Adr workflow
Skill ramboz/jig/hosts/codex/plugins/jig/skills/adr-workflow
A Claude Code and Codex plugin that scaffolds AI-native development practices into new projects. jig adds a repeatable spec, implementation, review, and memory workflow to AI-assisted software projects.
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Scaffold, accept, index, and link Architectural Decision Records (ADRs). Use when the user says "write an ADR", "record this decision", "resolve [deferred item] with an ADR", "supersede ADR-NNNN", or otherwise wants to capture a hard-to-reverse decision in `docs/decisions/`. Also use when a refinement-todo entry needs to be marked RESOLVED with a link back to the ADR. Do NOT use for ad-hoc design discussion that hasn't crystallized into a decision yet — wait until the choice is firm.
SKILL.md
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Spec 005 created this skill from scratch. The mechanics live in
adr.py; Codex owns the judgment (what the decision actually says).
What this skill does
Codifies the ADR lifecycle that ADR-0001 and ADR-0002 were written by hand to exercise. Five deterministic operations:
new— scaffolddocs/decisions/adr-NNNN-<slug>.mdfrom the template, with auto-numbering and a slug-collision check. The scaffold carriesstatus: Proposedin frontmatter (from the template) alongside the proseProposed (date)line (spec 073-02 / ADR-0026).accept— flip Status fromProposed (YYYY-MM-DD)toAccepted (YYYY-MM-DD), and stamp the canonicalstatus: Acceptedfrontmatter field in the same atomic write (spec 073-02 / ADR-0026 — frontmatter is the canonical status home; prose and frontmatter cannot diverge).supersede— appendSuperseded by [ADR-NNNN](./adr-NNNN-<slug>.md) (date)to an Accepted ADR's Status block andSupersedes ADR-NNNNto the replacement's Status block, and stamp the old ADR'sstatus: Supersededfrontmatter field in the same atomic write (the replacement retainsstatus: Accepted). This is the one edit allowed on an immutable ADR per the Nygard convention. Atomic write on both files.index— regenerate the## Indexsection ofdocs/decisions/README.mdfrom the actual ADR files present. Idempotent.resolve-todo— strike through a### Decision: ...heading indocs/refinement-todo.mdand append**Resolved by:** [ADR-NNNN: ...](...).
The script does file mutation deterministically. Codex is responsible for the prose inside the ADR (Context, Options Considered, Recommended Decision, Consequences, Open questions).
How to use
1. Author a new ADR
Reference moved? Reframe first. If this ADR is a reaction to a load-bearing
reference changing from outside the system (a design system, vendor / API
contract, test infra, compliance regime, platform, or product-positioning /
strategic-vision shift), reach for /jig:reframe before hand-authoring — it
drafts the keystone reframe-ADR (new reference authoritative, old premise
superseded) + the re-baselining manifest for you, so the fallout is dispositioned
rather than patched (spec 067 / ADR-0024).
Step 0 — confirm the project is scaffolded (spec 066 / ADR-0011).
BEFORE reserving an ADR number or drafting ANY docs/decisions/ structure,
confirm this project is a scaffolded jig project. If it isn't, route — do
not hand-roll directories:
- Greenfield (no jig structure yet) → tell the user to run
/jig:scaffold-init. It lays down conventions, templates, hooks, the status board, and thedocs/decisions/tree (with its README). - Existing spec/
docs/decisions/layout, but not jig-scaffolded (noscaffold.json) → tell the user to run/jig:migrate. It adopts the existing layout into jig structure.
You don't have to decide the state yourself: adr.py new (below)
classifies and routes for you (spec 066-01) — a scaffold.json-bearing
project proceeds; a greenfield project is refused naming
/jig:scaffold-init; an adoptable spec-driven project is refused naming
/jig:migrate. The deterministic gate and this human-readable precondition
agree by construction, so don't restate the detection heuristic here —
run the helper and let it route. (Bypass for a deliberate out-of-band flow:
JIG_SCAFFOLD_PRECONDITION=0.)
