documentation-and-adrs

Files (1)

• SKILL.md

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Documentation and ADRs

## Overview

Document decisions, not just code. The most valuable documentation captures the *why* — the context, constraints, and trade-offs that led to a decision. Code shows *what* was built; documentation explains *why it was built this way* and *what alternatives were considered*. This context is essential for future humans and agents working in the codebase.

## When to Use

- Making a significant architectural decision
- Choosing between competing approaches
- Adding or changing a public API
- Shipping a feature that changes user-facing behavior
- Onboarding new team members (or agents) to the project
- When you find yourself explaining the same thing repeatedly

**When NOT to use:** Don't document obvious code. Don't add comments that restate what the code already says. Don't write docs for throwaway prototypes.

## Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)

ADRs capture the reasoning behind significant technical decisions. They're the highest-value documentation you can write.

### When to Write an ADR

- Choosing a framework, library, or major dependency
- Designing a data model or database schema
- Selecting an authentication strategy
- Deciding on an API architecture (REST vs. GraphQL vs. tRPC)
- Choosing between build tools, hosting platforms, or infrastructure
- Any decision that would be expensive to reverse

### ADR Template

Store ADRs in `docs/decisions/` with sequential numbering:

```markdown
# ADR-001: Use PostgreSQL for primary database

## Status
Accepted | Superseded by ADR-XXX | Deprecated

## Date
2025-01-15

## Context
We need a primary database for the task management application. Key requirements:
- Relational data model (users, tasks, teams with relationships)
- ACID transactions for task state changes
- Support for full-text search on task content
- Managed hosting available (for small team, limited ops capacity)

## Decision
Use PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM.

## Alternatives Considered

### MongoDB
- Pros: Flexible schema, easy to start with
- Cons: Our data is inherently relational; would need to manage relationships manually
- Rejected: Relational data in a document store leads to complex joins or data duplication

### SQLite
- Pros: Zero configuration, embedded, fast for reads
- Cons: Limited concurrent write support, no managed hosting for production
- Rejected: Not suitable for multi-user web application in production

### MySQL
- Pros: Mature, widely supported
- Cons: PostgreSQL has better JSON support, full-text search, and ecosystem tooling
- Rejected: PostgreSQL is the better fit for our feature requirements

## Consequences
- Prisma provides type-safe database access and migration management
- We can use PostgreSQL's full-text search instead of adding Elasticsearch
- Team needs PostgreSQL knowledge (standard skill, low risk)
- Hosting on managed service (Supabase, Neon, or RDS)
```

### ADR Lifecycle

```
PROPOSED → ACCEPTED → (SUPERSEDED or DEPRECATED)
```

- **Don't delete old ADRs.** They capture historical context.
- When a decision changes, write a new ADR that references and supersedes the old one.

## Inline Documentation

### When to Comment

Comment the *why*, not the *what*:

```typescript
// BAD: Restates the code
// Increment counter by 1
counter += 1;

// GOOD: Explains non-obvious intent
// Rate limit uses a sliding window — reset counter at window boundary,
// not on a fixed schedule, to prevent burst attacks at window edges
if (now - windowStart > WINDOW_SIZE_MS) {
  counter = 0;
  windowStart = now;
}
```

### When NOT to Comment

```typescript
// Don't comment self-explanatory code
function calculateTotal(items: CartItem[]): number {
  return items.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.price * item.quantity, 0);
}

// Don't leave TODO comments for things you should just do now
// TODO: add error handling  ← Just add it

// Don't leave commented-out code
// const oldImplementation = () => { ... }  ← Delete it, git has history

From StreamingBoss/myharness, MIT.

More from StreamingBoss/myharness