Architecture Docs

Architecture Docs Skill

Trigger

• /architecture-docs — full regeneration.
• /architecture-docs <subsystem> — refresh a single subsystem file; skips Phases 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9.
• /architecture-docs --verify-idempotent — run the skill twice on an unchanged tree and git diff --stat docs/architecture/. Non-empty diff = the skill is not idempotent and produced non-deterministic output.

Purpose

Produce a regenerable, citation-anchored set of architecture documents under /docs/architecture/ that capture what the system is and why, grounded in code and git history — not in .designs/ (design documents can be wrong and have been wrong). Future designs and reviews use these docs as the truth source for "how does this codebase already handle this concern?" so an author cannot propose a fix that diverges from an established idiom without naming the divergence and justifying it.

Why this skill exists (read before running)

Design reviews routinely fail in a specific way: an author synthesizes an "options considered" section from the problem statement without first checking whether the codebase already has a canonical idiom for the problem shape. When no document aggregates the existing idiom across its call sites, the author has no efficient way to discover it, and reviewers have no efficient way to challenge deviations from it. Designs then ship that quietly weaken invariants the codebase was previously enforcing through combined mechanisms.

The fix class for this failure mode is not "more review" and not "better design docs." It is a standing, regenerable, code-derived doc that every design-review step must cross-reference — so discovering the canonical pattern is a lookup, not a guess, and deviating from it is a named choice, not an accident.

Core principles

1. Code and commits are primary; everything else is secondary. Design documents, comments, issue bodies, and even CLAUDE.md are all subject to drift or author error. When sources conflict, prefer code > commit message > code comment > design doc > issue body.

2. Citation rule (THE canonical statement — all phases reference this). Every claim in every output file must be anchored to one of:

   • a file:line reference (e.g., internal/cmd/helpers.go:55), or
   • a 7-char commit SHA in backticks (e.g., `63307bb`), or
   • the literal phrase "unknown — needs review" — used only when no anchor exists. Never invented.

   Mechanical enforcement: validate.sh (Phase 2.5, Phase 9) scans each produced file for multi-line paragraphs (> 200 chars) with zero anchors and fails the phase if any are found. A paragraph can only pass validation by containing at least one of the three forms above.

3. Aggregate before abstracting. A "pattern" or "idiom" requires at least two distinct call sites, and the output must enumerate every site with its access-control axis / trust boundary / invariant annotated. Single-site patterns are not idioms; they are implementations. Mechanically checked by validate.sh (idioms.md must have ≥ 2 call-site table rows).

4. Bias to load-bearing cross-cutting concerns. Do not document every package's internals — those belong in godocs. Document the things that, if broken or bypassed, will cause subtle system-wide failures: trust model, access control, identity derivation, lock/concurrency contracts, config-load order, error-wrap conventions, wire contracts with external processes.

5. Idempotent and diff-able. Re-running the skill on an unchanged codebase must produce identical output. Re-running after changes must produce a reviewable diff — which is itself a drift signal. Verified by /architecture-docs --verify-idempotent.

Output structure

docs/architecture/
├── README.md              # Index; points at overview layer first, corpus second
├── overview.md            # C4 L1 system context + trust sketch (Phase 8)
├── containers.md          # C4 L2 containers + cross-container contracts (Phase 8)
├── flows/                 # Sequence diagrams for load-bearing flows (Phase 8)
│   └── <flow>.md
├── adrs/                  # Nygard-format ADRs (Phase 8)
│   ├── README.md          # ADR index
│   └── ADR-NNN-<slug>.md
├── invariants.md          # System-wide MUST-holds + enforcement + consequences
├── idioms.md              # Cross-cutting patterns with every call site enumerated
├── trust-boundaries.md    # What is trusted where; context provenance; override policy
├── seams.md               # Cross-subsystem contracts (wire protocols, shared types)
├── subsystems/
│   ├── <name>.md          # Per-subsystem: shape, seams, contracts, formative commits
│   └── ...
├── history.md             # Timeline of formative architectural commits
└── gaps.md                # Documented-but-unenforced + enforced-but-undocumented

Phase preconditions

Each phase declares the artifacts it requires. If a precondition fails, the phase must halt and the agent must fix the gap before proceeding. This replaces the prior convention where phase ordering was narrative only.

