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What code can—and cannot—tell you
Code is strong at expressing behavior: what a function returns, which service is called, or how data moves. It may not explain why the team chose that design over another, which constraint made it sensible, or what risk a workaround was intended to contain.
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Tests show expected behavior in the cases they cover. Changelogs and commit history show what changed, while current documentation can explain how to use a component. Those sources may still leave the decision’s rationale scattered or absent.
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Google Engineering Practices advises that comments are most useful for information the code cannot contain, “like the reasoning behind a decision.” It distinguishes that context from documentation describing what a class, module or function does and how to use it. Google Engineering Practices: What to look for in a code review (a mirror of the guidance).
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What a useful rationale record contains
A rationale record should let a future reader distinguish an observed fact from an explanation that is uncertain or still needs confirmation. Keep it focused on one decision, behavior, constraint or lesson, and capture enough context to make it useful when the original authors are unavailable.
- Decision or behavior: State what was chosen or what the system does.
- Alternatives: Note options considered and rejected, when known.
- Reason and constraint: Explain the trade-off or condition that shaped the choice.
- Type and status: Identify what kind of record it is and whether it remains current, is superseded, or needs revisiting.
- Evidence and source: Say what supports the explanation and where that evidence comes from.
- Revisit trigger: Name a change—such as a new dependency or operating constraint—that would justify reopening the decision.
Keep the Why describes this kind of repository-native record in Markdown. Its fields can organize a rationale, but they cannot make an unsupported explanation true: a person still has to judge the evidence and correct the record when necessary. Keep the Why README and project article.
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How linked records form a walkable history
Records become more useful when they point to related records. Imagine an incident exposing a previously unnoticed constraint; that constraint informs an architecture decision; the decision leads to a workaround; and a later record explains why the workaround was replaced. A reader can follow these references in either direction to understand the context around a piece of code.
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This distinction matters during maintenance. A workaround may look unnecessary when viewed only in the current code, yet a linked incident record may explain the failure it prevents. Conversely, a trail is not a substitute for checking the underlying source, tests, commits or operational evidence.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why keep rationale beside the code?
Storing these records as Markdown in the repository keeps them near the work they describe. Git can version them and distribute them with the project, and changes to rationale can be reviewed alongside implementation changes. This makes it easier to see when an explanation was added or revised and to keep records with the code they concern.
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Repository-native notes are not automatically easy to find. A project still needs consistent linking and maintenance; readers may otherwise have to search across files. Keep the Why describes a dashboard that reads repository content, but its local graph is bounded by the repositories and references it has loaded. It is not a complete global index of every repository that might link to a record. Keep the Why website.
Keep the record trustworthy over time
- Separate evidence from interpretation. Identify what was observed, who or what supports it, and which parts are inferred or unknown.
- Update status when circumstances change. A once-valid decision can be superseded; preserve the historical explanation while making its current status clear.
- Link to evidence, not just neighboring notes. A chain of rationale is easier to assess when its records point to relevant source material.
- Review prose as carefully as code. A linter can check structure and required fields, but it cannot verify that the stated reason is accurate.
- Use links conservatively. Describe what a relationship means and avoid implying causation unless evidence supports that claim.
What this approach does—and does not—establish
Linked, versioned rationale records offer a practical way to preserve information that code alone may not express: alternatives, constraints, incidents, workarounds and the reasons behind decisions. They improve the trail a maintainer can follow, but they do not guarantee complete history, universal discoverability or factual accuracy. The quality of the explanation still depends on evidence and human review.
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