Story Verification Skill

Validate Stories/Tasks with explicit GO/NO-GO verdict, Readiness Score, and Anti-Hallucination verification.

Purpose & Scope

Validate Story plus child Tasks against industry standards and project patterns
Calculate Penalty Points for violations, then auto-fix to reach 0 points
Delegate to ln-002-best-practices-researcher for creating documentation (guides, manuals, ADRs, research)
Support Plan Mode: show audit results, wait for approval, then fix
Approve Story after fixes (Backlog -> Todo) with tabular output summary

When to Use

Reviewing Stories before approval (Backlog -> Todo)
Validating implementation path across Story and Tasks
Ensuring standards, architecture, and solution fit
Optimizing or correcting proposed approaches

Penalty Points System

Goal: Quantitative assessment of Story/Tasks quality. Target = 0 penalty points after fixes.

| Severity | Points | Description | |----------|--------|-------------| | CRITICAL | 10 | RFC/OWASP/security violations | | HIGH | 5 | Outdated libraries, architecture issues | | MEDIUM | 3 | Best practices violations | | LOW | 1 | Structural/cosmetic issues |

Workflow:

Audit: Calculate penalty points for all 17 criteria
Fix: Auto-fix and zero out points
Report: Total Before -> 0 After

Mode Detection

Detect operating mode at startup:

Plan Mode Active:

Phase 1-2: Full audit (discovery + research + penalty calculation)
Phase 3: Show results + fix plan -> WAIT for user approval
Phase 4-5: After approval -> execute fixes

Normal Mode:

Phase 1-5: Standard workflow without stopping
Automatically fix and approve

Workflow Overview

Phase 1: Discovery & Loading

Step 1: Configuration & Metadata Loading

Auto-discover configuration: Team ID (docs/tasks/kanban_board.md), project docs (CLAUDE.md), epic from Story.project
Load metadata only: Story ID/title/status/labels, child Task IDs/titles/status/labels
Expect 3-8 implementation tasks; record parentId for filtering
Rationale: keep loading light; full descriptions arrive in Phase 2

Phase 2: Research & Audit

Always execute for every Story - no exceptions.

Step 1: Domain Extraction

Extract technical domains from Story title + Technical Notes + Implementation Tasks
Load pattern registry from references/domain_patterns.md
Scan Story content for pattern matches via keyword detection
Build list of detected domains requiring documentation

Step 2: Documentation Delegation

For EACH detected pattern, delegate to ln-002:

Skill(skill="ln-002-best-practices-researcher",
      args="doc_type=[guide|manual|adr] topic='[pattern]'")

Receive file paths to created documentation (docs/guides/, docs/manuals/, docs/adrs/, docs/research/)

Step 3: Research via MCP

Query MCP Ref for industry standards: ref_search_documentation(query="[topic] RFC OWASP best practices 2025")
Query Context7 for library versions: resolve-library-id + query-docs
Extract: standards (RFC numbers, OWASP rules), library versions, patterns

Step 3.5: Anti-Hallucination Verification

Scan Story/Tasks for technical claims (RFC references, library versions, security requirements)
Verify each claim has MCP Ref/Context7 evidence
Flag unverified claims for correction
Status: VERIFIED (all sourced) or FLAGGED (list unverified)

Step 4: Penalty Points Calculation

Evaluate all 17 criteria against Story/Tasks
Assign penalty points per violation (CRITICAL=10, HIGH=5, MEDIUM=3, LOW=1)
Calculate total penalty points
Build fix plan for each violation

Phase 3: Audit Results & Fix Plan

Display audit results:

Penalty Points table (criterion, severity, points, description)
Total: X penalty points
Fix Plan: list of fixes for each criterion

Mode handling:

IF Plan Mode: Show results + "After your approval, changes will be applied" -> WAIT
ELSE (Normal Mode): Proceed to Phase 4 immediately

Phase 4: Auto-Fix

Execute fixes for ALL 19 criteria on the spot.

