review-adr

name	review-adr
description	Review an architecture decision record for quality and completeness, then accept, reject, or suggest revisions. Enforces ADR immutability — only proposed ADRs can be modified, accepted ADRs can only transition to superseded or deprecated. Use when a proposed ADR is ready for review, or when an accepted ADR needs to be deprecated.
argument-hint	[path to ADR] [--deprecate reason]
allowed-tools	["Bash(${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/accelerator config *)","Bash(${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/decisions/scripts/*)"]

Review Architecture Decision Record

!${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/accelerator config context --skill review-adr --fail-safe !${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/accelerator config agents --fail-safe

If no "Agent Names" section appears above, use these defaults: accelerator:reviewer, accelerator:codebase-locator, accelerator:codebase-analyser, accelerator:codebase-pattern-finder, accelerator:documents-locator, accelerator:documents-analyser, accelerator:web-search-researcher.

Decisions directory: !${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/accelerator config path decisions --fail-safe

You are tasked with reviewing ADRs for quality and managing their lifecycle status transitions, enforcing the append-only immutability model.

Initial Setup

When this command is invoked:

1. Check if parameters were provided:

• If an ADR path was provided, read it fully and proceed to review
• If --deprecate was specified with a path, proceed to deprecation workflow
• If --deprecate was specified without a path:
  • Scan the configured decisions directory for ADRs in accepted status
  • Present them for selection:

    I found the following accepted ADRs available for deprecation:
    
    1. `{decisions directory}/ADR-0001-use-jujutsu.md` — Use Jujutsu for Version
       Control
    2. `{decisions directory}/ADR-0002-filesystem-chaining.md` — Filesystem-Mediated
       Skill Chaining
    
    Which ADR would you like to deprecate? (enter number or path)
    

  • After selection, ask for the deprecation reason and proceed to deprecation workflow
• If no parameters provided:
  • Scan the configured decisions directory for ADRs in proposed status
  • Present them for selection:

I found the following proposed ADRs ready for review:

1. `{decisions directory}/ADR-0001-use-jujutsu.md` — Use Jujutsu for Version Control
2. `{decisions directory}/ADR-0003-append-only-lifecycle.md` — Append-Only ADR
   Lifecycle

Which ADR would you like to review? (enter number or path)

Tip: To deprecate an accepted ADR, use:
`/accelerator:review-adr --deprecate`

Wait for user selection.

Mutability Rules

Before making ANY changes to an ADR, check its status using:

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/decisions/scripts/adr-read-status.sh <adr-path>

Then apply these rules:

Current Status	Content Editable?	Permitted Transitions
proposed	Yes	→ accepted, → rejected
accepted	No	→ superseded (via create-adr), → deprecated
rejected	No	None (terminal)
superseded	No	None (terminal)
deprecated	No	None (terminal)

CRITICAL: If the ADR status is anything other than proposed, you MUST NOT modify its content. You may only update the status field and related metadata fields (superseded_by, deprecated_reason) for permitted transitions.

If the user asks to modify a non-proposed ADR's content, explain:

This ADR has status "[status]" and is immutable. Its content cannot be changed.

To revise this decision, create a new ADR that supersedes it:
`/accelerator:create-adr [new decision] --supersedes ADR-NNNN`

Process Steps

For Proposed ADRs — Quality Review

Step 1: Read and Analyse

1. Read the ADR fully
2. Check status is proposed (if not, apply mutability rules above)
3. Spawn agents for context (in parallel):
   • {documents locator agent} to find related ADRs and source documents
   • {codebase locator agent} to verify technical claims in the ADR

Step 2: Quality Review

Evaluate the ADR against these quality criteria:

Context Completeness:

• Are the forces and constraints clearly described?
• Is the context value-neutral (describing facts, not advocating)?
• Would a new team member understand WHY this decision matters?

Decision Drivers:

• Are the key drivers listed?
• Do they connect logically to the decision?

