bmad-create-story — quality + safety report

---
name: bmad-create-story
description: 'Creates a dedicated story file with all the context the agent will need to implement it later. Use when the user says "create the next story" or "create story [story identifier]"'
---

# Create Story Workflow

**Goal:** Create a comprehensive story file that gives the dev agent everything needed for flawless implementation.

**Your Role:** Story context engine that prevents LLM developer mistakes, omissions, or disasters.
- Communicate all responses in {communication_language} and generate all documents in {document_output_language}
- Your purpose is NOT to copy from epics - it's to create a comprehensive, optimized story file that gives the DEV agent EVERYTHING needed for flawless implementation
- COMMON LLM MISTAKES TO PREVENT: reinventing wheels, wrong libraries, wrong file locations, breaking regressions, ignoring UX, vague implementations, lying about completion, not learning from past work
- EXHAUSTIVE ANALYSIS REQUIRED: You must thoroughly analyze ALL artifacts to extract critical context - do NOT be lazy or skim! This is the most important function in the entire development process!
- UTILIZE SUBPROCESSES AND SUBAGENTS: Use research subagents, subprocesses or parallel processing if available to thoroughly analyze different artifacts simultaneously and thoroughly
- SAVE QUESTIONS: If you think of questions or clarifications during analysis, save them for the end after the complete story is written
- ZERO USER INTERVENTION: Process should be fully automated except for initial epic/story selection or missing documents

## Conventions

- Bare paths (e.g. `discover-inputs.md`) resolve from the skill root.
- `{skill-root}` resolves to this skill's installed directory (where `customize.toml` lives).
- `{project-root}`-prefixed paths resolve from the project working directory.
- `{skill-name}` resolves to the skill directory's basename.

## On Activation

### Step 1: Resolve the Workflow Block

Run: `python3 {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_customization.py --skill {skill-root} --key workflow`

**If the script fails**, resolve the `workflow` block yourself by reading these three files in base → team → user order and applying the same structural merge rules as the resolver:

1. `{skill-root}/customize.toml` — defaults
2. `{project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.toml` — team overrides
3. `{project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.user.toml` — personal overrides

Any missing file is skipped. Scalars override, tables deep-merge, arrays of tables keyed by `code` or `id` replace matching entries and append new entries, and all other arrays append.

### Step 2: Execute Prepend Steps

Execute each entry in `{workflow.activation_steps_prepend}` in order before proceeding.

### Step 3: Load Persistent Facts

Treat every entry in `{workflow.persistent_facts}` as foundational context you carry for the rest of the workflow run. Entries prefixed `file:` are paths or globs under `{project-root}` — load the referenced contents as facts. All other entries are facts verbatim.

### Step 4: Load Config

Load config from `{project-root}/_bmad/bmm/config.yaml` and resolve:

- `project_name`, `user_name`
- `communication_language`, `document_output_language`
- `user_skill_level`
- `planning_artifacts`, `implementation_artifacts`
- `date` as system-generated current datetime

### Step 5: Greet the User

Greet `{user_name}`, speaking in `{communication_language}`.

### Step 6: Execute Append Steps

Execute each entry in `{workflow.activation_steps_append}` in order.

Activation is complete. If `activation_steps_prepend` or `activation_steps_append` were non-empty, confirm every entry was executed in order before proceeding. Do not begin the main workflow until all activation steps have been completed.

## Paths

- `sprint_status` = `{implementation_artifacts}/sprint-status.yaml`
- `epics_file` = `{planning_artifacts}/epics.md`
- `prd_file` = `{planning_artifacts}/prd.md`
- `architecture_file` = `{planning_artifacts}/architecture.md`
- `ux_file` = `{planning_artifacts}/*ux*.md`
- `story_title` = "" (will be elicited if not derivable)
- `default_output_file` = `{implementation_artifacts}/{{story_key}}.md`

## Input Files

| Input | Description | Path Pattern(s) | Load Strategy |
|-------|-------------|------------------|---------------|
| prd | PRD (fallback - epics file should have most content) | whole: `{planning_artifacts}/*prd*.md`, sharded: `{planning_artifacts}/*prd*/*.md` | SELECTIVE_LOAD |
| architecture | Architecture (fallback - epics file should have relevant sections) | whole: `{planning_artifacts}/*architecture*.md`, sharded: `{planning_artifacts}/*architecture*/*.md` | SELECTIVE_LOAD |
| ux | UX design (fallback - epics file should have relevant sections) | whole: `{planning_artifacts}/*ux*.md`, sharded: `{planning_artifacts}/*ux*/*.md` | SELECTIVE_LOAD |
| epics | Enhanced epics+stories file with BDD and source hints | whole: `{planning_artifacts}/*epic*.md`, sharded: `{planning_artifacts}/*epic*/*.md` | SELECTIVE_LOAD |

## Execution

<workflow>

<step n="1" goal="Determine target story">
  <check if="{{story_path}} is provided by user or user provided the epic and story number such as 2-4 or 1.6 or epic 1 story 5">
    <action>Parse user-provided story path: extract epic_num, story_num, story_title from format like "1-2-user-auth"</action>
    <action>Set {{epic_num}}, {{story_num}}, {{story_key}} from user input</action>
    <action>GOTO step 2a</action>
  </check>

  <action>Check if {{sprint_status}} file exists for auto discover</action>
  <check if="sprint status file does NOT exist">
    <output>🚫 No sprint status file found and no story specified</output>
    <output>
      **Required Options:**
      1. Run `sprint-planning` to initialize sprint tracking (recommended)
      2. Provide specific epic-story number to create (e.g., "1-2-user-auth")
      3. Provide path to story documents if sprint status doesn't exist yet
    </output>
    <ask>Choose option [1], provide epic-story number, path to story docs, or [q] to quit:</ask>

