arch-design

Capture stakeholders, drivers, constraints, and requirements to produce a .architecture/brief.md.

Updated Aug 27, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/cjennings/rulesets --skill arch-design-cjennings
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: arch-design
Source: https://github.com/cjennings/rulesets/tree/main/arch-design
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/cjennings/rulesets --skill arch-design-cjennings

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Architecture design is a structured intake and trade-off process to produce a formal brief that guides downstream decisions.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Intake of stakeholders, domain, scale, constraints, and change drivers to anchor decisions.
  • Evaluation of 2-4 candidate architectural paradigms with honest trade-off analysis.
  • Output of a .architecture/brief.md that downstream skills can read and act on.

Quick Start

Answer the intake prompts to generate the initial architecture brief at .architecture/brief.md.

Frequently Asked Questions about arch-design

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I document architecture trade-offs for a new software project?

Documenting architecture trade-offs requires capturing stakeholders, constraints, and change drivers through a structured intake process, then evaluating 2-4 candidate paradigms to produce a formal brief that anchors downstream decisions.

What is an architecture brief and when do I need one?

An architecture brief is a structured document that records project domain, scale, and constraints to guide downstream architectural decisions. You need one when starting new projects, restructuring existing systems, or evaluating multiple paradigms.

How do I start the architecture intake process for system design?

Start the architecture intake process by answering structured prompts that capture stakeholders, domain, scale, constraints, and change drivers, which then outputs a formal brief at .architecture/brief.md for downstream ADRs.

Can I use this architecture intake process to restructure an existing system?

Yes, the architecture intake process supports restructuring existing systems by re-evaluating current constraints, change drivers, and candidate paradigms to produce an updated formal brief for downstream decisions.

What's the best way to evaluate multiple architectural paradigms?

Evaluating multiple architectural paradigms involves assessing 2-4 candidates with honest trade-off analysis against captured constraints and requirements, outputting the results into a formal brief that downstream skills can read.

Do I need an architecture brief before writing ADRs?

Yes, an architecture brief provides the foundational stakeholders, constraints, and trade-off analysis that downstream ADRs rely on, ensuring architectural decisions are anchored to formally captured requirements.