All business rules — keywords, queue mappings, timing offsets, state detection — are stored in an external config file or database table, never hardcoded in the engine. This means rule changes never require a deployment.

Backend (Node.js + PostgreSQL) on Railway, frontend (React dashboard) on Vercel. Keeps concerns separated, both have generous free tiers, and each can be scaled independently as engagements grow.

The shared Parnell Systems toolkit is consumed via git submodule rather than a private npm registry. Zero cost, works with any git host, no registry setup needed. Graduate to private npm when 3+ client repos are consuming it and the API is stable.

For any "adopt X" / "add these recommendations" request, Claude must produce an explicit accept/reject/defer triage against current state before writing any plan. The reject column must exist — if empty, re-check for overlap. Paired with a CLAUDE.md growth brake (any proposal adding >20 lines requires a paired proposal for what to remove or migrate to a skill). Prevents rubber-stamping recommendations that duplicate existing coverage.

Skills compose with the skill-forced-eval hook on UserPromptSubmit, show up in the live skill list, and reference other skills by declared triggers. /ship composes with the existing verification-before-completion skill for its merge-verification step rather than re-implementing gh pr view — composition over duplication. /resume automates the Project Status Catch-Up rule with an explicit stop-and-ask gate.

Add a markdown file to decisions/ in the repo. Note: HTML cards are currently added manually — the auto-render gap (no AUTO-GENERATED ADRS markers in this file) is a known issue, logged for later.