| name | architecture-decision-records |
| description | Capture architectural decisions as structured ADRs, recording context, alternatives considered, and rationale, and maintaining an ADR log of why the codebase is shaped as it is. USE WHEN a significant design or technology choice is made and should be documented for future developers. |
| origin | ECC |
| cluster | backend-architecture |
| version | 1.0.0 |
Architecture Decision Records
Capture architectural decisions as they happen during coding sessions. Instead of decisions living only in Slack threads, PR comments, or someone's memory, this skill produces structured ADR documents that live alongside the code.
When to Activate
- User explicitly says "let's record this decision" or "ADR this"
- User chooses between significant alternatives (framework, library, pattern, database, API design)
- User says "we decided to..." or "the reason we're doing X instead of Y is..."
- User asks "why did we choose X?" (read existing ADRs)
- During planning phases when architectural trade-offs are discussed
ADR Format
Use the lightweight ADR format proposed by Michael Nygard, adapted for AI-assisted development:
: YYYY-MM-DD
: proposed | accepted | deprecated | superseded by ADR-NNNN
: [who was involved]
What is the issue that we're seeing that is motivating this decision or change?
[2-5 sentences describing the situation, constraints, and forces at play]
What is the change that we're proposing and/or doing?
[1-3 sentences stating the decision clearly]
: [benefits]
: [drawbacks]
: [specific reason this was rejected]
: [benefits]
: [drawbacks]
: [specific reason this was rejected]
What becomes easier or more difficult to do because of this change?
[benefit 1]
[benefit 2]
[trade-off 1]
[trade-off 2]
[risk and mitigation]
