skill

Architecture

Create or evaluate an architecture decision record (ADR). Use when choosing between technologies (e.g., Kafka vs SQS), documenting a design decision with trade-offs and consequences, reviewing a system design proposal, or designing a new component from requirements and constraints.

Anthropic4.80+ installsVetted

About

# /architecture

> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../../CONNECTORS.md).

Create an Architecture Decision Record (ADR) or evaluate a system design.

## Usage

``` /architecture $ARGUMENTS ```

## Modes

**Create an ADR**: "Should we use Kafka or SQS for our event bus?" **Evaluate a design**: "Review this microservices proposal" **System design**: "Design the notification system for our app"

See the **system-design** skill for detailed frameworks on requirements gathering, scalability analysis, and trade-off evaluation.

## Output — ADR Format

```markdown # ADR-[number]: [Title]

**Status:** Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded **Date:** [Date] **Deciders:** [Who needs to sign off]

## Context [What is the situation? What forces are at play?]

## Decision [What is the change we're proposing?]

## Options Considered

### Option A: [Name] | Dimension | Assessment | |-----------|------------| | Complexity | [Low/Med/High] | | Cost | [Assessment] | | Scalability | [Assessment] | | Team familiarity | [Assessment] |

**Pros:** [List] **Cons:** [List]

### Option B: [Name] [Same format]

## Trade-off Analysis [Key trade-offs between options with clear reasoning]

## Consequences - [What becomes easier] - [What becomes harder] - [What we'll need to revisit]

## Action Items 1. [ ] [Implementation step] 2. [ ] [Follow-up] ```

## If Connectors Available

If **~~knowledge base** is connected: - Search for prior ADRs and design docs - Find relevant technical context

If **~~project tracker** is connected: - Link to related epics and tickets - Create implementation tasks

## Tips

1. **State constraints upfront** — "We need to ship in 2 weeks" or "Must handle 10K rps" shapes the answer. 2. **Name your options** — Even if you're leaning one way, I'll give a more balanced analysis with explicit alternatives. 3. **Include non-functional requirements** — Latency, cost, team expertise, and maintenance burden matter as much as features.

Install

Run this command

git clone https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins && cp -r knowledge-work-plugins/engineering/skills/architecture ~/.claude/skills/

Works with

claude appclaude codeclaude apicursorcodexwindsurfclinezed

Manual steps

Clone the repository and copy the `engineering/skills/architecture` folder into your Claude skills directory. Compatible with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and any Agent Skills-compatible agent.

View source
License: Apache-2.0By Anthropic

Frequently asked questions

What is the Architecture skill?

Create or evaluate an architecture decision record (ADR). Use when choosing between technologies (e.g., Kafka vs SQS), documenting a design decision with trade-offs and consequences, reviewing a system design proposal, or designing a new component from requirements and constraints.

How do I install Architecture?

Run this in your terminal:

git clone https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins && cp -r knowledge-work-plugins/engineering/skills/architecture ~/.claude/skills/
Which AI tools does Architecture work with?

It works with claude_app, claude_code, claude_api, cursor, codex, windsurf, cline, zed.

Who made Architecture?

Anthropic, released under the Apache-2.0 license.

Is Architecture free?

Yes, it is free to use under the Apache-2.0 license.

Related assets

More curated picks in Development & Code.

All Architecture alternatives →
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
npx skills add google/agents-cli
Google Agents Cli Adk Code
This skill should be used when the user wants to "write agent code", "build an agent with ADK", "add a tool", "create a callback", "define an agent",…358,165+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
npx skills add google/agents-cli
Google Agents Cli Workflow
This skill should be used when the user wants to "develop an agent", "build an agent using ADK", "run the agent locally", "debug agent code", "test an…357,749+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
npx skills add google/agents-cli
Google Agents Cli Eval
This skill should be used when the user wants to "run an evaluation", "evaluate my agent", "evaluate my ADK agent", "write an eval dataset", "analyze…357,721+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
npx skills add google/agents-cli
Google Agents Cli Deploy
This skill should be used when the user wants to "deploy an agent", "deploy my ADK agent", "set up CI/CD", "configure secrets", "troubleshoot a deploy…357,661+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
npx skills add google/agents-cli
Google Agents Cli Publish
This skill should be used when the user wants to "publish an agent", "publish my ADK agent", "register an agent with Gemini Enterprise", "publish to G…357,490+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
npx skills add prisma/skills
Prisma Cli
Prisma ORM CLI commands reference covering init, generate, migrate, db, dev, complete, studio, validate, format, debug, and mcp. Use for ORM/database…309,452+

Audit before you install

Run any source through our checks - AI visibility, security, performance, and stack detection.

More in Development & Code