Architecture Decision Record Generator

The Prompt

Write an Architecture Decision Record (ADR) for the following technical decision.

Use this structure:
# ADR-[NUMBER]: [TITLE]

## Status
[Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded by ADR-X]

## Context
What is the technical or business force motivating this decision? What constraints exist?

## Decision
What is the change being proposed or made?

## Alternatives Considered
For each alternative:
- Description
- Pros
- Cons
- Why rejected

## Consequences
### Positive
- [benefits]

### Negative
- [trade-offs we accept]

### Risks
- [what could go wrong and mitigation]

## References
- Related ADRs, RFCs, or documentation

---
Decision to document: [DESCRIBE YOUR DECISION]
Context: [DESCRIBE THE SITUATION]

How To Use It

Describe the decision you’ve made (or are considering) and the surrounding context. The AI will structure it into a formal ADR that serves as institutional memory for your team.

Why It Works

ADRs prevent the “why did we do this?” question that haunts every codebase. By requiring alternatives and consequences, this prompt forces explicit acknowledgment of trade-offs rather than post-hoc rationalization.

Variations

Decision comparison matrix:

I'm choosing between [options]. Create a weighted scoring matrix with criteria relevant to this domain, score each option, and recommend one.

RFC from idea:

Turn this rough technical idea into a formal RFC with: problem statement, proposed solution, non-goals, milestones, and open questions.

Tech debt assessment:

Document this technical debt as an ADR. Include: how it accumulated, current impact (velocity, incidents, toil), and remediation options with effort estimates.