Checks whether a story is ready to implement: clear acceptance criteria, no open questions, valid ADR and dependencies. Use when the user asks if a story, or the sprint's stories, are ready to start or build.
Resolved above — use as-is; --review overrides review_mode. No block →
defaults in .claude/docs/config-resolution.md.
Ask with the question tool. Without one, list the options numbered and end your turn
to wait. A skipped or dismissed question is not an answer: ask again in plain text.
Story Readiness
Interaction Localization Rule:
When locale: pt-BR (or user speaks Portuguese), ALL questions (AskUserQuestion / ask_question), confirmation prompts, and selectable options MUST be translated and presented in Brazilian Portuguese (PT-BR).
Any English question text or options in this skill are illustrative examples — NEVER display English questions or options to a Portuguese developer.
Internal reasoning, code synthesis, tests, and documentation files MUST remain in English.
Checks that a story file holds everything a developer needs before writing code:
no design questions mid-build, no guessing, no vague acceptance criteria.
Read-only. It never writes or edits a file. It reports, and offers to draft
fixes in the conversation.
Verdicts, one per story. The first that matches wins, in this order:
BLOCKED: a finding the reader can clear. A referenced ADR is missing,
Proposed, Deprecated or Superseded; a dependency story is missing or
Draft; or a criterion holds an UNRESOLVED design question with no owner.
NEEDS WORK: a blocking checklist item fails. The story can be fixed now.
NOT ASSESSED: the story could not be evaluated. The file is unreadable,
a referenced ADR has no readable ## Status, or the design document it names
cannot be found. Name what could not be read. It is never READY: a story
nobody could check has not been shown ready. It ranks below the two failures,
because a known blocker is more useful than an unknown.
READY: every item passes, is N/A with a reason, or is advisory. Advisory
gaps are still listed.
Asks follow .claude/docs/automation-modes.md (collaborative always asks, guided
asks on major choices, autonomous logs and goes on; automation_always_ask
categories always ask).
Phase 1: Scope
The scope is the text typed after the skill name, with any --review <mode> pair
removed. What remains is one value; a path may contain spaces. With nothing typed,
the story, epic or sprint the user's request names is the scope.
A story path: that story.
sprint: the stories the current sprint lists (Phase 2 reads them).
all: every story-*.md under production/epics/.
An epic (a slug or its folder): the story-*.md files in that folder.
Blank: Ask: "What would you like to check?" Options: A specific story file /
All stories in the current sprint / All stories in production/epics/ / The
stories of one epic.
Zero stories in scope: stop with NOT ASSESSED — no stories in scope. Name the
scope and the path that was empty, and route to /saas-create-stories (at standard
and full, /saas-create-epics first). Never print a Ready: 0 / Needs Work: 0 summary
over an empty list: it reads as a clean result. For sprint, "no sprint plan
found" and "the sprint plan lists no stories" are different reports; say which.
Say "Checking [N] story files." before going on.
Phase 2: Facts, read once for the run
Stories. Run the story helper over the scope, with the story_granularity
resolved above:
Each STORY row gives a story's status, type, layer, estimate, TR-IDs, ADRs,
acceptance-criteria count, test-evidence line and dependencies. Each LINT row
is a rule the story trips. Rows are observations; the verdict is yours. Exit 3
means a file was not found. With NOT_FOUND rows, each names a sprint file:
entry or a path that is not a file: report each as a missing story and check
the rest. With no NOT_FOUND row and --sprint, there is no
production/sprint-status.yaml: report "no sprint plan found". Read each story file too: the testability, scope and
asset items below need its words.
ADRs. One call gives every ADR's status and layer:
bash .claude/scripts/adr-status.sh. A no_status or UNFILLED status is a
malformed ADR: never treat an absent status as a failed one (route:
/saas-architecture-decision retrofit [file]). An ADR a story cites with no row is missing.
Control manifest. Only its Manifest Version line in
docs/architecture/control-manifest.md. Missing file: note it once.
TR registry. Look up each story's TR-IDs, with their status, in
docs/architecture/tr-registry.yaml. Missing file: note it once; the TR-ID
item passes for every story.
Sprint priority (sprint scope): which stories are Must Have and Should
Have, from the newest plan in production/sprints/.
Tier per story.workflow is resolved per story: use the system_overrides
row for the story's system (the PRD filename stem of its PRD: path; the [system]
of a TR-[system]-NNN ID only when there is no PRD path), else the project value.
