managing-adrs

name

managing-adrs

description

Create, update, and validate Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) following MADR 4.0 format. Use when the user mentions ADR, architecture decision, decision record, or asks to document a technical decision. Also use when creating new files in docs/decisions/. Handles numbering, frontmatter, section structure, and README index updates. Do NOT use for general documentation or non-architectural decisions.

Managing Architecture Decision Records

This project stores ADRs in docs/decisions/ following MADR 4.0 with project-specific conventions documented below.

File Conventions

• Path: docs/decisions/NNNN-kebab-case-title.md
• Numbering: zero-padded four digits, sequential. See "Get Sequence Number" below.
• Index: docs/decisions/README.md contains a table of all ADRs. Update it after every create, rename, or status change.

ADR Template

Use assets/adr-template.md as the starting point. The template contains the exact frontmatter and section structure. Copy it, fill in the content, remove sections marked optional if unused.

Key rules:

• Frontmatter fields status and date are required. decision-makers is required for accepted decisions.
• status values: proposed, accepted, deprecated, superseded by NNNN
• date format: YYYY-MM-DD (date of last status change)
• The H1 title is a short imperative phrase: "Use X for Y", not "Decision about X"
• "Decision Outcome" must begin with Chosen option: **X**, because Y
• "Considered Options" is a bullet list. Detailed analysis goes under "### Considered Options in Detail" inside "Decision Outcome"
• Decision Drivers use numbered bold-label items: 1. **Label.** Description

Get Sequence Number

Two strategies depending on context:

Pre-assigned number (passed by caller or human): Use it directly. Do not call the script — this prevents duplicate numbers when multiple ADRs are created in parallel.

No number assigned (standalone use):

bash .claude/skills/managing-adrs/scripts/next_adr_number.sh
# Output: 0004

For batch allocation (multiple ADRs in one session):

bash .claude/skills/managing-adrs/scripts/next_adr_number.sh --count 3
# Output: 0004, 0005, 0006 (one per line)

Allocate all numbers upfront before creating any files. This avoids the script returning the same number twice when files haven't been written yet.

Operations

Create ADR

1. Get the next ADR number (see "Get Sequence Number" above).
2. Copy assets/adr-template.md to docs/decisions/NNNN-kebab-case-title.md.
3. Fill in frontmatter: status: proposed, date: <today>, decision-makers: <name>.
4. Write Context, Decision Drivers, Considered Options, and Decision Outcome.
5. Remove unused optional sections (Consequences, Confirmation).
6. Update docs/decisions/README.md — add a row to the table.

Update ADR Status

1. Edit the status field in frontmatter.
2. Update date to today.
3. If superseded, set status: superseded by NNNN and link to the replacement ADR.
4. Update the Status column in docs/decisions/README.md.

Validate ADRs

Check every file in docs/decisions/ (excluding README.md):

• Filename matches NNNN-kebab-case-title.md
• YAML frontmatter has status, date fields
• date is valid YYYY-MM-DD
• status is one of: proposed, accepted, deprecated, superseded by NNNN
• H1 title exists and is an imperative phrase
• Sections present: "Context and Problem Statement", "Considered Options", "Decision Outcome"
• "Decision Outcome" contains Chosen option: ** pattern
• "Considered Options" is a bullet list
• docs/decisions/README.md table has a row for this ADR with correct title and status

Report all violations. Do not auto-fix without confirmation.

Update README Index

Regenerate the table in docs/decisions/README.md by scanning all ADR files:

| ADR                              | Title         | Status |
| -------------------------------- | ------------- | ------ |
| [NNNN](NNNN-kebab-case-title.md) | H1 title text | Status |

• Sort by ADR number ascending.
• Title column uses the H1 text from the ADR file.
• Status column uses the status frontmatter value, capitalized.
• Preserve the introductory paragraph and heading above the table.