Architecture Design & Analysis
Protocol Reference Index
Discovery & Analysis
- Protocol:
references/discovery.md- Deep discovery workflow (Context Mapping, Requirements, Environment) - Protocol:
references/codebase-discovery.md- Quick codebase exploration - Reference:
references/quality-checklist.md- Quality evaluation checklist - When to Apply: MANDATORY before starting any design or analysis task to ensure 100% clarity.
System Design (Greenfield)
- Protocol:
references/system-design.md- Complete system design workflow - When to Apply: New systems, major features, technology selection
Architecture Patterns
- Reference:
references/architecture-patterns.md- Design patterns guide - When to Apply: Selecting patterns based on requirements
Architecture Decision Records
- Template:
references/adr-template.md- ADR template and documentation standards - When to Apply: Documenting significant architectural decisions
ADR Creation Protocol:
- Auto-increment: Count existing ADR entries and add 1
- Append: Add to bottom of ADR.md (never delete or modify old entries)
- File location:
.cattoolkit/plan/{project-slug}/ADR.md - Numbering: Sequential (ADR-001, ADR-002, etc.)
- Append-Only Rule: Never delete, modify, or reorder entries
When to Create ADR:
- Technology stack changes (frameworks, databases)
- Major architectural patterns (auth strategy, state management)
- Breaking API changes (protocol changes, data format changes)
- Infrastructure additions (caching, message queues)
- Significant refactors (directory structure, module organization)
Workflow Selection
Protocol Chain:
- Discovery: ALWAYS start with
references/discovery.mdto gather context. - Analysis/Design: Based on discovery results:
- Greenfield (New System): Follow
references/system-design.md. - Brownfield (Existing System): Perform mapping and refactoring analysis.
- Greenfield (New System): Follow
- Documentation: Document all outcomes with ADRs and diagrams.
Quality Criteria
Every architecture must address specific quality gates. For the comprehensive evaluation checklist, see references/quality-checklist.md.
Note: For project plan state management and task execution, use managing-plans skill.