ADR Companion
5 ADR templates
Create a new ADR via Tools → ADR Companion → Create ADR and pick from Nygard (Classic), MADR, RFC, Y-Statement, or Tyree & Akerman. Sequential auto-numbering — ADR-001, ADR-002 — so naming is never a bikeshed.
For IntelliJ IDEA · WebStorm · GoLand & all JetBrains IDEs
Keep your architectural decisions where the code lives.
ADR Companion brings Architecture Decision Records into your IDE — auto-discovery of existing ADRs, 5 templates, bidirectional code ↔ ADR navigation via // @adr:042, lifecycle tracking, and one-click PR-to-ADR generation. No Confluence tabs. No context switching.
- 7-day free trial, every feature included
- ADRs stay in your repo, not a third-party service
- Works with existing ADR directories
What it does
Your IDE, your docs, one place.
Architectural decisions that live in Confluence or Slack rot within a sprint. ADR Companion stores them as Markdown files in your repo and connects them to the code — searchable, navigable, and version-controlled alongside what they describe.
Bidirectional navigation
Annotate code with // @adr:042 or @ADR(42) — a clickable gutter icon takes you straight to that ADR. From any ADR, navigate to all the code that references it. The link is live, not a comment in a wiki.
ADR Explorer
A dedicated tool window lists every ADR in the project with full-text search and status filtering (Proposed / Accepted / Deprecated / Superseded). Auto-discovery finds your existing ADR directories without configuration.
Lifecycle management
Track status transitions Proposed → Accepted → Deprecated → Superseded. Supersede creates automatic backlinks in both directions. The VFS listener keeps the Explorer in sync as files change — no manual refresh.
Create ADR from Pull Request
Pick a recent merge commit and the plugin extracts context, decision, and consequences from the PR description — turning a post-merge discussion into a properly structured ADR in seconds. Requires Git4Idea (bundled in most IDEs).
Inspections & React Server Components
Three inspections flag broken @adr: references, deprecated-ADR callsites, and orphaned decisions with no code links. RSC analysis shows which 'use client'/'use server' boundaries have an ADR and which are undocumented.
Why it matters
Architecture decisions without a record are just archaeology.
Every codebase carries decisions. Without ADRs, new teammates reverse-engineer constraints from code, re-open settled debates, and avoid refactors nobody can justify. An ADR makes "why" as navigable as "what".
Context that survives team churn
The engineer who chose the event-sourced order model left two years ago. Their reason is a Slack thread nobody can find. An ADR linked from the code surfaces that context in one click — at the exact moment a new hire needs it.
Decisions that defend themselves
When a PR makes a structural choice, reference the ADR that governs it. Reviewers see the decision record inline — not in a comment thread where it disappears after merge.
Intentional vs. accidental complexity
An ADR distinguishes a deliberate constraint from an overlooked simplification. Deprecated ADRs flag areas where old decisions still haunt the code — and supersede links trace the evolution of the design.
Pricing
One plugin. Every feature. Simple pricing.
No editions, no feature gates — both licenses include all templates, navigation, lifecycle management, PR-to-ADR generation, inspections, and RSC analysis. Licensed and billed through the JetBrains Marketplace with a 7-day free trial.
Individual
$3.90
per month — for individual developers, paid personally
- All features — 5 templates, navigation, lifecycle, PR-to-ADR
- 3 built-in inspections & RSC ADR coverage
- All compatible JetBrains IDEs (2025.1+)
- 7-day free trial
Business
$7.90
per user / month — for company-purchased licenses
- All features — 5 templates, navigation, lifecycle, PR-to-ADR
- 3 built-in inspections & RSC ADR coverage
- Centralized billing via JetBrains Marketplace
- All compatible JetBrains IDEs (2025.1+)
- 7-day free trial
7-day free trial — full access to every feature, no commitment. Licensing and billing are handled through the JetBrains Marketplace. Your ADRs live in your repo — no account, no cloud sync, no telemetry.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Which IDEs are supported?
Every IntelliJ-based IDE on version 2025.1 or newer: IntelliJ IDEA (Community & Ultimate), WebStorm, GoLand, PyCharm, PhpStorm, Rider, RubyMine, CLion, Android Studio, and the rest of the JetBrains family. Java 17+ is required on the IDE side.
Will it find my existing ADRs?
Yes. The plugin auto-discovers ADR directories matching common conventions: doc/adr/, docs/adr/, docs/decisions/, decisions/, and more. If your project uses a different path, you can configure it in the plugin settings.
Which ADR format should I use?
All five templates produce valid ADR Markdown — the format is a matter of team preference. Nygard is the original minimal format (Context / Decision / Consequences). MADR adds a structured options table. RFC suits async-heavy teams. Pick one and stay consistent; the plugin works with all of them, including mixed format projects.
Does Create ADR from PR require GitHub?
No. The feature reads local git log — it finds recent merge commits from any git remote (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, self-hosted). It requires Git4Idea, which is bundled by default in IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, GoLand, and most other JetBrains IDEs.
How does the trial work?
Install from the JetBrains Marketplace and you get a 7-day free trial with full access to every feature — no credit card required upfront. After the trial, a license is $3.90/month (Individual, paid personally) or $7.90/user/month (Business, company-purchased). Billing runs entirely through the JetBrains Marketplace.
Can I contribute or report a bug?
Yes. Bug reports and feature requests go to GitHub Issues. The plugin is actively maintained — typical response time is a few days.
Your next architectural decision deserves a record.
Install ADR Companion in under a minute and start linking decisions to code. 7-day trial, no commitment, runs entirely inside your IDE.