diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index aa2e176..468260c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -76,6 +76,15 @@ Persistent=true
 WantedBy=timers.target
 ```
 
+## Design decisions
+
+- [ADR 0001](docs/adr/0001-bash-with-shared-lib.md): plain Bash with `lib/common.sh`, so
+  the scripts run on a bare server. ShellCheck and bats keep it honest.
+- [ADR 0002](docs/adr/0002-sshd-drop-in-validated.md): SSH settings go into a drop-in
+  file, checked with `sshd -t` before a reload.
+- [ADR 0003](docs/adr/0003-restic-for-backups.md): restic for backups, because it does
+  encryption, deduplication and retention against any S3 bucket.
+
 ## Limits
 
 - Debian and Ubuntu only (apt, UFW, systemd-journald).
diff --git a/docs/adr/0001-bash-with-shared-lib.md b/docs/adr/0001-bash-with-shared-lib.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d88f10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/adr/0001-bash-with-shared-lib.md
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# 0001. Plain Bash with one shared library
+
+Status: accepted
+Date: 2026-10-17
+
+## Context
+These scripts run on fresh Debian or Ubuntu servers, often before anything else is
+installed, and on small fleets where one person does the ops work. They must be
+readable by whoever inherits the server and runnable with nothing but the base system.
+
+## Options
+1. Ansible playbooks: idempotent by design, good for many hosts. Needs Python and
+   Ansible on a control machine, and a playbook is overkill for a single VPS.
+2. A Python or Go CLI: easier to test, but one more runtime or binary to ship.
+3. Bash scripts with a shared `lib/common.sh` for logging, validation, dry-run and
+   alerts: runs everywhere, but Bash needs discipline to stay safe.
+
+## Decision
+Option 3. Zero dependencies on the target host matters more here than the comfort of a
+real language. The discipline is enforced by tooling, not by hope.
+
+## Consequences
+- Every script starts with `set -euo pipefail` and validates its arguments.
+- `run_cmd` in `common.sh` gives every script the same `DRY_RUN=1` preview.
+- ShellCheck runs in CI on `bin/` and `lib/`, and 21 bats tests cover argument
+  handling, dry-run output and the checkers against local listeners.
+- The bats suite cannot test the bootstrap or Docker install against a real VM.
+- Revisit, and move to Ansible, once there are more than a handful of hosts to keep in sync.
diff --git a/docs/adr/0002-sshd-drop-in-validated.md b/docs/adr/0002-sshd-drop-in-validated.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d54d2a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/adr/0002-sshd-drop-in-validated.md
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# 0002. Harden SSH through a validated drop-in file
+
+Status: accepted
+Date: 2026-10-17
+
+## Context
+`bootstrap-server.sh` changes the SSH port, disables passwords and root login, and
+limits logins to one admin user. A broken sshd config on a remote VPS can lock the
+operator out, and editing `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` in place conflicts with package
+upgrades that ship a new default file.
+
+## Options
+1. Edit `sshd_config` with `sed`: works on any version, but fragile against
+   formatting changes and leaves a diff that apt asks about on upgrade.
+2. Replace `sshd_config` with a full template: predictable, but throws away
+   distribution defaults and breaks on the next major release.
+3. Write `/etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/10-hardening.conf`, run `sshd -t`, and reload only if
+   the test passes.
+
+## Decision
+Option 3. The distribution keeps its own file, our settings live in one place, and an
+invalid config is never loaded.
+
+## Consequences
+- Depends on the `Include sshd_config.d/*.conf` line that current Debian and Ubuntu
+  ship. Older releases without it would ignore the drop-in.
+- If `sshd -t` fails, the script stops but leaves the drop-in on disk. The next sshd
+  restart would then fail too. Removing the file on failure is an open improvement.
+- UFW is configured right after the reload and opens the new port with `ufw limit`.
+  If UFW was already active with other rules, there is a short window where the new
+  port is closed. The README asks to keep a second session open for that reason.
diff --git a/docs/adr/0003-restic-for-backups.md b/docs/adr/0003-restic-for-backups.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..55a70ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/adr/0003-restic-for-backups.md
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# 0003. Use restic for off-site backups
+
+Status: accepted
+Date: 2026-10-17
+
+## Context
+Small servers need encrypted backups to cheap storage outside the host, with a
+retention policy and an alert when a run fails. The storage is usually some
+S3-compatible bucket, and the operator does not control the bucket provider.
+
+## Options
+1. `tar` plus `rclone` or `aws s3 cp`: no new tool, but no deduplication, and
+   encryption and retention have to be scripted by hand.
+2. BorgBackup: deduplicated and encrypted, but needs SSH access to a Borg server, not
+   plain object storage.
+3. restic: one static binary, encrypted and deduplicated, talks to S3 directly, and
+   has built-in `forget --prune` retention.
+
+## Decision
+Option 3. It works against any S3-compatible bucket and covers encryption,
+deduplication and retention in one tool.
+
+## Consequences
+- Config comes from env vars or an env file, which the README tells you to keep at mode 0600.
+- Only snapshots tagged `auto` are pruned, so manual snapshots are kept.
+- Defaults keep 7 daily, 4 weekly and 6 monthly snapshots.
+- Losing `RESTIC_PASSWORD` means losing the backups. The key has to be stored somewhere
+  other than the server being backed up.
+- `--check` exists but does not run on its own. Schedule it, or restore tests do not happen.