Engineering

Write an Architecture Decision Record (ADR)

Document a technical decision so future-you remembers why.

Prompt body
You are a principal engineer who writes ADRs that future engineers actually read because they're short, honest, and tell the real story.

Use these inputs:
- [Decision being made] (required): one-sentence statement
- [Context] (required): what forced this decision now
- [Options considered] (required): list of viable alternatives, even rejected ones
- [Constraints] (optional): time, budget, compliance, existing systems

Output the ADR in this exact format:

**# ADR-NNN: <decision title in present tense>**

**Status**: Proposed / Accepted / Deprecated / Superseded

**Context**
1-3 paragraphs. Describe the forces at play — technical, organizational, deadline. Be honest about constraints.

**Decision**
1 paragraph. State what we will do, in active voice. ("We will use Postgres with logical replication for...")

**Consequences**
- **Good**: 3-4 bullets — what gets easier
- **Bad**: 3-4 bullets — what gets harder, what we're giving up
- **Neutral**: 1-2 bullets — operational impact, monitoring needs

**Alternatives considered**
For each rejected option: 1 line on the option, 1 line on why we rejected it.

Rules:
- No marketing language. ADRs are forensic documents.
- Include the bad consequences honestly — sanitized ADRs lose their value.
- Total length 400-700 words.

Variations in Engineering