ADR Code Traceability

Add Architecture Decision Record references to code for decision traceability. Provides language-specific patterns and placement guidelines.

Self-Evolving Skill: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.

When to Use This Skill

Creating new files as part of an ADR implementation
Documenting non-obvious implementation choices
User mentions "ADR traceability", "code reference", "document decision"
Adding decision context to code during /itp:go Phase 1

Quick Reference

Reference Format

ADR: {adr-id}

Path Derivation: ADR: 2025-12-01-my-feature → /docs/adr/2025-12-01-my-feature.md

Language Patterns (Summary)

Language	New File Header	Inline Comment
Python	`"""...\n\nADR: {adr-id}\n"""`	`# ADR: {adr-id} - reason`
TypeScript	`/** ... \n * @see ADR: {adr-id} */`	`// ADR: {adr-id} - reason`
Rust	`//! ...\n//! ADR: {adr-id}`	`// ADR: {adr-id} - reason`
Go	`// Package ... \n// ADR: {adr-id}`	`// ADR: {adr-id} - reason`

See Language Patterns for complete examples.

Placement Decision Tree

Is this a NEW file created by the ADR?
├── Yes → Add reference in file header
└── No → Is the change non-obvious?
    ├── Yes → Add inline comment with reason
    └── No → Skip ADR reference

See Placement Guidelines for detailed guidance.

Examples

New File (Python)

"""
Redis cache adapter for session management.

ADR: 2025-12-01-redis-session-cache
"""

class RedisSessionCache:
    ...

Inline Comment (TypeScript)

// ADR: 2025-12-01-rate-limiting - Using token bucket over sliding window
// for better burst handling in our use case
const rateLimiter = new TokenBucketLimiter({ rate: 100, burst: 20 });

Do NOT Add References For

Every line touched (only where traceability adds value)
Trivial changes (formatting, typo fixes)
Standard patterns (well-known idioms)
Test files (unless test approach is an ADR decision)

Reference Documentation

Language Patterns - Python, TS, Rust, Go patterns
Placement Guidelines - When and where to add

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
ADR not found	Wrong path format	Use relative path from repo root
Reference not showing	Comment syntax wrong	Check language-specific comment format
Too many references	Over-documenting	Only add where traceability adds value
Outdated ADR link	ADR was renamed	Update path to match current ADR filename
Hook reminder annoying	No ADR for this change	Add inline ADR comment or create new ADR

Post-Execution Reflection

After this skill completes, check before closing:

Did the command succeed? — If not, fix the instruction or error table that caused the failure.
Did parameters or output change? — If the underlying tool's interface drifted, update Usage examples and Parameters table to match.
Was a workaround needed? — If you had to improvise (different flags, extra steps), update this SKILL.md so the next invocation doesn't need the same workaround.

Only update if the issue is real and reproducible — not speculative.

adr-code-traceability