ADR Creation Skill

Purpose

Create Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) using the MADR (Markdown Any Decision Records) format. ADRs capture important architectural decisions and their context for future reference.

Smart Interaction

ASK the User When:

• Creating new ADR: Confirm ADR number (auto-suggest next available)
• Deleting ADR: Always confirm, suggest "Deprecated" status instead
• Superseding ADR: Confirm which ADR is being replaced

PROCEED Autonomously When:

• Updating existing ADR: Add consequences discovered during implementation
• Linking ADRs: Add related ADR links
• Fixing typos: Non-destructive corrections
• Updating status: Proposed → Accepted after team approval

Instructions

When creating an ADR:

1. Find the next ADR number by checking /docs/architecture/decisions/
2. Use the MADR template at templates/madr.md
3. Output to /docs/architecture/decisions/NNNN-[kebab-case-title].md

Template

Use the template at: .claude/skills/create-adr/templates/madr.md

ADR Naming Convention

Format: NNNN-kebab-case-title.md

Examples:

• 0001-use-supabase-for-database.md
• 0002-tanstack-query-for-state.md
• 0003-fumadocs-for-documentation.md

Status Definitions

When to Create an ADR

Create an ADR when:

• Choosing between technologies/libraries
• Defining architectural patterns
• Making decisions that affect multiple parts of the system
• Making decisions that are hard to reverse
• Team needs to understand "why" something was done

Output Location

All ADRs go to: /docs/architecture/decisions/NNNN-title.md

Quality Checklist

Before completing:

• ADR number is sequential (check existing ADRs)
• Title is clear and descriptive
• Context explains the problem, not the solution
• Decision is stated clearly
• Consequences cover positive, negative, and neutral
• At least 2 options were considered
• Related links are included
• YAML frontmatter has title and description

Examples

Creating New ADRs (Will Ask User)

• "Create an ADR for choosing Supabase" → Ask: Confirm number 0001?
• "Record the decision to use TanStack Query" → Suggest next number

Updating Existing ADRs (Autonomous)

• "Mark ADR-001 as accepted" → Updates status
• "Add implementation notes to ADR-003" → Adds to Notes section
• "Link ADR-002 to ADR-005" → Adds to Related section

Status Changes

• "Deprecate ADR-002" → Updates status, adds deprecation note
• "ADR-003 supersedes ADR-001" → Updates both ADRs with cross-references