Refine Story

--- name: refine-story description: Refine a Bug, User Story, or Technical Story into structured markdown with BDD acceptance and a quality scorecard. Use when refining backlog or invoking /refine-story.

STOP - Read before ANY tool call

1. Read E:/Source/Repos/agent-dev-toolkit/scripts/validation/fixtures/codex/rules/guardrails.md
2. Read _shared/sdd-artifacts/SESSION.md; load session-state for $Cwd
3. If the relevant gate is not approved: STOP - ask user (pt-BR) - do NOT Write/Shell
4. SDD/develop skills: after ONE step/task, STOP session - handoff only
5. This skill body is English; user-facing prompts may be (pt-BR)

Step -1 - Gate check (report in chat before continuing)

Gate check:
[ ] guardrails.mdc read
[ ] SESSION.md read; session-state loaded
[ ] PIPELINE.md read (SDD skills only)
[ ] User confirmed current action (sim)
-> If any unchecked: STOP

Skill: refine-story

Trigger

Invoke when the user asks for: /refine-story, refine backlog item, /refine-story, or quick intake before SDD / Orchestrated Delivery.

Optional: path to existing notes, or pasted description.

Outcome

Structured markdown in chat (BDD acceptance criteria + implementation steps) and a quality scorecard aligned to portable backlog refinement patterns.

Persistence (prefer in order):

1. features/NNN-slug/USnn/STORY.md (or TSnn) under resolved classic feature root - optional REFINE/ notes beside it
2. Shortcut: docs/backlog/<slug>.md in the target workspace

Does not create or update cards in external work-item trackers.

Lazy-load

Process

Step -1b - Caveman Mode (Lite cap)

1. Read E:/Source/Repos/agent-dev-toolkit/scripts/validation/fixtures/codex/sdd/preferences.json (create { "caveman_mode": false, "caveman_level": "full" } if missing).
2. If caveman_mode is false: continue without compression.
3. If true: load E:/Source/Repos/agent-dev-toolkit/scripts/validation/fixtures/codex/plugin/skills/_shared/caveman/CAVEMAN.md; apply Lite participation cap + prefs caveman_level (Lite skills never escalate); show once: [Caveman] Modo ativo (respostas compactas, level={effective}). Digite caveman off para desativar.
4. Honor caveman on|off|status|lite|full|ultra (and stop caveman / normal mode) during the session.
5. Auto-Clarity + never-compress gates/drafts/paths per CAVEMAN.md.

0. Workspace

Confirm target repository. Summarize detected stack via Glob if useful.

Do not assume there is no PRD because root PRD/ is missing - check features/**/PRD/ (and global .../features/**/PRD/) per STORAGE.md. Root/flat PRD/ is not a Classic SDD path.

1. Select item type

[Refine] Refine backlog item

Which type?

1) Bug
2) User Story
3) Technical Story

Load the matching file from _shared/backlog-item-types/. Map: User Story -> USnn, Technical Story -> TSnn, Bug -> prefer USnn or note under existing story.

2. Collect description

Ask for a free-form description (problem, goal, context, constraints). Wait for enough detail; if thin, use collection questions from the type file - do not ship placeholder [...] sections.

3. Generate documentation

Follow the type file Output template and Writing guidelines. Combine user input with structure from the template - calibrate depth, not copy corporate examples.

Steps: one responsibility per step; infinitive verbs; layer order when applicable; explicit dependencies; note parallel steps when independent (feeds split-story-checklist topological grouping).

BDD: Given / When / Then / And; verifiable outcomes; avoid vague "works correctly".

4. Quality scorecard

Immediately after the markdown, score per reference.md section Scorecard. Show total / 100, strengths, and specific improvements.

5. Validation (chat-only)

Before presenting as final, check reference.md section Guardrails.

6. Optional persistence

Ask where to save (pt-BR):

Onde gravar o item refinado?

1) features/NNN-slug/USnn/STORY.md (recomendado - Backlog Refine alinhada ao storage)
2) docs/backlog/<slug>.md (atalho)
3) Só chat (não gravar)

If saving under features/: resolve feature root (STORAGE.md); create FEATURE.md stub only if missing and user confirms path; ask artifact language default pt-BR.

If saving under docs/backlog/: first ask once:

Language for product docs/backlog/ - pt-BR or English?

Write prose in that language; paths and identifiers stay in English. Slug from title (kebab-case).

7. Handoff

Must not

• Call tracker REST APIs, MCP work-item integrations, or PAT scripts for external trackers
• Add organization-specific custom fields, mandatory AI tags, or PATCH guardrails for remote boards
• Write docs/backlog/ before the language question when choosing shortcut
• Duplicate full PRD/PLAN templates - hand off to sdd-spec / sdd-plan or O1
• Invent architecture that belongs to O1 specialists

Handoff examples

/split-story-checklist - features/004-export/US01/STORY.md

/orchestrate-analyze

/sdd-spec