Architecture Decision Records with SDD using OpenSpec

Using Architectural Decision Records (ADR) to capture important technical choices so that we can leverage them during design phase on future change proposals. In the default spec-driven schema, only specs.md is preserved when a change is archived. The architectural reasoning captured in design.md is archived alongside the change and disappears from view of future proposals. The new spec-driven-with-adr custom schema closes that gap by keeping ADRs outside the change, alongside specs, so every architectural decision persists and the current state of architecture stays visible to future change proposals. Links: 1. Detailed write-up: https://intent-driven.dev/blog/2026/04/29/spec-driven-development-with-adr/ 2. Architectural Decision Records: https://adr.github.io/ 3. "spec-driven-with-adr" schema: https://github.com/intent-driven-dev/openspec-schemas/tree/main/openspec/schemas/spec-driven-with-adr Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Preserving technology choices using ADRs and OpenSpec. 00:12 Default Schema: Overview of the four artifacts (Proposal, Design, Spec, and Task) in the standard spec-driven schema. 01:21 The Archiving Problem: Why archiving the design.md artifact makes rationale invisible to future proposals. 01:58 New Custom Schema: Introducing spec-driven-with-adr to capture decisions formally. 02:49 Persistent Storage Strategy: Storing ADRs outside the changes folder so they are not archived. 04:40 Custom Schema Code Walkthrough: Analyzing the prior decisions block in the schema.yaml. 06:07 Practical Demonstration: Using the new schema on a sample application. 07:08 Iteration 1: Recording the initial server-side rendering (SSR) decision in ADR-0001. 07:39 Iteration 2: Demonstrating how ADR-0002 supersedes the original SSR choice during an architectural shift. 08:52 Conclusion: Final summary and request for community feedback. #specdrivendevelopment #openspec #architecturaldecisionrecords #aicoding #sdd #vibecoding