    <check if="user chooses 'q'">
      <action>HALT - No work needed</action>
    </check>

    <check if="user chooses '1'">
      <output>Run sprint-planning workflow first to create sprint-status.yaml</output>
      <action>HALT - User needs to run sprint-planning</action>
    </check>

    <check if="user provides epic-story number">
      <action>Parse user input: extract epic_num, story_num, story_title</action>
      <action>Set {{epic_num}}, {{story_num}}, {{story_key}} from user input</action>
      <action>GOTO step 2a</action>
    </check>

    <check if="user provides story docs path">
      <action>Use user-provided path for story documents</action>
      <action>GOTO step 2a</action>
    </check>
  </check>

  <!-- Auto-discover from sprint status only if no user input -->
  <check if="no user input provided">
    <critical>MUST read COMPLETE {sprint_status} file from start to end to preserve order</critical>
    <action>Load the FULL file: {{sprint_status}}</action>
    <action>Read ALL lines from beginning to end - do not skip any content</action>
    <action>Parse the development_status section completely</action>

    <action>Find the FIRST story (by reading in order from top to bottom) where:
      - Key matches pattern: number-number-name (e.g., "1-2-user-auth")
      - NOT an epic key (epic-X) or retrospective (epic-X-retrospective)
      - Status value equals "backlog"
    </action>

    <check if="no backlog story found">
      <output>📋 No backlog stories found in sprint-status.yaml

        All stories are either already created, in progress, or done.

        **Options:**
        1. Run sprint-planning to refresh story tracking
        2. Load PM agent and run correct-course to add more stories
        3. Check if current sprint is complete and run retrospective
      </output>
      <action>HALT</action>
    </check>

    <action>Extract from found story key (e.g., "1-2-user-authentication"):
      - epic_num: first number before dash (e.g., "1")
      - story_num: second number after first dash (e.g., "2")
      - story_title: remainder after second dash (e.g., "user-authentication")
    </action>
    <action>Set {{story_id}} = "{{epic_num}}.{{story_num}}"</action>
    <action>Store story_key for later use (e.g., "1-2-user-authentication")</action>

    <!-- Mark epic as in-progress if this is first story -->
    <action>Check if this is the first story in epic {{epic_num}} by looking for {{epic_num}}-1-* pattern</action>
    <check if="this is first story in epic {{epic_num}}">
      <action>Load {{sprint_status}} and check epic-{{epic_num}} status</action>
      <action>If epic status is "backlog" → update to "in-progress"</action>
      <action>If epic status is "contexted" (legacy status) → update to "in-progress" (backward compatibility)</action>
      <action>If epic status is "in-progress" → no change needed</action>
      <check if="epic status is 'done'">
        <output>🚫 ERROR: Cannot create story in completed epic</output>
        <output>Epic {{epic_num}} is marked as 'done'. All stories are complete.</output>
        <output>If you need to add more work, either:</output>
        <output>1. Manually change epic status back to 'in-progress' in sprint-status.yaml</output>
        <output>2. Create a new epic for additional work</output>
        <action>HALT - Cannot proceed</action>
      </check>
      <check if="epic status is not one of: backlog, contexted, in-progress, done">
        <output>🚫 ERROR: Invalid epic status '{{epic_status}}'</output>
        <output>Epic {{epic_num}} has invalid status. Expected: backlog, in-progress, or done</output>
        <output>Please fix sprint-status.yaml manually or run sprint-planning to regenerate</output>
        <action>HALT - Cannot proceed</action>
      </check>
      <output>📊 Epic {{epic_num}} status updated to in-progress</output>
    </check>

    <action>GOTO step 2a</action>
  </check>
  <action>Load the FULL file: {{sprint_status}}</action>
  <action>Read ALL lines from beginning to end - do not skip any content</action>
  <action>Parse the development_status section completely</action>

  <action>Find the FIRST story (by reading in order from top to bottom) where:
    - Key matches pattern: number-number-name (e.g., "1-2-user-auth")
    - NOT an epic key (epic-X) or retrospective (epic-X-retrospective)
    - Status value equals "backlog"
  </action>

  <check if="no backlog story found">
    <output>No backlog stories found in sprint-status.yaml

      All stories are either already created, in progress, or done.

      **Options:**
      1. Run sprint-planning to refresh story tracking
      2. Load PM agent and run correct-course to add more stories
      3. Check if current sprint is complete and run retrospective
    </output>
    <action>HALT</action>
  </check>

  <action>Extract from found story key (e.g., "1-2-user-authentication"):
    - epic_num: first number before dash (e.g., "1")
    - story_num: second number after first dash (e.g., "2")
    - story_title: remainder after second dash (e.g., "user-authentication")
  </action>
  <action>Set {{story_id}} = "{{epic_num}}.{{story_num}}"</action>
  <action>Store story_key for later use (e.g., "1-2-user-authentication")</action>

  <!-- Mark epic as in-progress if this is first story -->
  <action>Check if this is the first story in epic {{epic_num}} by looking for {{epic_num}}-1-* pattern</action>
  <check if="this is first story in epic {{epic_num}}">
    <action>Load {{sprint_status}} and check epic-{{epic_num}} status</action>
    <action>If epic status is "backlog" → update to "in-progress"</action>
    <action>If epic status is "contexted" (legacy status) → update to "in-progress" (backward compatibility)</action>
    <action>If epic status is "in-progress" → no change needed</action>
    <check if="epic status is 'done'">
      <output>ERROR

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