architecture

name	architecture
description	Create or evaluate an architecture decision record (ADR). Use when choosing between technologies (e.g., Kafka vs SQS), documenting a design decision with trade-offs and consequences, reviewing a system design proposal, or designing a new component from requirements and constraints.
metadata	{"upstream-id":"anthropics-knowledge-work","upstream-rev":"55447a28e6c785444197cecde5a401b44f830161","upstream-path":"engineering/skills/architecture","upstream-imported":"2026-06-20T00:00:00.000Z"}

/architecture

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Create an Architecture Decision Record (ADR) or evaluate a system design.

Usage

/architecture $ARGUMENTS

Modes

Create an ADR: "Should we use Kafka or SQS for our event bus?" Evaluate a design: "Review this microservices proposal" System design: "Design the notification system for our app"

See the system-design skill for detailed frameworks on requirements gathering, scalability analysis, and trade-off evaluation.

Output — ADR Format

# ADR-[number]: [Title]

**Status:** Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded
**Date:** [Date]
**Deciders:** [Who needs to sign off]

## Context
[What is the situation? What forces are at play?]

## Decision
[What is the change we're proposing?]

## Options Considered

### Option A: [Name]
| Dimension | Assessment |
|-----------|------------|
| Complexity | [Low/Med/High] |
| Cost | [Assessment] |
| Scalability | [Assessment] |
| Team familiarity | [Assessment] |

**Pros:** [List]
**Cons:** [List]

### Option B: [Name]
[Same format]

## Trade-off Analysis
[Key trade-offs between options with clear reasoning]

## Consequences
- [What becomes easier]
- [What becomes harder]
- [What we'll need to revisit]

## Action Items
1. [ ] [Implementation step]
2. [ ] [Follow-up]

If Connectors Available

If ~~knowledge base is connected:

• Search for prior ADRs and design docs
• Find relevant technical context

If ~~project tracker is connected:

• Link to related epics and tickets
• Create implementation tasks

Tips

1. State constraints upfront — "We need to ship in 2 weeks" or "Must handle 10K rps" shapes the answer.
2. Name your options — Even if you're leaning one way, I'll give a more balanced analysis with explicit alternatives.
3. Include non-functional requirements — Latency, cost, team expertise, and maintenance burden matter as much as features.