Process

Phase 0 — Pre-flight

PRECONDITION: none.

1. Verify git log works and the repo has a working tree.
2. If /docs/architecture/ exists, note the current files for diffing.
3. If invoked with a subsystem arg, skip to Phase 3 for that subsystem only.
4. Create todos/architecture-docs/ for working artifacts.

Phase 1 — Inventory

PRECONDITION: Phase 0 complete. Working directory is repo root.

Produce todos/architecture-docs/inventory.md containing:

1. Subsystems. Identify major subsystems from directory structure. For a Go project, each top-level directory under internal/ and each sibling of cmd/ is a candidate. Non-Go subsystems (e.g. py/, hooks/) are first-class too. Entry points (cmd/<name>/main.go, CLI subcommands) are listed explicitly.
2. External dependencies. go.mod, requirements.txt, system binaries (invoked via exec). Note each with its purpose and invocation site.
3. Cross-cutting concern candidates. Grep for identity/auth (actor, identity, auth, role, permission), locking/concurrency (Lock, lock, mutex), config loading (config.Load, LoadConfig), invariant markers (MUST, must not, invariant, contract, pinned by), trust/seam markers (wire, seam, trust), and any project-specific constraint tags (e.g. Gate-, C-\d+, H-\d+). Each hit is a lead, not a conclusion.
4. Surface the skill's target list. Subsystem set, candidate idioms, candidate invariants — the inputs for Phases 2–6.

EXIT CHECK: todos/architecture-docs/inventory.md exists and lists at least one subsystem. If not, halt.

Phase 2 — Parallel subsystem archaeology

PRECONDITION: todos/architecture-docs/inventory.md exists and lists subsystems.

Dispatch one sub-agent per subsystem in a single message (parallel). Each sub-agent receives the subsystem path, the full inventory, the Core Principles (esp. #2 — the canonical citation rule), and the output template. Sub-agent prompt template:

You are the ARCHITECTURE ARCHAEOLOGIST for subsystem `<name>` at `<path>`.

## Mission
Produce `docs/architecture/subsystems/<name>.md` describing WHAT the subsystem
is and WHY it exists in its current shape, grounded in code and git history.

## Rules (non-negotiable — see SKILL.md Core Principle 2 for the canonical form)
- Every claim cites a file:line or 7-char commit SHA, or uses the literal
  phrase "unknown — needs review". No other form is acceptable.
- Prefer commit-message rationale > code-comment rationale > design-doc rationale.
- Do NOT summarize `.designs/` files as authoritative. You may reference them
  only as secondary context AFTER verifying the claim against code.

## Investigation sequence
1. Read the subsystem's top-level files. Identify public types, functions, entry points.
2. `git log --follow --format=%h%x09%s <path>` — list formative commits. Fetch the
   full message of any whose subject references an issue, an architectural term
   (invariant, contract, trust, seam, gate, or project-specific constraint tags),
   or a meaningful verb (introduce, replace, deprecate, split).
3. Identify seams — places the subsystem calls OUT to or is called IN from.
   Document the contract of each seam (types, errors, trust direction).
4. Find every code comment that references an issue (`#\d+`), a constraint tag
   (`C-\d`, `H-\d`, `D\d+`, `R-\w+`), or an invariant phrase.
5. Write the output file following the template below.

## Output template
# <Name> subsystem

**Covers:** <comma-separated list of internal/<pkg>, py/<pkg>, or hooks paths this
file is the owner for — Phase 2.5 validate.sh unions every file's Covers: line
and requires it to cover every path named in inventory.md>

## Shape
<3-5 sentences with file:line anchors>

## Public surface
<exported types/functions; one-line contract each; anchored>

## Seams (what it touches)
| Seam | Direction | Contract | Anchor |
|------|-----------|----------|--------|

## Formative commits
| SHA | Date | Subject | Why it matters |
|-----|------|---------|----------------|

## Load-bearing invariants (this subsystem's contribution)
<must cite>

## Cross-referenced idioms
<references to idioms.md; Phase 4 will fill in the back-link>

## Gaps
<literal "unknown — needs review" entries where rationale unanchorable>

Wait for all sub-agents to complete. Collect outputs in docs/architecture/subsystems/.

