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name: create-architecture description: "Author the architecture blueprint before code is written. Validates decisions against the pinned engine, flags knowledge gaps." argument-hint: "[focus-area: full | layers | data-flow | api-boundaries | adr-audit] [--review full|lean|solo]" user-invocable: true allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Edit, Bash, AskUserQuestion, Agent, Bash(bash "*/.claude/skills/create-architecture/../../hooks/yaml-helper.sh" resolve_config *) model: sonnet

!bash "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../hooks/yaml-helper.sh" resolve_config --keys review_mode,automation,workflow,docs.density

Resolved above — use as-is; --review overrides review_mode. No block → defaults in .claude/docs/config-resolution.md.

Create Architecture

This skill produces docs/architecture/architecture.md — the master architecture document that translates all approved GDDs into a concrete technical blueprint. It sits between design and implementation, and must exist before sprint planning begins.

Distinct from /architecture-decision: ADRs record individual point decisions. This skill creates the whole-system blueprint that gives ADRs their context.

See .claude/docs/director-gates.md for the full check pattern. Individual gate definitions live in .claude/docs/director-gates/[gate-id].md — the spawned agent reads its own gate file; do not read it in the parent session.

Every AskUserQuestion call follows .claude/docs/automation-modes.md (collaborative asks always · guided major-only · autonomous logs and proceeds; automation_always_ask categories always prompt).

docs.density — it controls per-section depth, where workflow controls which sections exist. modes.rigor sets both together; set docs.density explicitly to vary depth alone: terse (the default, via rigor: minimal) = layer diagrams + decision bullets, no essays; balanced = diagrams + paragraph explanations of layer choices (rigor: standard); thorough = full prose with rationale, trade-offs, and alternatives considered per layer. Apply it to every section you author.

workflow (see .claude/docs/workflow-modes.md):

• full — full architecture: all layers, module ownership, data flow, API boundaries, full ADR audit.
• standard — simplified: system layer map + critical ADR list only.
• minimal — not required. Can still be run voluntarily.

Argument modes:

• No argument / full: Full guided walkthrough — all sections, start to finish
• layers: Focus on the system layer diagram only
• data-flow: Focus on data flow between modules only
• api-boundaries: Focus on API boundary definitions only
• adr-audit: Audit existing ADRs for engine compatibility gaps only

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Phase 0: Load All Context

Read references/0-load-context.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 1: System Layer Mapping

Read references/1-layers.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 2: Module Ownership Map

Read references/2-module-ownership.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 3: Data Flow

Read references/3-data-flow.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 4: API Boundaries

Read references/4-api-boundaries.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 5: ADR Audit + Traceability Check

Read references/5-adr-audit.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 6: Missing ADR List

Read references/6-missing-adrs.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 7: Write the Master Architecture Document

Read references/7-write.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Phase 8: Handoff

Read references/8-handoff.md now and follow it — this phase's steps are in that file, not here. Read it again if the conversation was compacted or resumed during this phase.

Collaborative Protocol

Applies in collaborative mode (the default). For guided and autonomous modes, see .claude/docs/automation-modes.md — the rules below describe what collaborative mode requires, not universal behavior.

This skill follows the collaborative design principle at every phase:

1. Load context silently — do not narrate file reads
2. Present findings — show the knowledge gap inventory and layer proposals
3. Ask before deciding — present options for each architectural choice
4. Draft before approval — show the content inline before asking to write it. Never ask approval for a section the user has not yet seen.
5. Use AskUserQuestion for write approvals — plain text "May I?" is not sufficient. Use the structured tool with labeled options [A]/[B]/[C] (write now / show full draft first / not yet). For multi-file changesets, list every file and what changes, then ask once grouped — not separate plain-text asks per file.
6. One write, after every section is approved — the document is written once, at Phase 7; Phase 7b's Step 4 only updates its Document Status, after its own ask. Record each approved section's decisions in production/session-state/active.md as you go, so a crash loses no decision. A revision that Phase 7b forces is written the same way — once, after its re-drafted sections are approved — and an update (Phase 0e) writes only the sections it chose.

Never make a binding architectural decision without user input. If the user is unsure, present 2-4 options with pros/cons before asking them to decide.

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Recommended Next Steps

• Run /architecture-decision [title] for each required ADR listed in Phase 6 — Foundation layer ADRs first
• Run /architecture-review — bootstraps the Requirements Traceability Matrix and TR registry from the ADRs just written. Required before the Pre-Production gate.
• Run /test-setup to scaffold tests/unit/, tests/integration/, CI workflow, and an example test (required for gate-check)
• Run /ux-design to initialize design/ux/interaction-patterns.md and design/accessibility-requirements.md (required for gate-check)
• Run /create-control-manifest once the required ADRs are written to produce the layer rules manifest
• Run /gate-check pre-production when all required ADRs, /test-setup, and /ux-design are complete