documentation-and-adrs
Records decisions and documentation. Use when making architectural decisions, changing public APIs, shipping features, or when you need to record context that future engineers and agents will need to understand the codebase.
npx skills add addyosmani/agent-skills --skill documentation-and-adrs --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# 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 arc
- Overview
- When to Use
- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
- When to Write an ADR
- Match the existing convention first
- ADR Template
- ADR Lifecycle
- Inline Documentation
- When to Comment
- When NOT to Comment
- Document Known Gotchas
- API Documentation
- Inline with Types (Preferred for TypeScript)
- OpenAPI / Swagger for REST APIs
What does the documentation-and-adrs skill do?
Records decisions and documentation. Use when making architectural decisions, changing public APIs, shipping features, or when you need to record context that future engineers and agents will need to understand the codebase.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add addyosmani/agent-skills --skill documentation-and-adrs --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From addyosmani/agent-skills, a repository with 81,574 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.