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Architecture

AnthropicOfficialPublished by Anthropic

  • Skill
  • Content generator
  • Software development
  • Apache-2.0
  • No issues found
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From the author

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.
— the description by Anthropic

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The architecture skill assists engineering teams in formalizing technical decision-making. It provides a structured template for Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), enabling users to compare technology options, document design proposals, and analyze the long-term consequences of architectural choices. By focusing on trade-offs, constraints, and non-functional requirements, it helps teams maintain clear documentation and make informed decisions during system design.

What it does

  • Generates structured ADR templates for documenting technical decisions.
  • Evaluates proposed system designs against requirements and constraints.
  • Compares technology options using a standardized assessment framework.
  • Analyzes trade-offs, pros, and cons for competing architectural approaches.
  • Identifies consequences and future action items for design decisions.

When to use it

  • When choosing between different technologies or infrastructure components.
  • When you need to document the reasoning behind a specific design decision.
  • When reviewing a system design proposal for potential issues.
  • When designing a new component from scratch based on specific requirements.
  • When you need to communicate architectural trade-offs to stakeholders.

Advantages

  • Ensures consistency in how technical decisions are documented.
  • Forces explicit consideration of trade-offs and non-functional requirements.
  • Provides a clear historical record of why specific architectural paths were chosen.
  • Helps identify potential risks and maintenance burdens early in the design phase.

Usage examples

“Should we use Kafka or SQS for our event bus?”
The agent provides a comparative analysis of Kafka and SQS, detailing the trade-offs in complexity, cost, and scalability to help you choose the right tool.
“Review this microservices proposal”
The agent evaluates your microservices design, highlighting potential bottlenecks, communication overhead, and architectural risks.
“Design the notification system for our app”
The agent creates an ADR outlining a scalable notification architecture, including component choices and implementation steps based on your constraints.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/anthropics/architecture/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip architecture.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Anthropic

/architecture

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see 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

# 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.

Files

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: Claude Code, Claude apps

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Claude Code frontmatter

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Published by
Anthropic
Publisher
Anthropic (Official)
Source
anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins · engineering/skills/architecture · commit e050c2e
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download architecture.zip