Phase 2.5 — Validation gate (mechanical)

PRECONDITION: Phase 2 dispatch returned. Subsystem files exist.

Run .claude/skills/architecture-docs/validate.sh. The script checks:

1. Subsystem coverage — every internal/*, py/*, or hooks path in inventory.md is claimed by some subsystems/<name>.md via its **Covers:** header. Grouping (one file covering multiple paths) is allowed; silent drops are not.
2. Citation density — claim-bearing paragraphs > 400 chars in non-navigation sections must anchor to file:line, a 7-hex commit SHA, or the literal "unknown — needs review". Navigation / how-to / ADR Consequences / ADR Corpus-links sections are exempt.
3. gaps.md if it exists is non-trivial (> 10 lines).
4. idioms.md if it exists has enumerated call-site rows.
5. Required top-level files present.

If validate.sh exits non-zero: HALT. Do not proceed to Phase 3. For each failure, either:

• Re-dispatch the relevant sub-agent to fix the citation gap, or
• Add an explicit unknown — needs review entry to the file naming the gap (not a blanket rewrite — a specific labeled hole).

Then re-run validate.sh until it exits 0.

Phase 3 — Cross-cutting idiom detection

PRECONDITION: Phase 2.5 validation passed. All subsystem files exist and pass citation density checks.

This phase turns individual-subsystem findings into standing, cross-referenceable idiom documentation — the primary output future design reviews consume. Run foreground (not parallel) — requires reading all subsystem outputs together.

1. Collect candidate idioms from Phase 1 grep hits plus every subsystem file's "cross-referenced idioms" section.

2. For each candidate:

   • Enumerate every call site (Grep for the pattern, list every file:line).
   • Classify each site: what access-control axis / trust boundary / invariant does this site leverage? What does misuse look like?
   • If ≥ 2 sites share the same semantic, promote to idiom. If 1 site, demote to subsystem-local (do not include in idioms.md).

3. For each promoted idiom, write a section in idioms.md:

   ## <idiom name>
   
   **Shape:** <code shape, canonical example>
   **Semantic:** <what it means>
   **Enforcement:** <type system / lint / convention / nothing>
   **Call sites:**
   | File:line | Axis leveraged | Notes |
   |-----------|---------------|-------|
   
   **Deviation detector:** <how to spot a divergent design>
   **If bypassing, you must:** <checklist>
   

Output: docs/architecture/idioms.md.

Phase 4 — Invariant extraction

PRECONDITION: Phase 3 complete. idioms.md exists.

Combine signals from: subsystem files' "load-bearing invariants", MUST/ invariant comments, commit messages (traced via git log -S), and CLAUDE.md claims (verified against code, not taken on faith).

For each candidate invariant:

## <invariant name>

**Statement:** <MUST-form one-sentence statement>
**Rationale:** <anchored to commit SHA if possible>
**Enforcement mechanism:** <types / runtime checks / combination.
                              If "convention only", say so — that is
                              itself a finding.>
**Consequences if violated:** <what breaks, with real example from
                                 git history if one exists>
**Relevant idioms:** <links to idioms.md>

Output: docs/architecture/invariants.md.

Phase 5 — Trust boundaries and seams

PRECONDITION: Phase 4 complete.

1. trust-boundaries.md — from every site where trust changes: context-derived identity sources, caller-supplied vs system-supplied values, override policy, cross-process trust (wire protocols, subprocess boundaries, hooks).
2. seams.md — from every cross-subsystem contract: wire protocols, shared types, error-propagation contracts.

Phase 6 — History and gaps

PRECONDITION: Phase 5 complete.

1. history.md — timeline of formative commits grouped by theme. Each entry: SHA, date, subject, one-line architectural consequence.
2. gaps.md — invariants claimed but not enforced, patterns that look invariant-like but are unanchored, and all "unknown — needs review" entries from subsystem files. This is the to-do list for the next iteration and must not be empty.

Phase 7 — Index and integration hooks

PRECONDITION: Phases 0–6 complete.

