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description: "Apothem Architecture Decision Records — the ratified decisions that shape the project, with their context and consequences."

Architecture Decision Records

An Architecture Decision Record (ADR) captures a single significant decision — the context that forced it, the options weighed, the decision taken, and the consequences accepted. Each ADR is immutable once accepted: a later decision that overturns it is recorded as a new ADR that supersedes the old one, rather than an edit in place. The record is the project's reasoning trail.

Apothem ADRs are numbered sequentially (NNNN-kebab-title.md) and follow the template. Every ADR carries a Status (Proposed, Accepted, or Superseded by ADR-MMMM), a Context, a Decision, and its Consequences.

Records

ADR Title Status
0001 Plans Discipline — Project-Local Ephemeral Working Memory Accepted
0002 Authorship Header — Per-File Provenance Banner Accepted
0003 Multi-Surface AI Conventions — CLAUDE.md and .github/copilot-instructions.md Accepted
0004 Mirror Layout — Repo Root IS Claude Code Adapter Content Accepted
0005 Build Runner (Make) and Validator Stack Accepted
0006 License Choice and License-Banner Interaction Policy Accepted
0007 Dual Distribution — Git-Clone Dotfiles and Claude Code Plugin Accepted
0008 Unsigned Release Exception (Pre-Publication Engagement) Accepted
0009 Principal Repo Path and Orphan-History Cutover Mode Accepted
0010 _inputs/_outputs/_spec Sibling Discipline Accepted
0011 Naming Convention Overhaul and Atomic Rename Cascade Accepted
0012 Updating and Uninstalling as First-Class CLI Commands Accepted
0013 Docs Site Multi-Section Expansion Accepted
0014 Windows irm-piped-to-iex Install Hero Accepted
0015 PyPI Canonical Registry and npm Elimination Accepted
0016 Apothem Brand-Form Unification (2-Form Discipline) Accepted

To propose a new ADR, copy the template to the next sequential number and open a pull request.