kiss-adr-author

name	kiss-adr-author
description	Authors Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) in the Michael Nygard template. One ADR per file, auto-numbered, lives under docs/decisions/. Records the decision the user made — does not make decisions. Use when recording a technical choice, documenting why a technology or design approach was selected, or when a decision needs a permanent, reviewable record.
compatibility	Requires kiss project structure with .kiss/ directory
metadata	{"author":"github-kiss","source":"agent-skills/kiss-adr-author/kiss-adr-author.md"}

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Audience and tone (interactive mode)

When KISS_AGENT_MODE=interactive (the default), assume the user has limited technical background and limited domain knowledge — they may know basics but lack deep expertise in this skill's area. Run this skill as a guided questionnaire:

• One question at a time. No walls of questions.
• Yes / no first. Phrase so yes, no, not sure, or skip is a valid answer.
• Translate jargon, don't strip it. Use the technical term but always pair it with a plain-English gloss the first time it appears.
• Choices, not blank fields. When yes/no isn't enough, offer 2-4 lettered options (A/B/C/D) with one-line plain-language descriptions of the trade-off. Always include "Not sure — pick a sensible default".
• Always recommend. State the option you would pick and why in one sentence so the user can reply "yes" / "ok" to accept. Pull defaults from upstream artefacts (spec, architecture, ADRs, standards) before asking blank.
• Show, don't ask. When upstream artefacts already imply an answer, propose it as a pre-filled finding and ask for a yes / no confirmation rather than asking the user to fill in a blank.
• not sure / skip triggers a sensible default, marked "(default applied — confirm later)" in the artefact, and a debt entry in this skill's debt file.

When KISS_AGENT_MODE=auto (or --auto), skip the questionnaire entirely: apply sensible defaults from upstream artefacts and log decisions to the parent agent's decision log.

Inputs

• .kiss/context.yml
• {context.paths.docs}/architecture/intake.md
• {context.paths.docs}/research/*.md

Outputs

• {context.paths.docs}/decisions/ADR-NNN-<slug>.md

Context Update

Does not mutate .kiss/context.yml.

Handoffs

• kiss-c4-diagrams cross-links ADRs from container-level diagrams where the decision manifests in the architecture.
• kiss-arch-extraction (technical-analyst) references existing ADRs when reverse-engineering a codebase.

AI authoring scope

Does: scaffold the ADR with the template, pre-fill context/consequences from linked research, record Status = "Proposed" until the user updates it to "Accepted".

Does not: accept or supersede an ADR on the user's behalf; declare something "the decision" unless the user stated it.

Usage

<SKILL_DIR> = the integration's skills root (e.g. .claude/skills/ for Claude Code, .agents/skills/ for Antigravity / Codex, .cursor/skills/ for Cursor, .windsurf/workflows/ for Windsurf). Scripts live at <SKILL_DIR>/<skill-name>/scripts/….

ADR_TITLE="Choose PostgreSQL as primary store" \
ADR_DECIDER="tech-lead" \
ADR_CONTEXT="Need ACID + relational joins" \
ADR_DECISION="Use PostgreSQL 16 on managed RDS" \
ADR_CONSEQUENCES="Vendor lock-in to AWS RDS; HA story via Multi-AZ" \
ADR_STATUS="Proposed" \
  bash <SKILL_DIR>/kiss-adr-author/scripts/bash/add-adr.sh --auto

Answer keys

Key	Meaning	Default
ADR_TITLE	decision title	(required)
ADR_DECIDER	person / role making the call	(required)
ADR_CONTEXT	situation + forces	(required → log debt if empty)
ADR_DECISION	what was decided	(required → log debt if empty)
ADR_CONSEQUENCES	trade-offs accepted	empty
ADR_STATUS	Proposed / Accepted / Deprecated / Superseded	Proposed
ADR_SUPERSEDES	ADR id this replaces	empty