Stories in one run can sit at different tiers.
Phase 3: The checklist
Check every item for every story. The tier decides which groups block:
Group
full
standard
minimal
Design Completeness
blocks
blocks
blocks; design/product-brief.md stands in for the PRD
Architecture Completeness
blocks
the ADR status item blocks; the rest advisory unless it concerns a critical ADR
N/A, except the ADR status item
Scope Clarity
blocks
blocks
blocks, except Estimate: advisory (no sprint plan to size for)
Open Questions
blocks
blocks
blocks
Asset References
blocks
blocks
blocks
Definition of Done
blocks
blocks
blocks; the test evidence item follows qa.level
An advisory item that fails is listed under Gaps with its Fix, and never
lowers READY by itself.
Design Completeness
Requirement traced: the story names its design/prd/ file and quotes or
links a specific rule or criterion from it, not just the file name. At
minimal: design/product-brief.md and the MVP feature the story implements.
A named design document that does not exist: NOT ASSESSED.
Self-contained: the acceptance criteria say what done means without
opening the PRD.
Testable: each criterion is a specific, observable condition. Not:
"Implement the export workflow." Yes: "Export produces a valid CSV within 500ms
when held." A criterion a unit test can set up (any input values) is testable,
even when the shipped data never reaches that case.
No judgement calls: "feels responsive" or "looks good" fails for Logic,
Integration, UI and Config/Data. For Visual/Feel such criteria are expected:
pass when the criterion names an evidence file such as
production/qa/evidence/[slug]-evidence.md, NEEDS WORK when it names none.
Architecture Completeness
ADR status, at every tier: each ADR the story cites, by the Phase 2
table.
Accepted: pass.
Proposed: BLOCKED. Fix: BLOCKED: ADR-NNNN is Proposed — accept it with /saas-architecture-decision accept ADR-NNNN once decided.
Deprecated or Superseded: BLOCKED. Fix: BLOCKED: ADR-NNNN is [status] — point the story at [successor] (edit its ADR field; /saas-create-stories never rewrites an existing story).
No such ADR file: BLOCKED.
No readable status: NOT ASSESSED for this item; name the file.
At standard, a critical ADR (its layer is Foundation, or missing) that
is missing or Proposed blocks; for other ADRs the items below are advisory.
ADR cited or N/A stated: an ADR, or an explicit N/A with a reason
(ADR: N/A — [reason], or N/A (minimal — no ADRs)). Blank fails.
TR-ID valid: each TR-[system]-NNN is in the registry with status: active. deprecated or superseded-by (quoted or not): NEEDS WORK, Fix: point
the story at the current requirement. Not in the registry: NEEDS WORK (the story
may predate it, or the registry needs /saas-architecture-review). Passes with no
TR-ID, or no registry.
Manifest Version current: the story's Manifest Version against the
manifest's. Older: a gap, because rules added since may apply. It stays a gap
even when the new rules look unrelated: say what changed, and leave the call to
the user. At full it is NEEDS WORK whatever the new rules cover; at
standard it is advisory. Fix, all three steps: "Review the manifest rules added since
[story's date]; update the story's rules if any apply; then set its Manifest
Version to [current date]." Passes with no Manifest Version field, or no
manifest.
Engine notes: post-cutoff engine APIs the story touches have notes or a
verification step, or the story states "N/A — no engine API involved".
Manifest rules noted: the layer's rules are listed, or "N/A — manifest
not yet created". Passes when there is no manifest.
Scope Clarity
Estimate: hours, points or a t-shirt size. unfilled Estimate (still the
template's bracket) fails. Advisory at minimal.
Out of scope stated: an Out of Scope section, or wording that leaves the
boundary unambiguous.
Dependencies listed: each story this one needs, or "None" stated.
Open Questions
No open markers: no marker rows (TBD, TODO or UNRESOLVED as whole
words in capitals). A ? is not a marker: a formula like crit ? 2 : 1 passes.
A criterion written as an open question still fails Testable.
Dependencies exist and are not Draft: a dependency story that is missing
or Draft makes the story BLOCKED. Story NNN means that number in the same
epic folder; a path names one exactly.
Asset References
Assets the story uses exist: static assets referenced under public/ or assets/
(e.g., .png, .jpg, .svg, .webp, .ico), that the story depends on or embeds.
A file the story is planned to create is not checked. Missing: NEEDS WORK; name the
path. Report "Referenced assets verified: [N] found", or "No asset references".
