diff --git a/wormchain/docs/.adr-dir b/wormchain/docs/.adr-dir
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c65fbdbbea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wormchain/docs/.adr-dir
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+architecture
diff --git a/wormchain/docs/architecture/0001-ADRs-are-canonical-source-of-truth.md b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0001-ADRs-are-canonical-source-of-truth.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..982d2c4154
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0001-ADRs-are-canonical-source-of-truth.md
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# 1. ADRs will be the Canonical Source of Truth for architecture decisions
+
+Date: 2024-06-24
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted
+
+## Context
+
+- As WH/SL
+- We want a place to memorialize decisions
+- Because it helps with context / institutional memory / onboarding
+
+As discussed and agreed to in the Strangelove / Wormhole [project kick-off](https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVK_fZYq0=/?share_link_id=596301298163).
+
+## Decision
+
+To memorialize decisions, we'll use Architecture Decision Records, as [described by Michael Nygard](http://thinkrelevance.com/blog/2011/11/15/documenting-architecture-decisions).
+
+Briefly: ~if~ whenever we make a decision which might reasonably cause a Future Developer (e.g., a new dev, or Six-Months-In-The-Future-Us) to say "Wait—why'd we choose that?", we'll log an ADR to act as a Canonical Source Of Truth, contemporaneously detailing reasoning.
+
+At times, we'll certainly be wrong.
+
+We'll almost certainly backtrack certain ideas.
+
+But—hopefully—we won't bark up the same tree twice.
+
+## Consequences
+
+- You might want some tooling. For a lightweight ADR toolset, see Nat Pryce's [adr-tools](https://github.com/npryce/adr-tools), or `brew install adr-tools` if you're the trusting sort.
+- We instantiated w/ the default template (Status, Context, Decision, Consequences). If/when we want to update the ADR format, this gh issue has the rundown: https://github.com/npryce/adr-tools/issues/120.
diff --git a/wormchain/docs/architecture/0002-wasmvm-will-be-upgraded-to-v1-5-2-and-not-v2-x-x.md b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0002-wasmvm-will-be-upgraded-to-v1-5-2-and-not-v2-x-x.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..48a80abd45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0002-wasmvm-will-be-upgraded-to-v1-5-2-and-not-v2-x-x.md
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# 2. wasmvm will be upgraded to v1.5.2 and not v2.x.x
+
+Date: 2024-06-24
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted
+
+## Context
+
+wasmvm 1.5.2 has an EOL that will arrive sooner, but v2.x.x is a riskier upgrade path.
+
+## Decision
+
+We will upgrade to v1.5.2 and NOT v2.x.x because it was suggested that the risk/reward isn't worth it: too new, 
+bugs on tokenfactory for chains which deployed it. We will hold off on that for now.
+
+## Consequences
+
+Not being on wasmvm v2.x.x will leave wormhole gateway missing out on the "factor of 1000" lower cosmwasm gas costs, 
+improved submessage ergonomics and ability to query cosmwasm via grpc which are some of the main 2.x benefits. 
+Reference: https://medium.com/cosmwasm/cosmwasm-2-0-bbb94126ce6f 
diff --git a/wormchain/docs/architecture/0003-cosmos-sdk-v0-47-upgrade-will-be-implemented-in-wormhole-fork.md b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0003-cosmos-sdk-v0-47-upgrade-will-be-implemented-in-wormhole-fork.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f9ad11a592
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0003-cosmos-sdk-v0-47-upgrade-will-be-implemented-in-wormhole-fork.md
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# 3. Cosmos SDK v0.47 upgrade will be implemented in Wormhole Fork
+
+Date: 2024-07-10
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted
+
+## Context
+
+The Wormhole Foundation has made a copy of the Cosmos SDK repository, which can be found in their Github organization [here](https://github.com/wormhole-foundation/cosmos-sdk). They are referencing this copied repository in the wormchain [go.mod](https://github.com/wormhole-foundation/wormhole/blob/6236a9a6cbd0dc00a940e6654c6f6106d0904ece/wormchain/go.mod#L142) file, referencing the [v0.45.9-wormhole-2](https://github.com/wormhole-foundation/cosmos-sdk/releases/tag/v0.45.9-wormhole-2) tag. This tag has [commits](https://github.com/wormhole-foundation/cosmos-sdk/commits/v0.45.9-wormhole-2/?since=2022-10-19&until=2022-12-21) made by the wormhole-foundation team that fundamentally change the behavior of the staking module, particularly implementing proof of authority based on the wormchain guardian set.
