Architectural Decisions with Repowise

Repowise captures architectural decisions — the why behind how code is built.

get_why has four modes — pick by what you pass:

1. get_why(query="why is auth using JWT?") — keyword + semantic decision search.
2. get_why(query="src/auth/service.py") — decisions governing that file, plus its origin story and an alignment score (does the file still follow its own ADRs?).
3. get_why(query="why was caching added?", targets=["src/auth/cache.py"]) — target-anchored search; decisions touching the targets get boosted.
4. get_why() — the decision-health dashboard.

Decisions are mined from five sources (ADR files, PR and squash-commit bodies, inline markers, git archaeology, and centrality-bounded code comments). Each rationale traces to a verbatim source span, stamped exact / fuzzy / unverified. When no decision exists for a path, get_why falls back to git archaeology so the call is never empty.

When the user asks "why is X built this way?"

Call get_why(query="X").

When about to make an architectural change

1. Call get_why(query="the specific area you're changing") to find existing decisions that govern that area.
2. If decisions are found, present them to the user before proceeding — they may not want to contradict an existing architectural choice.
3. If no decisions are found, proceed but note that no recorded decision governs this area.

When called with no specific query

Call get_why() with no arguments to get the decision-health dashboard:

• Stale decisions that may no longer apply
• Proposed decisions awaiting confirmation
• Ungoverned hotspots (high-churn files with no recorded decisions)

The same signals surface in the CLI via repowise decision health / /repowise:decision, and you can query why mid-task with repowise why / /repowise:why (the get_why adapter). repowise decision candidates --format json lists proposed decisions with what each still needs; repowise decision confirm <id> --agent <your slug> --evidence <commit|file> accepts one (see /repowise:decision).

When a file has decision markers

If you see # WHY:, # DECISION:, # TRADEOFF:, or # ADR: comments in code, call get_context(targets=["that_file.py"]) to see the full decision record with context and affected modules.

Recording new decisions

When you settle an architectural choice yourself (you weighed options and picked one), record it:

repowise decision add --agent <your slug> --title "..." --decision "..." --rationale "<why, and what you rejected>" --affects <path>

Add --evidence-commit <sha> once it is committed. The record lands as a candidate: it never governs until accepted, so recording is safe.

Reviewing candidates

You may review and accept candidates yourself. repowise decision candidates --format json lists each with its blockers. Accept one with repowise decision confirm <id> --agent <your slug>, adding --reason, --scope <path>, --evidence <commit|file|link> or --decision for whatever a blocker names. Dismiss a wrong one with repowise decision dismiss <id> --agent <your slug> --reason ... --yes, fold a duplicate with repowise decision merge <id> <into-id> --agent <your slug> (the target must already be accepted; confirm it first), and retire one with repowise decision deprecate <id> --agent <your slug> --reason .... When an accepted decision is needs_review and still holds, renew it with repowise decision reaffirm <id> --agent <your slug>; confirm is for candidates only. With --format json every review command returns results[], even for one id. Your acceptances are recorded as yours, never a person's. If the repository turned agent acceptance off, the confirm is refused; leave it for a person and mention it.

If the user states a decision, offer to record it the same way without --agent.