metaphor/marketplace

skill · from the engineering plugin

/architecture

Create or evaluate an architecture decision record (ADR). Use when choosing between technologies (e.g., Kafka vs SQS), documenting a design decision with trade-offs and consequences, reviewing a system design proposal, or designing a new component from requirements and constraints.

  • engineering plugin
  • Slash command
try it

you ›install the engineering plugin

metaphor ›Installed engineering. /architecture is ready.

you ›/architecture

metaphor ›Loaded the architecture skill. What should I work on?

What the agent is told

This is the skill's SKILL.md, exactly what Metaphor reads before the task.

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Create an Architecture Decision Record (ADR) or evaluate a system design.

Usage

/architecture $ARGUMENTS

Modes

Create an ADR: "Should we use Kafka or SQS for our event bus?" Evaluate a design: "Review this microservices proposal" System design: "Design the notification system for our app"

See the system-design skill for detailed frameworks on requirements gathering, scalability analysis, and trade-off evaluation.

Output — ADR Format

# ADR-[number]: [Title]

**Status:** Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded
**Date:** [Date]
**Deciders:** [Who needs to sign off]

## Context
[What is the situation? What forces are at play?]

## Decision
[What is the change we're proposing?]

## Options Considered

### Option A: [Name]
| Dimension | Assessment |
|-----------|------------|
| Complexity | [Low/Med/High] |
| Cost | [Assessment] |
| Scalability | [Assessment] |
| Team familiarity | [Assessment] |

**Pros:** [List]
**Cons:** [List]

### Option B: [Name]
[Same format]

## Trade-off Analysis
[Key trade-offs between options with clear reasoning]

## Consequences
- [What becomes easier]
- [What becomes harder]
- [What we'll need to revisit]

## Action Items
1. [ ] [Implementation step]
2. [ ] [Follow-up]

If Connectors Available

If ~~knowledge base is connected:

  • Search for prior ADRs and design docs
  • Find relevant technical context

If ~~project tracker is connected:

  • Link to related epics and tickets
  • Create implementation tasks

Tips

  1. State constraints upfront — "We need to ship in 2 weeks" or "Must handle 10K rps" shapes the answer.
  2. Name your options — Even if you're leaning one way, I'll give a more balanced analysis with explicit alternatives.
  3. Include non-functional requirements — Latency, cost, team expertise, and maintenance burden matter as much as features.

Questions

What is the architecture skill?

Create or evaluate an architecture decision record (ADR). Use when choosing between technologies (e.g., Kafka vs SQS), documenting a design decision with trade-offs and consequences, reviewing a system design proposal, or designing a new component from requirements and constraints.

How do I use architecture in Metaphor?

Install the engineering plugin by asking the agent "install the engineering plugin", then type /architecture in the composer.

What is a skill?

A skill is a set of written instructions the agent reads before it starts a kind of task. It changes how the agent works, not what it is allowed to do.

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