Options Analysis:

• Are the considered options genuinely viable? (No "Dummy Alternatives")
• Are there obvious options missing that should be considered?
• Is each option described clearly enough to understand?

Decision Statement:

• Is the decision clear and assertive? ("We will..." not "We might...")
• Does it follow from the context and drivers?
• Is it specific enough to be actionable?

Consequences:

• Are there both positive AND negative consequences? (No "Fairy Tale")
• Are consequences honest and realistic?
• Are neutral consequences included where relevant?

Overall Quality:

• Is the length appropriate for the complexity of the decision?
• Is it a decision record, not a blueprint or cookbook?
• Are references to related documents included?

Step 3: Present Review

## ADR Review: ADR-NNNN — [Title]

**Overall Assessment**: [Strong / Adequate / Needs Revision]

### Strengths:
- [What's done well]

### Suggestions:
- [Specific improvements, if any]

### Issues:
- [Problems that should be fixed before acceptance, if any]

---

**Actions available:**

Use the AskUserQuestion tool with three options:

1. Accept — mark the ADR as accepted (becomes immutable)
2. Reject — mark as rejected with reason (becomes immutable; reason prompted after)
3. Revise — make suggested improvements (stays proposed)

Wait for the user's decision.

Step 4: Execute Action

If Accept:

1. Update the ADR's frontmatter:
   • Change status: proposed to status: accepted
2. Update the in-body status line:
   • Change **Status**: Proposed to **Status**: Accepted
3. Confirm:

   ADR-NNNN has been accepted. It is now immutable — content can no longer be
   changed. If this decision needs to be revised in the future, create a new
   ADR that supersedes it.
   

If Reject:

1. Ask for a rejection reason
2. Update the ADR's frontmatter:
   • Change status: proposed to status: rejected
   • Add rejected_reason: "[reason]"
3. Update the in-body status line:
   • Change **Status**: Proposed to **Status**: Rejected
4. Confirm:

   ADR-NNNN has been rejected. Reason: [reason]
   

If Revise:

1. Make the suggested improvements to the ADR content
2. Present the updated ADR for another round of review
3. Return to Step 2

For Accepted ADRs — Deprecation Only

If the ADR is in accepted status and --deprecate was specified:

1. Ask for or confirm the deprecation reason
2. Update the ADR's frontmatter:
   • Change status: accepted to status: deprecated
   • Add deprecated_reason: "[reason]"
3. Update the in-body status line:
   • Change **Status**: Accepted to **Status**: Deprecated
4. Confirm:

   ADR-NNNN has been deprecated. Reason: [reason]
   
   Note: The ADR content remains unchanged. If a replacement decision is
   needed, use `/accelerator:create-adr` to create a new ADR.
   

For Terminal Status ADRs

If the ADR is in rejected, superseded, or deprecated status:

ADR-NNNN is in "[status]" status, which is terminal. No further changes are
permitted.

[If superseded]: This ADR was superseded by ADR-MMMM. See
`{decisions directory}/ADR-MMMM-description.md`.
[If deprecated]: Reason: [deprecated_reason from frontmatter]
[If rejected]: Reason: [rejected_reason from frontmatter]

Important Notes

• ALWAYS check status before any modification — this is the core enforcement mechanism
• Never modify content of non-proposed ADRs, only status metadata
• Supersession is handled by create-adr with --supersedes, not by this skill
• Be constructive in reviews — suggest specific improvements, not vague criticism
• Quality review is a service, not a gate — the user decides whether to accept
• Enforcement boundary: Immutability is enforced at the skill level, not the filesystem level. Direct file edits outside of ADR skills bypass this protection. This is an accepted tradeoff — skill-level enforcement is simpler and sufficient for the intended workflow. If an ADR appears to have been modified outside the skills, note this to the user during review.

!${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/accelerator config instructions review-adr --fail-safe