Decision Register

Track questions and decisions from code reviews. Build a searchable history of architectural decisions.

Usage

Enable the decision register in your config:

{
  "decisionRegister": {
    "enabled": true
  }
}

When enabled, Candid checks for prior answers before asking questions — and records new questions and resolutions for future sessions.

How It Works

Questions Are Raised

During a review, questions appear in two ways:

1. Reviewer flags uncertainty — When Candid can’t determine the correct fix from code alone, it marks the issue as “Clarification Needed ?” and records it in the register.
2. You ask a question — During individual fix review, choose “I have a question about this” to record your own question.

Prior Answers Are Reused

Before raising a Clarification Needed question, Candid checks the register for a matching resolved answer. If a prior decision exists:

• The question is not re-asked
• The prior decision is applied automatically
• The review shows a “Previously Decided” note referencing the original answer

This prevents the same questions from being asked across review sessions and loop iterations.

Questions Are Resolved

New questions (not in the register) get resolved when:

• You answer during the same review session (“Here’s my answer”)
• A subsequent review detects the issue was fixed (via --re-review)
• You mark them as declined or not applicable

Consultation Modes

Lookup Mode (Default)

{
  "decisionRegister": {
    "enabled": true,
    "mode": "lookup"
  }
}

Before each Clarification Needed question, checks the register for a matching resolved answer. Efficient for large registers — only relevant entries are consulted.

Load Mode

{
  "decisionRegister": {
    "enabled": true,
    "mode": "load"
  }
}

Loads the entire register into context at the start of the review. The reviewer has full awareness of all prior decisions throughout. Better for small-to-medium registers where broad context helps inform the review.

Register Format

The register is a markdown file at .candid/register/review-decision-register.md:

# Decision Register
 
Tracks questions raised during Candid code reviews and their resolutions.
 
Last updated: 2026-02-21T14:30:00Z
 
## Open Questions
 
| # | File/Component | Question | Asked By | Asked At | Status |
|---|----------------|----------|----------|----------|--------|
| 3 | src/auth.ts:42 | Is the admin bypass intentional? | Reviewer | 2026-02-21 | open |
 
## Resolved Questions
 
| # | File/Component | Question | Asked By | Asked At | Resolution | Resolved By | Status | Resolved At |
|---|----------------|----------|----------|----------|------------|-------------|--------|-------------|
| 1 | src/api/users.ts:15 | Should we rate-limit? | Reviewer | 2026-02-20 | Added 100 req/min | Author | answered | 2026-02-21 |
| 2 | src/db/queries.ts:88 | Is the N+1 acceptable? | Reviewer | 2026-02-20 | Superseded by pagination | Author | superseded | 2026-02-21 |

Configuration

Enable with Defaults

{
  "decisionRegister": {
    "enabled": true
  }
}

Custom Path and Mode

{
  "decisionRegister": {
    "enabled": true,
    "path": "docs/decisions",
    "mode": "load"
  }
}

Options

Statuses

Git Integration

The register file should be committed to your repository. Unlike .candid/last-review.json (which is ephemeral review state), the decision register captures architectural decisions that benefit your whole team.

If your .gitignore excludes the .candid/ directory, add an exception for the register:

# .gitignore
.candid/*
!.candid/register/

Loop Mode

In candid-loop, the register works across iterations:

• Auto mode: Prior decisions from the register are applied automatically. New Clarification Needed issues (no prior answer) are skipped and recorded as open — they don’t block loop completion.
• Review-each / Interactive: You can answer questions during each iteration. Answers are recorded and reused in subsequent iterations.
• Questions from iteration 1 are available to inform iteration 2+.

Deduplication

Candid avoids duplicate entries for the same logical question. If a question about the same file and topic already exists as open, a new duplicate is not created. If a matching question was previously resolved and the same question resurfaces, a new entry is allowed.

During Init

When running /candid-init, you’ll be asked whether to enable the decision register. This adds the config to your .candid/config.json.