adr-writing

existential-birds/beagle · updated Apr 8, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/existential-birds/beagle --skill adr-writing
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summary

Generate Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) following the MADR template with systematic completeness checking.

skill.md

ADR Writing

Overview

Generate Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) following the MADR template with systematic completeness checking.

Quick Reference

┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│  SEQUENCE   │ ──▶ │   EXPLORE    │ ──▶ │    FILL     │
│  (get next  │     │  (context,   │     │  (template  │
│   number)   │     │   ADRs)      │     │   sections) │
└─────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └─────────────┘
       │                                        │
       │                                        ▼
       │                                 ┌─────────────┐
       │                                 │   VERIFY    │
       │                                 │  (DoD       │
       └─────────────────────────────────│   checklist)│
                                         └─────────────┘

When To Use

  • Documenting architectural decisions from extracted requirements
  • Converting meeting notes or discussions to formal ADRs
  • Recording technical choices from PR discussions
  • Creating decision records from design documents

Workflow

Step 1: Get Sequence Number

If a number was pre-assigned (e.g., when called from /beagle:write-adr with parallel writes):

  • Use the pre-assigned number directly
  • Do NOT call the script - this prevents duplicate numbers in parallel execution

If no number was pre-assigned (standalone use):

python scripts/next_adr_number.py

This outputs the next available ADR number (e.g., 0003).

For parallel allocation (used by parent commands):

python scripts/next_adr_number.py --count 3
# Outputs: 0003, 0004, 0005 (one per line)

Step 2: Explore Context

Before writing, gather additional context:

  1. Related code - Find implementations affected by this decision
  2. Existing ADRs - Check docs/adrs/ for related or superseded decisions
  3. Discussion sources - PRs, issues, or documents referenced in decision

Step 3: Load Template

Load references/madr-template.md for the official MADR structure.

Step 4: Fill Sections

Populate each section from your decision data:

Section Source
Title Decision summary (imperative mood)
Status Always draft initially
Context Problem statement, constraints
Decision Drivers Prioritized requirements
Considered Options All viable alternatives
Decision Outcome Chosen option with rationale
Consequences Good, bad, neutral impacts

Step 5: Apply Definition of Done

Load references/definition-of-done.md and verify E.C.A.D.R. criteria:

  • Explicit problem statement
  • Comprehensive options analysis
  • Actionable decision
  • Documented consequences
  • Reviewable by stakeholders

Step 6: Mark Gaps

For sections that cannot be filled from available data, insert investigation prompts:

* [INVESTIGATE: Review PR #42 discussion for additional drivers]
* [INVESTIGATE: Confirm with security team on compliance requirements]
* [INVESTIGATE: Benchmark performance of Option 2 vs Option 3]

These prompts signal incomplete sections for later follow-up.

Step 7: Write File

IMPORTANT: Every ADR MUST start with YAML frontmatter.

The frontmatter block is REQUIRED and must include at minimum:

---
status: draft
date: YYYY-MM-DD
---

Full frontmatter template:

---
status: draft
date: 2024-01-15
decision-makers: [alice, bob]
consulted: []
informed: []
---

Validation: Before writing the file, verify the content starts with --- followed by valid YAML frontmatter. If frontmatter is missing, add it before writing.

Save to docs/adrs/NNNN-slugified-title.md:

docs/adrs/0003-use-postgresql-for-user-data.md
docs/adrs/0004-adopt-event-sourcing-pattern.md
docs/adrs/0005-migrate-to-kubernetes.md

Step 8: Verify Frontmatter

After writing, confirm the file:

  1. Starts with --- on the first line
  2. Contains status: draft (or other valid status)
  3. Contains date: YYYY-MM-DD with actual date
  4. Ends frontmatter with --- before the title

File Naming Convention

Format: NNNN-slugified-title.md

Component Rule
NNNN Zero-padded sequence number from script
- Separator
slugified-title Lowercase, hyphens, no special characters
.md Markdown extension

Reference Files

  • references/madr-template.md - Official MADR template structure
  • references/definition-of-done.md - E.C.A.D.R. quality criteria

Output Example

---
status: draft
date: 2024-01-15
decision-makers: [alice, bob]
---

# Use PostgreSQL for User Data Storage

## Context and Problem Statement

We need a database for user account data...

## Decision Drivers

* Data integrity requirements
* Query flexibility needs
* [INVESTIGATE: Confirm scaling projections with infrastructure team]

## Considered Options

* PostgreSQL
* MongoDB
* CockroachDB

## Decision Outcome

Chosen option: PostgreSQL, because...

## Consequences

### Good

* ACID compliance ensures data integrity

### Bad

* Requires more upfront schema design

### Neutral

* Team has moderate PostgreSQL experience
how to use adr-writing

How to use adr-writing on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • Active project directory or workspace where you want to add adr-writing
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/existential-birds/beagle --skill adr-writing

The skills CLI fetches adr-writing from GitHub repository existential-birds/beagle and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/adr-writing

Reload or restart Cursor to activate adr-writing. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /adr-writing) or your agent's skill management interface.

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.861 reviews
  • Aisha Ndlovu· Dec 8, 2024

    adr-writing fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • Ama Thompson· Dec 8, 2024

    I recommend adr-writing for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Kwame Flores· Dec 8, 2024

    Keeps context tight: adr-writing is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Dhruvi Jain· Dec 4, 2024

    Registry listing for adr-writing matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • Kabir Abebe· Dec 4, 2024

    We added adr-writing from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • Min Gonzalez· Nov 27, 2024

    adr-writing is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Isabella Wang· Nov 27, 2024

    Useful defaults in adr-writing — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Valentina White· Nov 27, 2024

    Registry listing for adr-writing matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • Oshnikdeep· Nov 23, 2024

    Keeps context tight: adr-writing is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Ama Choi· Nov 3, 2024

    adr-writing reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

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