The anti-pattern this step exists to kill: an auto-triggered
adr-workflow run improvising a loose docs/decisions/ skeleton (folder +
README, or just dropping an adr-NNNN-*.md into a hand-made directory)
because /jig:scaffold-init was skipped. That produces a non-jig layout
that then needs migrating — the ADR-side of the reported failure. When in
doubt, route to setup first; never invent the structure by hand.
python3 "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/adr-workflow/adr.py" new <slug> \
[--title "<Title>"] [--project-dir DIR] [--no-push | --pr]
Run from the project root (the script looks for ./docs/decisions/,
or use --project-dir DIR to target a different root). The slug is
kebab-case (my-decision). --title is optional — defaults to the
title-cased slug.
Reserve-on-origin/main is the default (slice 028-01). The helper
fetches origin/main, computes the next free NNNN from the
just-fetched view, scaffolds the file, commits as
docs(decisions): reserve adr-NNNN-<slug>, and pushes to
origin/main. If the push is refused by branch protection /
permissions, the helper automatically falls back to a
reserve/adr-NNNN-<slug> branch + gh pr create. This locks the
ADR number team-wide before any drafting begins, killing the
parallel-worktree numbering-collision failure mode that motivated
spec 028.
Works from any branch or worktree (ADR-0015 / spec 051, mirroring
workflow.py new). The helper routes on the current branch: on main
it runs the proven in-place flow (clean tree required); off main — a
feature branch or a linked .codex/worktrees/* worktree — it reserves
via an ephemeral detached worktree at origin/main, never touching
your branch, cwd, or working tree. No need to switch to main (a linked
worktree can't, anyway).
Flags:
--no-push— commit locally only; skip fetch / push entirely. Onmainit commits onmain; offmainit commits a provisional reservation on the current branch (the number is local-view and may collide at merge — treat it as provisional). Pathspec-scoped, so unrelated staged work is not swept into the reservation commit.--pr— skip the direct-push attempt; go straight to branch + PR. Useful when you already know main is protection-locked. Mutually exclusive with--no-push.
Race-on-push (someone advanced origin/main while you were
reserving) surfaces as race-on-push: ... and drops the stranded
local commit + the stranded ADR file from your working tree. Re-run
the same adr.py new <slug> to pick the next free number — there
is no auto-renumber.
Then Codex fills in Context / Options Considered / Recommended Decision / Consequences. Keep it tight: one decision per ADR.
2. Accept the ADR
Once the prose is settled and the human (or the workflow gate) approves:
python3 "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/adr-workflow/adr.py" accept <NNNN>
This flips Proposed (date) to Accepted (date) and stamps the canonical
status: Accepted frontmatter field in the same atomic write (spec 073-02 /
ADR-0026). Refuses if the Status is already Accepted (ADRs are immutable;
supersede instead — see below).
Frame-critique gate (spec 064-05 / ADR-0020 OQ2/OQ3). accept also gates
the flip on a passing adversarial frame-critique verdict — the ADR's
pre-commitment moment to catch a wrong premise (the ADR-0011 / ADR-0008 failure
mode). It applies iff the ADR carries a truthy frame_review flag: new
stamps frame_review: true on every ADR it creates (OQ3 — ADRs always-on), so
new ADRs are gated; a legacy markerless Proposed ADR is grandfathered (no
refusal). To clear it: build the prompt with review.py frame-critique docs/decisions/adr-NNNN-*.md, run a reviewer, then review.py record-review --adr NNNN --pass frame-critique --verdict pass … (writes
docs/decisions/reviews/adr-NNNN-frame-critique.md). Soft / bypassable with
JIG_REVIEW_EVIDENCE_GATE=0 (a deliberateness signal, ADR-0011 — not human-only
enforcement).