1. Write docs/architecture/README.md:
   • Overview layer first (overview, containers, flows, adrs), corpus second (invariants, idioms, etc.).
   • "How to use during design review" concrete checklist.
   • "How to refresh" and "How to read" sections.
2. Propose (do not auto-edit) a hook into /design-v5 and /rootcause-review recommending authors cross-reference idioms.md and invariants.md before finalizing options.

Phase 8 — Overview layer

PRECONDITION: Phases 0–7 complete. validate.sh passed at Phase 2.5.

The overview layer (C4 L1/L2 diagrams, sequence flows, Nygard ADRs) is a reader-facing surface on top of the anchor-dense corpus. Full phase instructions live in the companion file:

See .claude/skills/architecture-docs/overview-phase.md for the detailed step-by-step (8.1 C4 L1, 8.2 C4 L2, 8.3 sequence flows, 8.4 ADR extraction, 8.5 README update).

Exit this phase only when overview.md, containers.md, at least 2 flow files, and ≥ 8 ADR files exist, and the updated README.md points at the overview layer first.

Phase 9 — Final verification

PRECONDITION: Phase 8 complete.

Re-run validate.sh against the complete corpus + overview layer. All five checks must pass. If any fail, halt and report specifically which check failed and what the agent produced.

Optional: if invoked with --verify-idempotent, run the full skill again against the just-produced tree and git diff --stat docs/architecture/. Any non-empty diff violates Core Principle 5.

Rules (apply across all phases)

• Citation rule. See Core Principle 2. Enforced by validate.sh.
• Design docs under .designs/ are secondary. Reference only after verifying against code. If a design doc asserts X and the code does Y, document Y and flag the drift in gaps.md.
• Do not collapse patterns prematurely. If three call sites look similar but leverage different axes, they are three idioms, not one.
• Do not invent intent. Either the commit message or the code comment states intent, or it is unknown — needs review.
• Do not summarize. The output's value is in the citations, not the prose. A paragraph with no anchor is a paragraph that shouldn't exist (and validate.sh will flag it).
• Leave unstaged. Produce files; do not git add or git commit.

Anti-patterns

1. Design-doc regurgitation. Copying prose from .designs/ without verifying against code is the specific failure this skill exists to prevent.
2. "The system does X." Passive summary prose with no anchor. Replace with "<file:line> does X (<commit SHA>)".
3. Single-site idioms. One call site is not an idiom. Either find the second site or demote.
4. Inventing rationale to fill a cell. "unknown — needs review" is always better than plausible-sounding fiction.
5. Writing a history of refactors nobody will read. history.md is for architecturally formative commits, not routine refactors.
6. Scoping out hard subsystems. If a subsystem is messy, document it messy with honest gaps.md entries. Silent omission is the design-doc failure mode this skill must not reproduce.
7. Treating CLAUDE.md as ground truth. CLAUDE.md is instructions for agents, not an architectural source of truth.
8. Skipping validation. Phase 2.5 and Phase 9 are mechanical gates. If validate.sh reports failure, the output is not done — no matter how finished the prose looks.

How this skill's output is consumed

• /design-v5 Phase 1: author cross-references idioms.md and invariants.md when enumerating options. Any option that bypasses or extends an idiom must name the deviation.
• /rootcause-review: reviewer checks the proposed fix against idioms.md for canonical-pattern alignment.
• /ultra-implement Phase 1 investigators: Code Archaeologist's investigation includes "does this codebase have a canonical idiom for this concern?" — idioms.md answers by lookup, not guessing.
• Overview layer consumption: new contributors and design-review authors start at overview.md → containers.md → the relevant flow, then drill into the corpus for anchors.

Success criteria (checked mechanically by validate.sh at Phase 9)

• /docs/architecture/ contains all files in "Output structure"
• Every claim in every file has a citation or the literal phrase "unknown — needs review" (no unanchored paragraphs > 200 chars)
• idioms.md contains at least one idiom with ≥ 2 call sites
• Each invariant in invariants.md states its enforcement mechanism concretely
• gaps.md is non-trivial (> 10 lines)
• README.md has the "how to use during design review" checklist and points at the overview layer first
• Overview layer present: overview.md, containers.md, ≥ 2 flow files, ≥ 8 ADR files
• /architecture-docs --verify-idempotent produces empty git diff --stat on unchanged tree
• All artifacts left unstaged for user review