Execution order (7 groups):
1. Structural (#1-#4) — Story/Tasks template compliance + AC completeness/specificity
2. Standards (#5) — RFC/OWASP compliance FIRST (before YAGNI/KISS!)
3. Solution (#6) — Library versions
4. Workflow (#7-#13) — Test strategy, docs integration, size, cleanup, YAGNI, KISS, task order, Database Creation
5. Quality (#14-#15) — Documentation complete, hardcoded values
6. Dependencies (#18-#19) — Story/Task independence (no forward dependencies)
7. Traceability (#16-#17) — Story-Task alignment, AC coverage quality (LAST, after all fixes)
Use Auto-Fix Actions table below as authoritative checklist
Zero out penalty points as fixes applied
Test Strategy section must exist but remain empty (testing handled separately)

Phase 5: Approve & Notify

Set Story + all Tasks to Todo (Linear); update kanban_board.md with APPROVED marker
Add Linear comment with full validation summary:
- Penalty Points table (Before -> After = 0)
- Auto-Fixes Applied table
- Documentation Created table (docs created via ln-002)
- Standards Compliance Evidence table
Display tabular output (Unicode box-drawing) to terminal
Final: Total Penalty Points = 0
Optional: If --execute flag provided, delegate to ln-400-story-executor to start execution immediately after approval

Auto-Fix Actions Reference

Structural (#1-#4)

| # | Criterion | What it checks | Penalty | Auto-fix actions | |---|-----------|----------------|---------|------------------| | 1 | Story Structure | 8 sections per template | LOW (1) | Add/reorder sections with TODO placeholders; update Linear | | 2 | Tasks Structure | Each Task has 7 sections | LOW (1) | Load each Task; add/reorder sections; update Linear | | 3 | Story Statement | As a/I want/So that clarity | LOW (1) | Rewrite using persona/capability/value; update Linear | | 4 | Acceptance Criteria | Given/When/Then, 3-5 items | MEDIUM (3) | Normalize to G/W/T; add edge cases; update Linear |

Standards (#5)

| # | Criterion | What it checks | Penalty | Auto-fix actions | |---|-----------|----------------|---------|------------------| | 5 | Standards Compliance | RFC, OWASP, REST, Security | CRITICAL (10) | Query MCP Ref; update Technical Notes with compliant approach |

Solution (#6)

| # | Criterion | What it checks | Penalty | Auto-fix actions | |---|-----------|----------------|---------|------------------| | 6 | Library & Version | Libraries are latest stable | HIGH (5) | Query Context7; update to recommended versions |

Workflow (#7-#13)

| # | Criterion | What it checks | Penalty | Auto-fix actions | |---|-----------|----------------|---------|------------------| | 7 | Test Strategy | Section exists but empty | LOW (1) | Ensure section present; leave empty (testing handled separately) | | 8 | Documentation Integration | No standalone doc tasks | MEDIUM (3) | Remove doc-only tasks; fold into implementation DoD | | 9 | Story Size | 3-8 tasks; 3-5h each | MEDIUM (3) | If <3 or >8, add TODO; flag task size issues | | 10 | Test Task Cleanup | No premature test tasks | MEDIUM (3) | Remove test tasks before final; testing appears later | | 11 | YAGNI | No premature features | MEDIUM (3) | Move speculative items to Out of Scope unless standards require | | 12 | KISS | Simplest solution | MEDIUM (3) | Simplify unless standards require complexity | | 13 | Task Order | DB→Service→API→UI | MEDIUM (3) | Reorder Tasks foundation-first |

Quality (#14-#15)

| # | Criterion | What it checks | Penalty | Auto-fix actions | |---|-----------|----------------|---------|------------------| | 14 | Documentation Complete | Pattern docs exist + referenced | HIGH (5) | Delegate to ln-002; add all doc links to Technical Notes | | 15 | Code Quality Basics | No hardcoded values | MEDIUM (3) | Add TODOs for constants/config/env |

