---
title: "RFC / ADR Process"
description: "How RStack records research-backed architecture decisions and roadmap governance."
---

RStack uses RFCs as lightweight Architecture Decision Records. The process keeps major AI-SDLC platform decisions explicit, reviewable, and citable.

## Why RFCs matter

RStack is evolving from an npm package into a research-backed AI-SDLC operating layer. That means important choices should be traceable:

- why the feature exists,
- what decision was made,
- what alternatives were rejected,
- which research or prior-art references informed the decision,
- how implementation will be validated.

This turns roadmap work into primary-source evidence for the RStack research paper.

## Registry

The source registry lives in [`rfcs/`](https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/tree/main/rfcs).

| RFC | Status | Issue | Purpose |
|---|---|---:|---|
| [RFC-0001](https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/blob/main/rfcs/RFC-0001-rstack-spec-v1alpha1.md) | Draft | #71 | RStack Spec v1alpha1. |
| [RFC-0002](https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/blob/main/rfcs/RFC-0002-decision-queue-and-readiness-gate.md) | Draft | #70 | Decision Queue and Definition-of-Ready gate. |
| [RFC-0003](https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/blob/main/rfcs/RFC-0003-cross-harness-validation.md) | Draft | #72 | Cross-harness validation independence. |
| [RFC-0004](https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/blob/main/rfcs/RFC-0004-attestation-envelope.md) | Draft | #73 | Attestation envelope. |
| [RFC-0005](https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/blob/main/rfcs/RFC-0005-traceability-drift-detection.md) | Draft | #74 | Traceability drift detection. |
| [RFC-0006](https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/blob/main/rfcs/RFC-0006-untrusted-pr-gate.md) | Draft | #75 | Untrusted PR gate. |

## Lifecycle states

- `Draft` — proposed and open for refinement.
- `Accepted` — approved for implementation.
- `Implemented` — shipped and validated.
- `Superseded` — replaced by a later RFC.

## Validation

RStack includes a CI-backed RFC validator in `tests/validate-rfcs.test.js`. It checks:

- RFC filenames use `RFC-000N-short-title.md`,
- headers match the file number,
- statuses are valid,
- required sections exist,
- RFC numbers are unique and sequential,
- the index links every RFC.

Run locally:

```bash
npm test
```

For a fast local RFC-only check, run `npx tsx --test tests/validate-rfcs.test.js`.

## Human review rule

RFC PRs should wait for CI and reviewer-bot comments before merge. A human operator should approve the merge after reviewing the summary.