How do I install the Adr Capture skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add aman-bhandari/adr-capture in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Adr Capture safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Adr Capture?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Adr Capture free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Adr Capture?

aman-bhandari (@aman-bhandari) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Adr Capture by aman-bhandari — Agent Skill

Name: Adr Capture
Author: aman-bhandari

Adr Capture

ALWAYS activate when the student makes a high-level design choice -- library selection, database choice, mathematical approach, architecture pattern, or trade-off decision. Captures an Architectural Decision Record proving leadership-level thinking. Invoke with /adr.

File contents

Architectural Decision Record (ADR) Capture

When This Fires

Automatically when the student makes or discusses:

Choice of library, framework, or tool
Database or storage decision
Mathematical approach selection
Architecture pattern decision
Any trade-off where two valid options exist

Also manually via /adr.

The Mandatory ADR Format

Every ADR is written to decisions/ADR-NNN-title.md with this structure:

# ADR-NNN: [The Decision]

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Status:** Accepted | Superseded by ADR-NNN | Deprecated
**Topic:** [Which curriculum topic this relates to]

## Context

What is the technical constraint or problem that forced this decision? What were we trying to solve? What are the forces at play (performance, cost, complexity, maintainability, learning curve)?

## Options Considered

### Option A: [Name]
- Pros: [specific, measurable]
- Cons: [specific, measurable]
- Cost: [time, compute, complexity]

### Option B: [Name]
- Pros: [specific, measurable]
- Cons: [specific, measurable]
- Cost: [time, compute, complexity]

### Option C: [Name] (if applicable)

## Decision

What was chosen and WHY. Not "we chose X because it's popular" but "we chose X because [specific technical reason] given our constraint of [specific constraint]."

## Trade-offs

What did we sacrifice for what gain? Be explicit:
- Sacrificed: [Latency? Cost? Complexity? Flexibility?]
- Gained: [Performance? Simplicity? Maintainability? Learning value?]

## Verification

How did tests/benchmarks prove this was the right choice? Reference specific test files, benchmark results, or measured outcomes.

## Consequences

What does this decision make easier? What does it make harder? What future decisions does it constrain or enable?

Coach Protocol

When a design choice surfaces, STOP the student before they implement
Ask: "What are your options? What are the trade-offs?"
If the student can't name at least two options with trade-offs, they don't understand the decision space yet -- dig deeper
The student writes the ADR (not the coach)
Coach reviews the ADR for: specificity of trade-offs, measurability of claims, honesty about sacrifices
ADR must be committed alongside the implementation

Why This Matters

ADRs prove leadership thinking. A junior picks a tool. A lead documents WHY they picked it, what they sacrificed, and how they verified the choice. In 18 months, the decisions/ directory is a searchable record of engineering judgment that no interview question can replicate.

Portfolio Impact

Recruiters see: "This person doesn't just build. They make deliberate, documented trade-off decisions with measurable verification. This is how Staff engineers think."

---name: adr-capturedescription: ALWAYS activate when the student makes a high-level design choice -- library selection, database choice, mathematical approach, architecture pattern, or trade-off decision. Captures an Architectural Decision Record proving leadership-level thinking. Invoke with /adr.---# Architectural Decision Record (ADR) Capture## When This FiresAutomatically when the student makes or discusses:- Choice of library, framework, or tool- Database or storage decision- Mathematical approach selection- Architecture pattern decision- Any trade-off where two valid options existAlso manually via `/adr`.## The Mandatory ADR FormatEvery ADR is written to `decisions/ADR-NNN-title.md` with this structure:```markdown# ADR-NNN: [The Decision]**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD**Status:** Accepted | Superseded by ADR-NNN | Deprecated**Topic:** [Which curriculum topic this relates to]## ContextWhat is the technical constraint or problem that forced this decision? What were we trying to solve? What are the forces at play (performance, cost, complexity, maintainability, learning curve)?## Options Considered### Option A: [Name]- Pros: [specific, measurable]- Cons: [specific, measurable]- Cost: [time, compute, complexity]### Option B: [Name]- Pros: [specific, measurable]- Cons: [specific, measurable]- Cost: [time, compute, complexity]### Option C: [Name] (if applicable)## DecisionWhat was chosen and WHY. Not "we chose X because it's popular" but "we chose X because [specific technical reason] given our constraint of [specific constraint]."## Trade-offsWhat did we sacrifice for what gain? Be explicit:- Sacrificed: [Latency? Cost? Complexity? Flexibility?]- Gained: [Performance? Simplicity? Maintainability? Learning value?]## VerificationHow did tests/benchmarks prove this was the right choice? Reference specific test files, benchmark results, or measured outcomes.## ConsequencesWhat does this decision make easier? What does it make harder? What future decisions does it constrain or enable?```## Coach Protocol1. When a design choice surfaces, STOP the student before they implement2. Ask: "What are your options? What are the trade-offs?"3. If the student can't name at least two options with trade-offs, they don't understand the decision space yet -- dig deeper4. The student writes the ADR (not the coach)5. Coach reviews the ADR for: specificity of trade-offs, measurability of claims, honesty about sacrifices6. ADR must be committed alongside the implementation## Why This MattersADRs prove leadership thinking. A junior picks a tool. A lead documents WHY they picked it, what they sacrificed, and how they verified the choice. In 18 months, the `decisions/` directory is a searchable record of engineering judgment that no interview question can replicate.## Portfolio ImpactRecruiters see: "This person doesn't just build. They make deliberate, documented trade-off decisions with measurable verification. This is how Staff engineers think."

Frequently asked questions