Traceability (#16-#17)

| # | Criterion | What it checks | Penalty | Auto-fix actions | |---|-----------|----------------|---------|------------------| | 16 | Story-Task Alignment | Tasks implement Story statement | MEDIUM (3) | Add TODO to misaligned Tasks; warn user | | 17 | AC-Task Coverage | Each AC has implementing Task | MEDIUM (3) | Add TODO for uncovered ACs; suggest missing Tasks |

Dependencies (#18-#19)

| # | Criterion | What it checks | Penalty | Auto-fix actions | |---|-----------|----------------|---------|------------------| | 18 | Story Dependencies | No forward Story dependencies | CRITICAL (10) | Flag forward dependencies; suggest reorder | | 19 | Task Dependencies | No forward Task dependencies | MEDIUM (3) | Flag forward dependencies; reorder Tasks |

Maximum Penalty: 60 points

Final Assessment Model

Outputs after all fixes applied:

| Metric | Value | Meaning | |--------|-------|---------| | Gate | GO / NO-GO | Final verdict for execution readiness | | Readiness Score | 1-10 | Quality confidence level | | Penalty Points | 0 (after fixes) | Validation completeness | | Anti-Hallucination | VERIFIED / FLAGGED | Technical claims verified | | AC Coverage | 100% (N/N) | All ACs mapped to Tasks |

Readiness Score Calculation

Readiness Score = 10 - (Penalty Points / 5)

| Score | Status | Gate | |-------|--------|------| | 9-10 | Excellent | GO | | 7-8 | Good | GO | | 5-6 | Acceptable | GO (with notes) | | 3-4 | Concerns | NO-GO (requires review) | | 1-2 | Critical | NO-GO (major issues) |

Anti-Hallucination Verification

Verify technical claims have evidence:

| Claim Type | Verification | |------------|--------------| | RFC/Standard reference | MCP Ref search confirms existence | | Library version | Context7 query confirms version | | Security requirement | OWASP/CWE reference exists | | Performance claim | Benchmark/doc reference |

Status: VERIFIED (all claims sourced) or FLAGGED (unverified claims listed)

Task-AC Coverage Matrix

Output explicit mapping:

| AC | Task(s) | Coverage |
|----|---------|----------|
| AC1: Given/When/Then | T-001, T-002 | ✅ |
| AC2: Given/When/Then | T-003 | ✅ |
| AC3: Given/When/Then | — | ❌ UNCOVERED |

Coverage: {covered}/{total} ACs (target: 100%)

Self-Audit Protocol (Mandatory)

Before marking any criterion as complete, provide concrete evidence (doc path, MCP result, Linear update).

| # | Self-Audit Question | Required Evidence | |---|---------------------|-------------------| | 1 | Validated all 8 Story sections? | Section list | | 2 | Loaded full description for each Task? | Task validation count | | 3 | Statement in As a/I want/So that? | Quoted statement | | 4 | AC are G/W/T and testable? | AC count and format | | 5 | Verified RFC/OWASP/REST compliance? | Standards list + MCP result | | 6 | Checked library versions via Context7? | Context7 result | | 7 | Test Strategy kept empty? | Note that testing deferred | | 8 | Docs integrated, no standalone tasks? | Integration evidence | | 9 | Task count 3-8 and 3-5h? | Task count/sizes | | 10 | No premature test tasks? | Search result | | 11 | Only current-scope features (YAGNI)? | Scope review | | 12 | Simplest approach within standards (KISS)? | Simplicity justification | | 13 | Tasks ordered Foundation-First? | Task order list | | 14 | All pattern docs exist and referenced? | Doc paths from ln-002 | | 15 | Hardcoded values handled? | TODO/config evidence | | 16 | Each Task aligns with Story statement? | Alignment check result | | 17 | Each AC has implementing Task? | Coverage matrix |

