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.