3. Supersede an Accepted ADR
When a previously-Accepted decision is replaced by a newer one, don't edit
the old ADR's prose — write a new ADR (per new above), accept it, then run:
python3 "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/adr-workflow/adr.py" \
supersede <old-NNNN> <new-NNNN>
Both ADRs must already be Accepted. The helper:
- appends
Superseded by [ADR-<new>](./adr-<new>-<slug>.md) (today)to the old ADR's## Statusblock, - appends
Supersedes ADR-<old>(plain text, no link, no date) to the new ADR's## Statusblock, - preserves both
Accepted (date)lines (this is the one edit allowed on an immutable ADR per the Nygard convention), - stamps the old ADR's
status: Supersededfrontmatter field in the same atomic write (the replacement keepsstatus: Accepted) — spec 073-02 / ADR-0026, so a dependency on a superseded ADR correctly fails, - writes both files atomically.
Refuses (exit 2) if either ADR is Proposed (accept it first), if either
ADR is already Superseded, if <old> == <new> (self-supersession), or if
either NNNN is malformed. Re-run adr.py index docs/decisions after to
refresh the index entries.
4. Regenerate the index
python3 "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/adr-workflow/adr.py" index docs/decisions
Reads every adr-NNNN-*.md (skipping README.md) and rewrites only the
## Index section of docs/decisions/README.md. Everything else in the README
(header, format spec, "When to write" section) is preserved. Re-running on a
current README is a no-op.
5. Resolve a deferred decision
If the new ADR resolves a ### Decision: ... entry in
docs/refinement-todo.md:
python3 "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/adr-workflow/adr.py" \
resolve-todo <NNNN> "<heading fragment>"
The fragment is a case-insensitive substring (same lenient style as
workflow.py's slice fragment). The helper:
- wraps the heading line in
~~strikethrough~~, - appends
— RESOLVED YYYY-MM-DD, - wraps the first
**Deferred:**line in strikethrough, - appends a
**Resolved by:** [ADR-NNNN: ...](decisions/adr-...)line at the end of the section.
Refuses (exit 2) if the fragment is ambiguous, the section is already struck through, or the ADR hasn't been Accepted yet.
Immutability rule
Never edit an Accepted ADR. The Nygard convention treats ADRs as
historical record — if the decision changes, write a new ADR that supersedes
the old one. The supersession lines (one on each side) are the only
edit allowed on an immutable ADR. Use the supersede subcommand
(section "3. Supersede an Accepted ADR" above) — adr.py supersede <old-NNNN> <new-NNNN> writes those lines deterministically on both ADRs
and refuses self-supersession, Proposed-ADR inputs, or double-supersession.
What the helper does (so you can spot-check the result):
- Old ADR's
## Statusblock gains a line appended after the existingAccepted (date)line:Superseded by [ADR-<new>](./adr-<new>-<slug>.md) (today). - New ADR's
## Statusblock gains a plain-text line after itsAccepted (date):Supersedes ADR-<old>(no link, no date). - Both
Accepted (date)lines are preserved.
If a user asks to "supersede ADR-NNNN", route them to the supersede
subcommand — both ADRs must already be Accepted; if the replacement
isn't drafted yet, walk them through new + accept for the new ADR
first.
End-to-end example (full lifecycle)
The canonical lifecycle is new → edit → index (preview) → accept → index (final).
The preview-index pass surfaces a truncated or ugly first-bullet line
while the ADR is still mutable (per ADR-0006).
Skip the preview only if the Context first sentence is known to be
index-friendly (no abbreviations outside the helper's allowlist,
fits in one short clause).
# 1. Identify the deferred decision in docs/refinement-todo.md.
# Fragment: "scaffold-stable" (matches "### Decision: scaffold-stable …").
# 2. Scaffold the ADR.
python3 .../adr.py new scaffold-stable --title "scaffold-stable trigger"