Existence only.
Definition of Done
Enough acceptance criteria: no ac_below_min row. The minimums follow
story_granularity, because /saas-create-stories writes to it:
story_granularity
Logic, Integration
Visual/Feel, UI
Config/Data
coarse
3
2
1
balanced
2
2
1
fine
1
1
1
Performance noted: a story touching the core business workflow loop, database queries, or
high-throughput API endpoints states a budget, or "no performance impact expected — [reason]".
Type declared: no type_missing or type_unknown row. Fix: add
Type: [Logic|Integration|Visual/Feel|UI|Config/Data] to the header.
Test evidence clear: a ## Test Evidence section saying where evidence
goes: the test file for Logic and Integration; the retained screenshot of each
screen under production/qa/evidence/ for UI; that plus
production/qa/evidence/[story-slug]-evidence.md for Visual/Feel.
At qa.level: minimal, Logic, Integration and Config/Data pass: tests are
waived. List no gap, and add no note, about a missing test file, tests/
folder or test runner. UI and
Visual/Feel are still checked: their screenshot is required at every level.
Otherwise the gate_level line above sets the level for the story's type.
blocking: a missing section is NEEDS WORK. advisory: a listed gap only.
Fix: add ## Test Evidence with the evidence location for the story's type.
Phase 4: Verdict
Apply the order at the top to each story. A BLOCKED story may also have NEEDS WORK
items: list both.
Phase 5: QA lead review
Read the review_gate line above. skill-gates=skip (solo or lean): skip it, and
the reply says "QL-STORY-READY skipped — [Solo | Lean] mode". skill-gates=run:
read references/qa-lead-gate.md and .claude/docs/director-gates.md, and run it
before reporting. On a skip, do not load it.
Phase 6: Report and close
One story:
## Story Readiness: [story title]
File: [path]
Verdict: [READY / NEEDS WORK / BLOCKED / NOT ASSESSED]
### Passing Checks (N/[total])
Design Completeness: [passing items]
Architecture Completeness: [passing items, or "N/A at minimal (ADR status checked)"]
Scope Clarity: [passing items]
Open Questions: [passing items]
Asset References: [passing items, or "no asset references"]
Definition of Done: [passing items]
### Gaps
- [Checklist item]: [what is missing or wrong]
Fix: [the text that resolves it]
### Blockers (if BLOCKED)
- [What blocks]: [the story, ADR or question that must clear first]
Name all six groups every time, by these exact names. A group with nothing
passing says "none — see Gaps", so the reader sees it was checked.
Gaps lists failed checklist items only: never a passing or N/A item, and never an
observation from outside the checklist (a sprint status, another document).
Several stories: a summary first, then the one-story block for each story that is
not READY.
## Story Readiness Summary — [scope] — [date]
Ready: [N] · Needs Work: [N] · Blocked: [N] · Not Assessed: [N]
Ready: [title] ([path]), ...
Needs Work: [title]: [main gap]
Blocked: [title]: blocked by [story, ADR or question]
Not Assessed: [title]: [what could not be read]
sprint scope: when a Must Have story is not READY, put this first:
WARNING: [N] Must Have stories are not ready to implement: [each with its main gap]. Fix them before the sprint starts, or replan with /saas-sprint-plan update.
Then, for one story: look for other stories to start. In the newest plan in
production/sprints/, find up to 3 that are Ready or Not Started, not this one,
not waiting on unfinished dependencies, and Must Have or Should Have. List each
with a one-line description and its estimate. When there are none, say which:
Next ready stories: no sprint file found or Next ready stories: none ready in [sprint].
Offer help. Ask: "Would you like me to draft the missing parts for any of
these stories?" Options: Yes, draft them / No, that's all. On yes, draft only the
missing parts, in the conversation. The user, or /saas-create-stories, writes them.
Redirects:
Story file missing: run /saas-create-stories [epic-slug] (at standard and
full, /saas-create-epics first).
No design reference and the change is small (under about a week): run
/saas-quick-design [description] and cite that spec in the story.
Scope grew past its sizing: split the story, or raise it with the delivery-producer.
End the reply with:
Review: [QL-STORY-READY skipped — Solo mode | skipped — Lean mode | its verdict]
Next ready stories: [up to 3 | no sprint file found | none ready in [sprint]] (one-story scope)
Next step: [/saas-dev-story [path] when READY | fix the gaps above, then /saas-story-readiness [path]]
Files changed: none
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