architectural-decision-records

name	architectural-decision-records
description	Use when making significant architectural decisions, adding new patterns, or altering core workflows. This skill ensures that all major technical choices are documented via ADRs.

Architectural Decision Records (ADRs)

When to use this skill

Trigger this skill whenever you are about to introduce a new architectural pattern, make a load-bearing contract change, or bypass an established standard for a necessary reason.

Guidelines

1. Never make a major architectural change without an ADR.
2. Store ADRs in docs/architecture/decisions/ (create this directory if it doesn't exist).
3. Name ADR files using the pattern adr-00##-name.md (e.g., adr-0001-use-postgresql.md).
4. An ADR must follow this exact structure:
   • Title: Short, descriptive noun phrase.
   • Context: What is the problem we are solving? What forces are at play? (Be objective).
   • Decision: What is the specific change or pattern we are adopting?
   • Consequences: What becomes easier because of this change? What becomes harder? (There are always trade-offs).

Actionable Steps

When tasked with a major architecture change, pause and explicitly state: "This requires an Architectural Decision Record." Draft the ADR and ask the user to approve the reasoning before writing the implementation code.