decide

/archcore:decide

Record a decision or a proposal for one. Routes between:

• Finalized decision → ADR (optionally followed by rule + guide as a standard, or spec + plan as an architecture cascade)
• Open proposal → RFC (for team review before a decision is made)

When to use

• "Record the decision to use PostgreSQL"
• "We decided to go with microservices"
• "Document why we chose JWT over sessions"
• "Make this our team standard for error handling"
• "Draft an RFC for switching from REST to gRPC"
• "Proposing we adopt feature flags"
• "Should we move to Kubernetes?" (open → RFC)

Not decide:

• Planning a feature → /archcore:plan
• Documenting a component → /archcore:capture
• Reading applicable rules/ADRs/specs before coding → /archcore:context
• Picking up where work left off → /archcore:context

Routing table

Signal	Route	Documents
User describes a finalized decision (default)	→ adr	Single ADR
User describes an open proposal ("thinking about", "should we", "proposing")	→ rfc	Single RFC
User says "and make it a standard" or implies enforcement	→ adr + standard cascade	ADR, then offer rule + guide
User says "and formalize the contract" or implies a spec is needed	→ adr + architecture cascade	ADR, then offer spec + plan

Default for finalized decisions: create a single ADR. After creation, evaluate the decision and offer the matching continuation per skills/decide/references/continuations.md.

Execution

Step 1: Check existing

mcp__archcore__list_documents(types=["adr", "rfc"]) — check for existing decisions or proposals on this topic.

Step 2: Route

If user language suggests the decision is still open ("thinking about", "should we", "proposing", "design proposal"), confirm with the user: "This sounds like an open proposal — draft an RFC for team review?" If yes, proceed to Step 3b. Otherwise continue with Step 3 (ADR).

Step 3: Create ADR (finalized decision path)

• Read skills/_shared/precision-rules.md and skills/_shared/adr-contract.md once before composing. The contract specifies required structure; the rules specify forbidden lexicon and authoring conventions.
• Ask: "What was the decision (specific choice with version/name)? What alternatives were considered, and why was each rejected? What conditions would invalidate this decision?"
• Compose ADR content per the contract: fill Context with one concrete trigger and a code/measurement reference (or [assumption] if forward-looking), Decision in one specific sentence, Alternatives Considered with ≥2 named items each carrying an explicit rejection reason, Consequences split into positive + tradeoff with falsifiable claims (or [expected]), and Superseded when with ≥2 measurable conditions when feasible. Avoid forbidden lexicon from the rules.
• mcp__archcore__create_document(type="adr")

Then continue to Step 4.

Step 3b: Create RFC (open proposal path)

• Ask: "What change are you proposing? What problem does it solve?"
• Compose content covering Summary, Motivation, Detailed Design, Drawbacks, Alternatives.
• mcp__archcore__create_document(type="rfc")
• Suggest relations: rfc extends existing ADR (if revising a past decision), or rfc related idea (if an idea inspired it).

RFC flow ends here — no rule + guide continuation (those belong to finalized decisions).

Step 4: Relate (ADR path)

mcp__archcore__add_relation — link the ADR to existing RFCs, specs, plans, or other relevant documents.

Step 5: Offer continuation (ADR path only)

Read skills/decide/references/continuations.md. Evaluate the decision content for the signal phrases listed there and offer the matching cascade:

• Standard cascade — rule + guide (decision describes enforceable behavior).
• Architecture cascade — spec + plan (decision describes a technical contract).
• Both signals present — ask the user which fits better, or neither for now.
• Neither signal — do not offer; the ADR alone is a valid endpoint.

Always confirm with the user before creating additional documents. Follow the per-cascade composition and relation rules in continuations.md exactly.

Result

Minimum: one ADR or one RFC. Maximum: ADR + rule + guide (standard cascade) or ADR + spec + plan (architecture cascade). Report: paths, relations, recommended next actions.