Validate and auto-fix Stories and Tasks against 2025 standards before execution.
Purpose & Scope
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Validate Story plus child Tasks against industry standards and project patterns
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Calculate Penalty Points for violations, then auto-fix to reach 0 points
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Delegate to ln-002-best-practices-researcher for creating documentation (guides, manuals, ADRs, research)
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Support Plan Mode: show audit results, wait for approval, then fix
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Approve Story after fixes (Backlog -> Todo) with tabular output summary
When to Use
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Reviewing Stories before approval (Backlog -> Todo)
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Validating implementation path across Story and Tasks
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Ensuring standards, architecture, and solution fit
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Optimizing or correcting proposed approaches
Penalty Points System
Goal: Quantitative assessment of Story/Tasks quality. Target = 0 penalty points after fixes.
| CRITICAL | 10 | RFC/OWASP/security violations
| HIGH | 5 | Outdated libraries, architecture issues
| MEDIUM | 3 | Best practices violations
| LOW | 1 | Structural/cosmetic issues
Workflow:
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Audit: Calculate penalty points for all 17 criteria
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Fix: Auto-fix and zero out points
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Report: Total Before -> 0 After
Mode Detection
Detect operating mode at startup:
Plan Mode Active:
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Phase 1-2: Full audit (discovery + research + penalty calculation)
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Phase 3: Show results + fix plan -> WAIT for user approval
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Phase 4-5: After approval -> execute fixes
Normal Mode:
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Phase 1-5: Standard workflow without stopping
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Automatically fix and approve
Workflow Overview
Phase 1: Discovery & Loading
Step 1: Configuration & Metadata Loading
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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
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Expect 3-8 implementation tasks; record parentId for filtering
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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
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Extract technical domains from Story title + Technical Notes + Implementation Tasks
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Load pattern registry from
references/domain_patterns.md -
Scan Story content for pattern matches via keyword detection
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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
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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 4: Penalty Points Calculation
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Evaluate all 17 criteria against Story/Tasks
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Assign penalty points per violation (CRITICAL=10, HIGH=5, MEDIUM=3, LOW=1)
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Calculate total penalty points
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Build fix plan for each violation
Phase 3: Audit Results & Fix Plan
Display audit results:
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Penalty Points table (criterion, severity, points, description)
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Total: X penalty points
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Fix Plan: list of fixes for each criterion
Mode handling:
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IF Plan Mode: Show results + "After your approval, changes will be applied" -> WAIT
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ELSE (Normal Mode): Proceed to Phase 4 immediately
Phase 4: Auto-Fix
Execute fixes for ALL 17 criteria on the spot.
- Execution order (6 groups):
Structural (#1-#4) — Story/Tasks template compliance
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Standards (#5) — RFC/OWASP compliance FIRST (before YAGNI/KISS!)
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Solution (#6) — Library versions
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Workflow (#7-#13) — Test strategy, docs integration, size, cleanup, YAGNI, KISS, task order
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Quality (#14-#15) — Documentation complete, hardcoded values
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Traceability (#16-#17) — Story-Task alignment, AC coverage (LAST, after all fixes)
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Use Auto-Fix Actions table below as authoritative checklist
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Zero out penalty points as fixes applied
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Test Strategy section must exist but remain empty (testing handled separately)
Phase 5: Approve & Notify
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Set Story + all Tasks to Todo (Linear); update
kanban_board.mdwith APPROVED marker -
Add Linear comment with full validation summary:
Penalty Points table (Before -> After = 0)
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Auto-Fixes Applied table
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Documentation Created table (docs created via ln-002)
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Standards Compliance Evidence table
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Display tabular output (Unicode box-drawing) to terminal
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Final: Total Penalty Points = 0
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Optional: If
--executeflag provided, delegate to ln-400-story-executor to start execution immediately after approval
Auto-Fix Actions Reference
Structural (#1-#4)
| 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)
| 5 | Standards Compliance | RFC, OWASP, REST, Security | CRITICAL (10) | Query MCP Ref; update Technical Notes with compliant approach
Solution (#6)
| 6 | Library & Version | Libraries are latest stable | HIGH (5) | Query Context7; update to recommended versions
Workflow (#7-#13)
| 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)
| 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)
| 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
Maximum Penalty: 50 points
Self-Audit Protocol (Mandatory)
Before marking any criterion as complete, provide concrete evidence (doc path, MCP result, Linear update).
| 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
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Phase 1: Auto-discovery done; Story + Tasks metadata loaded; task count checked
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Phase 2: Domain extraction complete; ln-002 delegated for docs; MCP research done; Penalty Points calculated
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Phase 3: Audit results shown; IF Plan Mode: user approved
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Phase 4: All 17 criteria auto-fixed; Penalty Points = 0; Test Strategy empty; test tasks removed
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Phase 5: Story/Tasks set to Todo;
kanban_board.mdupdated; Linear comment added; tabular output displayed -
Optional: If
--executeflag, ln-400-story-executor invoked after approval
Example Workflow
Story: "Create user management API with rate limiting"
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Phase 1: Load metadata (5 Tasks, status Backlog)
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Phase 2:
Domain extraction: REST API, Rate Limiting
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Delegate ln-002: creates Guide-05 (REST patterns), Guide-06 (Rate Limiting)
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MCP Ref: RFC 7231 compliance, OWASP API Security
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Context7: Express v4.19 (current v4.17)
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Penalty Points: 18 total (version=5, missing docs=5, structure=3, standards=5)
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Phase 3:
Show Penalty Points table
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IF Plan Mode: "18 penalty points found. Fix plan ready. Approve?"
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Phase 4:
Fix #6: Update Express v4.17 -> v4.19
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Fix #5: Add RFC 7231 compliance notes
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Fix #13: Add Guide-05, Guide-06 references
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Fix #17: Docs already created by ln-002
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All fixes applied, Penalty Points = 0
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Phase 5: Story -> Todo, tabular report
Template Loading
Templates: story_template.md, task_template_implementation.md
Loading Logic:
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Check if
docs/templates/{template}.mdexists in target project -
IF NOT EXISTS: a. Create
docs/templates/directory if missing b. Copyshared/templates/{template}.md→docs/templates/{template}.mdc. Replace placeholders in the LOCAL copy:
{{TEAM_ID}} → from docs/tasks/kanban_board.md
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{{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:
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Project independence (no dependency on skills repository)
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Customization possible (project can modify local templates)
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Placeholder replacement happens once at copy time
Reference Files
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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 6 categories)
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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/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: 5.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-01-07