document-architecture

Arc42-based architecture documentation with C4 diagrams is generated by analyzing your codebase to produce a 12-section Arc42 document with Mermaid diagrams at four levels: System Context, Containers, Components, and Runtime. The output is written to /docs/architecture/[system].md, providing a comprehensive, structured view of your system's architecture.

Arc42 is a standardized 12-section template for documenting software architecture that ensures consistency, completeness, and clarity across projects. It pairs with C4 diagrams to visually represent system structure, stakeholder decisions, and architectural rationale in a format teams can easily reference and maintain.

Yes. Mermaid C4 diagrams support all four architectural levels: System Context shows external dependencies, Containers decompose major components, Components break down internal structure, and Runtime illustrates dynamic interactions. This Skill generates diagrams at each level for comprehensive documentation.

Arc42 architecture documentation includes sections for documenting architectural decisions or linking to ADRs (Architecture Decision Records). This traceability connects your design rationale directly to the architecture docs, making decision context visible to current and future team members.

Arc42 with C4 diagrams adapts to diverse architectures by allowing flexible interpretation of containers and components based on your system's actual structure. The template guides decomposition while remaining practical for microservices, monoliths, and hybrid systems without forcing artificial categories.

No. This Skill explores your entire codebase to generate Arc42 documentation from scratch, producing the complete 12-section structure and Mermaid diagrams without requiring pre-existing docs. It extracts architecture from code analysis and generates the markdown output ready to refine.