ADR Decision Extraction Skill

ADR Decision Extraction

Extract architectural decisions from conversation context for ADR generation.

Detection Signals

| Signal Type | Examples | |-------------|----------| | Explicit markers | [ADR], "decided:", "the decision is" | | Choice patterns | "let's go with X", "we'll use Y", "choosing Z" | | Trade-off discussions | "X vs Y", "pros/cons", "considering alternatives" | | Problem-solution pairs | "the problem is... so we'll..." |

Extraction Rules

Explicit Tags (Guaranteed Inclusion)

Text marked with [ADR] is always extracted:

[ADR] Using PostgreSQL for user data storage due to ACID requirements

These receive confidence: "high" automatically.

AI-Detected Decisions

Patterns detected without explicit tags require confidence assessment:

| Confidence | Criteria | |------------|----------| | high | Clear statement of choice with rationale | | medium | Implied decision from action taken | | low | Contextual inference, may need verification |

Output Format

{
  "decisions": [
    {
      "title": "Use PostgreSQL for user data",
      "problem": "Need ACID transactions for financial records",
      "chosen_option": "PostgreSQL",
      "alternatives_discussed": ["MongoDB", "SQLite"],
      "drivers": ["ACID compliance", "team familiarity"],
      "confidence": "high",
      "source_context": "Discussion about database selection in planning phase"
    }
  ]
}

Field Definitions

| Field | Required | Description | |-------|----------|-------------| | title | Yes | Concise decision summary | | problem | Yes | Problem or context driving the decision | | chosen_option | Yes | The selected solution or approach | | alternatives_discussed | No | Other options mentioned (empty array if none) | | drivers | No | Factors influencing the decision | | confidence | Yes | high, medium, or low | | source_context | No | Brief description of where decision appeared |

Extraction Workflow

Scan for explicit markers - Find all [ADR] tagged content
Identify choice patterns - Look for decision language
Extract trade-off discussions - Capture alternatives and reasoning
Assess confidence - Rate each non-explicit decision
Capture context - Note surrounding discussion for ADR writer

Pattern Examples

High Confidence

"We decided to use Redis for caching because of its sub-millisecond latency
and native TTL support. Memcached was considered but lacks persistence."

Extracts:

Title: Use Redis for caching
Problem: Need fast caching with TTL
Chosen: Redis
Alternatives: Memcached
Drivers: sub-millisecond latency, native TTL, persistence
Confidence: high

Medium Confidence

"Let's go with TypeScript for the frontend since we're already using it
in the backend."

Extracts:

Title: Use TypeScript for frontend
Problem: Language choice for frontend
Chosen: TypeScript
Alternatives: (none stated)
Drivers: consistency with backend
Confidence: medium

Low Confidence

"The API seems to be working well with REST endpoints."

Extracts:

Title: REST API architecture
Problem: API design approach
Chosen: REST
Alternatives: (none stated)
Drivers: (none stated)
Confidence: low

Best Practices

Context Capture

Always capture sufficient context for the ADR writer:

What was the discussion about?
Who was involved (if known)?
What prompted the decision?

Merge Related Decisions

If multiple statements relate to the same decision, consolidate them:

Combine alternatives from different mentions
Aggregate drivers
Use highest confidence level

Flag Ambiguity

When decisions are unclear or contradictory:

Note the ambiguity in source_context
Set confidence to low
Include all interpretations if multiple exist

When to Use This Skill

Analyzing session transcripts for ADR generation
Reviewing conversation history for documentation
Extracting decisions from design discussions
Preparing input for ADR writing tools

Agent Skills: ADR Decision Extraction

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files