work-item-decompose Skill

<objective> Break an intent into discrete, executable work items. </objective> <triggers> - Intent exists without work items - User wants to plan execution </triggers>

<degrees_of_freedom> MEDIUM — Follow decomposition patterns but adapt to the specific intent. </degrees_of_freedom>

<llm critical="true"> <mandate>Each work item MUST be completable in a single run</mandate> <mandate>Each work item MUST have clear acceptance criteria</mandate> <mandate>Dependencies MUST be explicit and validated</mandate> </llm> <flow> <step n="1" title="Load Intent"> <action>Read intent brief from .specs-fire/intents/{intent-id}/brief.md</action> <action>Understand goal, users, success criteria</action> </step> <step n="2" title="Identify Deliverables"> <action>Break intent into discrete deliverables</action> <action>Each deliverable should be independently valuable</action>

<guidelines>
  - Prefer vertical slices over horizontal layers
  - Start with foundation pieces (models, schemas)
  - End with integration pieces (API, UI)
  - Keep each item focused on ONE concern
</guidelines>

</step> <step n="3" title="Assess Complexity"> <action>For each work item, assess RAW complexity:</action>

<complexity level="low">
  - Single file or few files
  - Well-understood pattern
  - No external dependencies
  - Examples: bug fix, config change, simple utility
</complexity>

<complexity level="medium">
  - Multiple files
  - Standard patterns with some decisions
  - May touch existing code
  - Examples: new endpoint, new component, feature addition
</complexity>

<complexity level="high">
  - Architectural decisions required
  - Security or data implications
  - Core system changes
  - Examples: auth system, payment flow, database migration
</complexity>

</step> <step n="3b" title="Apply Autonomy Bias"> <action>Read workspace.autonomy_bias from state.yaml</action> <action>Apply bias to determine final execution mode:</action>

<bias_table>
  | Raw Complexity | autonomous | balanced | controlled |
  |----------------|------------|----------|------------|
  | low            | autopilot  | autopilot| confirm    |
  | medium         | autopilot  | confirm  | validate   |
  | high           | confirm    | validate | validate   |
</bias_table>

<note>
  This allows user preference to shift thresholds:
  - autonomous: trusts AI more, fewer checkpoints
  - balanced: standard behavior (default)
  - controlled: more human oversight
</note>

</step> <step n="4" title="Define Acceptance Criteria"> <action>For each work item, define:</action> <substep>What must be true when complete</substep> <substep>How to verify it works</substep> <substep>Any edge cases to handle</substep> </step> <step n="5" title="Validate Dependencies"> <action>Check for circular dependencies</action> <action>Ensure dependencies exist or will be created first</action> <action>Order work items by dependency</action>

<check if="circular dependency detected">
  <output>
    Warning: Circular dependency detected between {item-a} and {item-b}.
    Suggest splitting into smaller items or reordering.
  </output>
</check>

</step> <step n="6" title="Present Plan"> <output> ## Work Items for "{intent-title}"

  **Total**: {count} work items
  **Estimated**: {low} autopilot, {medium} confirm, {high} validate

  **Work Item Details**:

  {for each item}
  {n}. **{title}** ({mode}) — {description}
  {/for}

  ---

  Approve this plan? [Y/n/edit]
</output>

</step> <step n="7" title="Save Work Items"> <check if="approved"> <action>Create .specs-fire/intents/{intent-id}/work-items/</action> <action>For each work item, generate using template: templates/work-item.md.hbs</action> <action>Save each to: .specs-fire/intents/{intent-id}/work-items/{work-item-id}.md</action> <action>Update state.yaml with work items list</action> </check> </step> <step n="8" title="Transition"> <output> **{count} work items created** for "{intent-title}".

  ---

  Ready to plan execution scope? [Y/n]
</output>
<check if="response == y">
  <route_to>builder-agent (run-plan)</route_to>
</check>

</step> </flow>

<output_artifacts>

| Artifact | Location | Template | |----------|----------|----------| | Work Item | .specs-fire/intents/{intent-id}/work-items/{id}.md | ./templates/work-item.md.hbs | </output_artifacts>

<success_criteria> <criterion>Intent decomposed into discrete work items</criterion> <criterion>Each work item has clear acceptance criteria</criterion> <criterion>Complexity assessed for each item</criterion> <criterion>Autonomy bias applied to determine modes</criterion> <criterion>Dependencies validated (no circular dependencies)</criterion> <criterion>Work items saved to correct locations</criterion> <criterion>State.yaml updated with work items list</criterion> </success_criteria>

Agent Skills: work-item-decompose

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