# → docs/decisions/adr-0003-scaffold-stable.md
# 3. Codex edits the file: fills Context, Options, Recommended, Consequences.
# 4. Preview the index BEFORE accept, while the ADR is still mutable.
python3 .../adr.py index docs/decisions
# Inspect the new bullet line. If it looks wrong (truncated mid-
# abbreviation, missing the key noun, etc.), edit the ADR's first
# Context sentence and re-run this command. Iterate freely.
# 5. Accept.
python3 .../adr.py accept 0003
# → flips Proposed → Accepted (today).
# 6. Final index regen (idempotent re-run; updates only the Accepted line).
python3 .../adr.py index docs/decisions
# 7. Mark the refinement-todo entry resolved.
python3 .../adr.py resolve-todo 0003 "scaffold-stable"
Boundary-change nudge
A PostToolUse hook (jig-boundary-change-warn) fires on
Edit/Write/MultiEdit of a canonical external-interface
contract-artifact file (OpenAPI openapi.yaml/.yml/.json, AsyncAPI
asyncapi.yaml/.yml/.json, *.proto, *.graphql/*.graphqls, or
*.schema.json). It emits a soft additionalContext nudge pointing
the author at /jig:adr-workflow new <slug> (capture the rationale if
the change is breaking) plus the surface-appropriate breaking-change
ecosystem tool (buf breaking, graphql-inspector diff,
redocly diff / spectral, AsyncAPI parser diff, JSON-Schema diff).
The nudge is informational, never a gate — set
JIG_BOUNDARY_CHECK=0 to silence it. The filename + tool list is sourced
manually from the contracts skill's per-surface table;
the contracts skill is the source of truth for which artifact governs
which surface.
Gotchas
- Auto-numbering does not fill gaps. If
0001and0003exist (no0002), the next new ADR is0004. The gap is preserved as historical record. - Slug collisions refuse regardless of number.
adr-0001-foo.mdexists →adr.py new fooexits 2. Either pick a different slug or write a superseding ADR. - resolve-todo touches only three lines. Heading, first
**Deferred:**line, and one new**Resolved by:**line appended at the section end. Other fields (**Resolution trigger:**,**Mitigation idea:**,**Watch-list:**, etc.) are left intact. If a section needs more intricate updates, edit it by hand. - Index description extraction may produce ugly first lines. The helper
takes the first non-empty paragraph from
## Context, truncating at the first sentence-ending punctuation when the paragraph is multi-line or120 chars. Common abbreviations (
e.g.,i.e.,etc.,Mr.,Dr., …) are skipped by an explicit allowlist; abbreviations outside that list may still cause a mid-word cut. If the resulting bullet reads oddly, edit the ADR's first Context sentence to be index-friendly. Per ADR-0006, edits to Context-section prose to fix index-rendering are NOT decision-content and do not violate the immutability rule. Edits to Status, Recommended Decision, or Consequences DO violate immutability and require a superseding ADR. RunindexBEFOREacceptas a preview pass to catch this while the ADR is still freely mutable. - The helper does NOT spawn a Task or commit anything. It only mutates
files. Codex is responsible for orchestration (e.g. running
workflow.py status-boardafterward, writing commit messages, invoking the reviewer subagent). - Substring matching mirrors
workflow.py.0001-01does not collide with0001since ADR numbers are matched as exact 4-digit prefixes, not free-form substrings (unlike slice fragments). adr.py newis worktree-aware (ADR-0015 / spec 051). It routes on the current branch: onmainit runs the proven 028-01 in-place flow (clean tree required); offmain— a feature branch or a linked worktree — it reserves via an ephemeral detached worktree atorigin/main(push mode) or commits a provisional reservation on the current branch (--no-push), without disturbing your branch or tree. You no longer need togit checkout mainfirst (and a linked worktree can't, since the primary worktree holdsmain). The earlier off-main/dirty-tree refusal — and its impossiblegit checkout mainworkaround — is gone.
Reconciliation checklist
After using this skill in a real session:
- Did the index regen produce sensible descriptions? If not, edit the
ADR's first Context sentence and re-run
adr.py index. - Was the refinement-todo entry actually resolved by this ADR, or did
a partial overlap make
resolve-todoapply to the wrong section? Verify before committing. - Did the human approve the Recommended Decision before
accept? If not, walk back to the Proposed state by editing the Status line (this is the one situation where editing a not-yet-Accepted ADR is fine — it's not yet immutable).