cli-forge-hldlisted

> **Optimization:** This skill uses on-demand loading. Heavy content lives in `references/` and is loaded only when needed. > **Language rule:** Skill instructions are written in English. When generating user-facing output, detect the project's primary language (from README, comments, docs, commit messages) and produce the document in that language. If the project is bilingual, ask the user which language to use before proceeding. # Forge HLD — High-Level System Design > "Everything is a trade-off. Why is more important than how." — Neal Ford & Mark Richards ## Core Principles 1. **Mitosis** — the document grows only the sections the project actually needs. A CLI tool doesn't need a deployment diagram. A single-service app doesn't need a context map. Kill empty sections, don't fill them with boilerplate 2. **Numbers before architecture** — always estimate capacity before designing. The numbers determine whether you need 1 server or 100 3. **Every decision needs a "why"** — no technology choice without justification via ADR 4. **Tradeoffs are explicit** — use ATAM-style reasoning: "We chose X over Y because [quality attribute] matters more than [other attribute] in this context" 5. **Diagrams are mandatory** — use Mermaid for all visuals (C4, sequence, deployment) 6. **Non-goals are as important as goals** — they prevent scope creep (Google design doc tradition) 7. **KISS** — if a section can be one table instead of three paragraphs, use the table. If a diagram replaces a