+
+## Decision
+
+With the use of a forked Cosmos SDK and fundamental changes to the staking module, the initial Cosmos SDK v0.45 to v0.47 upgrade will be done on their fork in the following manner:
+
+1. Pull in the [v0.47.12](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/tag/v0.47.12) (latest in the v0.47 series) tag from the Cosmos SDK repository into the 
+2. Re-implement the changes made in the v0.45.9-wormhole-2 tag into the v0.47.12 tag.
+3. Release a new tag that includes the changes from the v0.47.12 tag and the changes made on top of it from the v0.45.9-wormhole-2 tag.
+4. Reference this new version in the wormchain go.mod file.
+
+## Consequences
+
+With the changes to the staking module being applied directly in the Wormhole Foundation Cosmos SDK fork, this will have the following good and bad consequences:
+
+1. It will maintain the required changes made to the staking module as they were at the time of the v0.45.9-wormhole-2 tag.
+2. It will be easier to maintain the changes made to the staking module as they will be directly applied to the forked repository.
+3. Maintaining the fork of the Cosmos SDK will be more difficult as the Cosmos SDK repository will continue to evolve.
diff --git a/wormchain/docs/architecture/0004-tendermint-core-will-be-migrated-to-cometbft-by-bumping-to-latest-cosmos-sdk-upstream-v0-45.md b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0004-tendermint-core-will-be-migrated-to-cometbft-by-bumping-to-latest-cosmos-sdk-upstream-v0-45.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7f7f432665
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wormchain/docs/architecture/0004-tendermint-core-will-be-migrated-to-cometbft-by-bumping-to-latest-cosmos-sdk-upstream-v0-45.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# 4. Tendermint Core Will be Migrated to CometBFT by Bumping to Latest Cosmos SDK Upstream v0.45
+
+Date: 2024-07-12
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted
+
+## Context
+
+The Wormhole Cosmos SDK was forked at [v0.45.9](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/tag/v0.45.9) of the Cosmos SDK releases. This can be seen by looking at their [in-use tag's](https://github.com/wormhole-foundation/cosmos-sdk/commits/v0.45.9-wormhole-2/) last commit from the upstream [here](https://github.com/wormhole-foundation/cosmos-sdk/commit/2582f0aab7b2cbf66ade066fe570a4622cf0b098), which shares the commit history and SHA of the v0.45.9 release.
+
+This version of the Cosmos SDK was released before the fork of Tendermint Core and migration provided by the Cosmos SDK core team in the [Comet BFT](https://github.com/cometbft/cometbft) project, the motivation of which was announced [here](https://informal.systems/blog/cosmos-meet-cometbft).
+
+To facilitate a more modern usage of the Cosmos SDK, projects should move away from Tendermint Core to CometBFT, as it is more up-to-date, maintained and provides security and bug fixes.
+
+The Cosmos SDK team slowly rolled out migrations from Tendermint Core to CometBFT in the Comsos SDK repo, and this migration was implemented in the v0.45 line in release [v0.45.15](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/tag/v0.45.15).
+
+## Decision
+
+The migration to Tendermint Core will take place by:
+
+1. Pulling in the upstream latest version in the v0.45 line, which is [v0.45.16](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/tag/v0.45.16) (one version after the v0.45.15 migration release)
+2. Replaying the [commits](https://github.com/wormhole-foundation/cosmos-sdk/commits/v0.45.9-wormhole-2/?since=2022-10-19&until=2022-12-21) implemented by the Wormhole developers on top of this tag
+3. Release a new tag that includes the changes from the v0.45.16 tag and the changes made on top of it from the v0.45.9-wormhole-2 tag.
+4. Reference this new version in the wormchain go.mod file.
+
+## Consequences
+
+This change will have the following consequences:
+
+1. It pulls in the latest bug fixes and security updates in the v0.45 line while work on moving to v0.47 continues (see ADR 3 for details)
+2. It will require extensive testing and review to ensure the changes from v0.45.9 to v0.45.16 did not break the Wormchain repo's usage of the Cosmos SDK