Definition of Done

Phase 1: Auto-discovery done; Story + Tasks metadata loaded; task count checked
Phase 2: Domain extraction complete; ln-002 delegated for docs; MCP research done; Anti-Hallucination verification done; Penalty Points calculated
Phase 3: Audit results shown; IF Plan Mode: user approved
Phase 4: All 17 criteria auto-fixed; Penalty Points = 0; Test Strategy empty; test tasks removed

Phase 5: Final Assessment output:

gate: GO | NO-GO
readiness_score: {1-10}
penalty_points: 0 (was {N})
anti_hallucination: VERIFIED | FLAGGED
ac_coverage: "{N}/{M} (100%)"
ac_matrix:
  - ac: "AC1"
    tasks: ["T-001", "T-002"]
    status: covered

Story/Tasks set to Todo; kanban_board.md updated; Linear comment with Final Assessment added
Optional: If --execute flag, ln-400-story-executor invoked after approval

Example Workflow

Story: "Create user management API with rate limiting"

Phase 1: Load metadata (5 Tasks, status Backlog)
Phase 2:
- Domain extraction: REST API, Rate Limiting
- Delegate ln-002: creates Guide-05 (REST patterns), Guide-06 (Rate Limiting)
- MCP Ref: RFC 7231 compliance, OWASP API Security
- Context7: Express v4.19 (current v4.17)
- Penalty Points: 18 total (version=5, missing docs=5, structure=3, standards=5)
Phase 3:
- Show Penalty Points table
- IF Plan Mode: "18 penalty points found. Fix plan ready. Approve?"
Phase 4:
- Fix #6: Update Express v4.17 -> v4.19
- Fix #5: Add RFC 7231 compliance notes
- Fix #13: Add Guide-05, Guide-06 references
- Fix #17: Docs already created by ln-002
- All fixes applied, Penalty Points = 0
Phase 5: Story -> Todo, tabular report

Template Loading

Templates: story_template.md, task_template_implementation.md

Loading Logic:

Check if docs/templates/{template}.md exists in target project
IF NOT EXISTS: a. Create docs/templates/ directory if missing b. Copy shared/templates/{template}.md → docs/templates/{template}.md c. Replace placeholders in the LOCAL copy:
- {{TEAM_ID}} → from docs/tasks/kanban_board.md
- {{DOCS_PATH}} → "docs" (standard)
Use LOCAL copy (docs/templates/{template}.md) for all validation operations

Rationale: Templates are copied to target project on first use, ensuring:

Project independence (no dependency on skills repository)
Customization possible (project can modify local templates)
Placeholder replacement happens once at copy time

Reference Files

Final Assessment: references/readiness_scoring.md (GO/NO-GO rules, Readiness Score calculation)
Templates (centralized): shared/templates/story_template.md, shared/templates/task_template_implementation.md
Local copies: docs/templates/ (in target project)
Validation Checklists (Progressive Disclosure):
- references/verification_checklist_template.md (overview of 7 categories)
- references/structural_validation.md (criteria #1-#4)
- references/standards_validation.md (criterion #5)
- references/solution_validation.md (criterion #6)
- references/workflow_validation.md (criteria #7-#13)
- references/quality_validation.md (criteria #14-#15)
- references/dependency_validation.md (criteria #18-#19)
- references/traceability_validation.md (criteria #16-#17)
- references/domain_patterns.md (pattern registry for ln-002 delegation)
- references/penalty_points.md (penalty system details)
Linear integration: ../shared/templates/linear_integration.md

Version: 7.0.0 (BREAKING: Added 2 new criteria #18-#19 for Story/Task dependencies per BMAD Method. Expanded criterion #4 with AC completeness/specificity, #9 with Database Creation Principle, #13 with forward dependency checks, #17 with STRONG/WEAK/MISSING coverage quality. Total 19 criteria, max 60 penalty points.) Last Updated: 2026-02-03