Definition
AI-Generated Architecture Decision Records is an autonomous engineering documentation standard based on the Chris Nevin protocol. Autonomous coding agents derive structured, 5-heading ADRs (Context, Decision, Deciders, Status, Consequences) directly from git diffs, ticket logs, and terminal outputs. Consequences are explicitly split into Positive and Negative/Considerations to force honest trade-off evaluation and eliminate confirmation bias. Keeping ADR derivation automated inside pre-commit hooks prevents architectural drift in high-velocity monorepos.
Why It Matters
When AI agents produce dozens of pull requests a week, human documentation lag causes rapid codebase decay. Deriving ADRs directly from code diffs turns pull requests into permanent system memory.
How to Calculate
- 1Derive 5-heading ADRs autonomously from git diffs using pre-commit agent hooks
- 2Require explicit positive and negative trade-off scoring before code lands in main
- 3Store all ADRs in docs/adr/ with standardized numbering and master README indexing
- 4Audit monorepo architectural continuity during QA verification passes
Related Articles
- "AI-Generated Architecture Decision Records: Preventing Agentic Monorepo Drift" - Built In, Oct 2026
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To cite this definition:
Ewing, R. (2026). "AI-Generated Architecture Decision Records." richardewing.io.
https://www.richardewing.io/articles/frameworks/ai-architecture-decision-records
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Richard Ewing: AI Economist & Capital Auditor