changes on hot paths)
- AD-08: Governance or standards modifications
If uncertain whether an ADR is needed: create one. The cost is low; the cost of undocumented decisions is high.
2. ADR File Naming & Location
- AD-09: ADRs MUST be stored under
.specs/decisions/.
- AD-10: File name MUST follow:
ADR-XXXX-<kebab-case-title>.md
- Example:
ADR-0012-adopt-event-sourcing-for-audit-trail.md
- AD-11: XXXX is a zero-padded sequential number.
- AD-12: Numbers MUST NOT be reused, even if an ADR is deprecated or superseded.
3. Required Sections & Content
Every ADR MUST contain all of the following sections:
3.1 Header
# ADR-XXXX — [Short Title]
**Status:** Draft | Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded by ADR-XXXX
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Authors:** [name(s)]
**Approved by:** [name(s)] (required before Accepted status)
3.2 Context
- AD-13: Describe the situation, problem, or requirement that necessitates a decision.
- AD-14: Reference the relevant standards, constraints, or business drivers.
- AD-15: Context MUST be factual — not the decision itself.
3.3 Decision
- AD-16: State the decision clearly and unambiguously.
- AD-17: Use active voice: "We will adopt...", "The system will use...", "This service MUST...".
- AD-18: The decision MUST be actionable — agents and engineers must be able to implement from it.
