Paths: File paths (
shared/,references/,../ln-*) are relative to skills repo root. If not found at CWD, locate this SKILL.md directory and go up one level for repo root. Ifshared/is missing, fetch files via WebFetch fromhttps://raw.githubusercontent.com/levnikolaevich/claude-code-skills/master/skills/{path}.
Type: L2 Coordinator Category: 5XX Quality
Story Quality Gate
Runtime-backed gate coordinator. Owns fast-track routing, quality/test summaries, final Story verdict, and branch finalization.
Inputs
| Input | Required | Source | Description |
|-------|----------|--------|-------------|
| storyId | Yes | args, git branch, kanban, user | Story to process |
Resolution: Story Resolution Chain.
Status filter: To Review
Purpose & Scope
- Invoke
ln-510-quality-coordinator - Invoke
ln-520-test-plannerwhen needed - Wait deterministically for test-task readiness
- Calculate gate verdict:
PASS | CONCERNS | FAIL | WAIVED - Move Story to
Doneonly on passing outcomes - Persist resumable gate runtime in
.hex-skills/story-gate/runtime/
Runtime Contract
MANDATORY READ: Load shared/references/environment_state_contract.md, shared/references/storage_mode_detection.md, shared/references/input_resolution_pattern.md
MANDATORY READ: Load shared/references/coordinator_runtime_contract.md, shared/references/story_gate_runtime_contract.md, shared/references/coordinator_summary_contract.md
MANDATORY READ: Load shared/references/git_worktree_fallback.md
MANDATORY READ: Load references/minimum_quality_checks.md
Runtime CLI:
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs start --story {storyId} --manifest-file .hex-skills/story-gate/manifest.json
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs status
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs record-quality --payload '{...}'
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs record-test-status --payload '{...}'
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs record-stage-summary --story {storyId} --payload '{...}'
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs checkpoint --phase PHASE_6_VERDICT --payload '{...}'
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs advance --to PHASE_7_FINALIZATION
4-Level Gate Model
| Verdict | Meaning | Action |
|---------|---------|--------|
| PASS | All checks passed | Story -> Done |
| CONCERNS | Minor issues, accepted risk | Story -> Done with comment |
| FAIL | Blocking issues found | Create follow-up tasks; Story does not go to Done |
| WAIVED | User-approved exception | Story -> Done with waiver evidence |
Workflow
Phase 0: Config
- Resolve
storyIdandtask_provider. - Check for prior Stage 3 artifact at
.hex-skills/runtime-artifacts/runs/*/story-quality/{storyId}.json:- If found with
verdict=FAIL, loadpayload.metadata.rework_hintasprevious_cyclecontext. - Record
cycle_number(1-based, incremented from prior artifact count).
- If found with
- Build gate manifest:
story_idtask_providerproject_rootworktree_dirbranchfast_track_policynfr_policytest_task_policyprevious_cycle(null or loaded rework_hint)cycle_number
- Start runtime and checkpoint
PHASE_0_CONFIG.
Phase 1: Discovery
- Load Story metadata and child task metadata.
- Detect existing test task and its current status.
- Capture readiness inputs if available from upstream pipeline.
- Checkpoint
PHASE_1_DISCOVERY.
Phase 2: Fast-Track
- Determine
fast_track=trueonly when readiness explicitly allows it. - Checkpoint
PHASE_2_FAST_TRACKwith:fast_track- gate scope summary
Phase 3: Quality Checks
- Compute:
childRunId = {parent_run_id}--ln-510--{storyId}childSummaryArtifactPath = .hex-skills/runtime-artifacts/runs/{parent_run_id}/story-quality/{storyId}.json
- Materialize child manifest and start child coordinator runtime:
node shared/scripts/quality-runtime/cli.mjs start --story {storyId} --manifest-file .hex-skills/story-gate/ln-510--{storyId}_manifest.json --run-id {childRunId}
- Checkpoint
PHASE_3_QUALITY_CHECKSwith:child_run.worker=ln-510child_run.run_id={childRunId}child_run.summary_artifact_path={childSummaryArtifactPath}child_run.phase_context=quality_checks
- Invoke
ln-510-quality-coordinatorwith managed transport inputs:- full mode:
Skill(skill: "ln-510-quality-coordinator", args: "{storyId} --run-id {childRunId} --summary-artifact-path {childSummaryArtifactPath}") - fast-track:
Skill(skill: "ln-510-quality-coordinator", args: "{storyId} --fast-track --run-id {childRunId} --summary-artifact-path {childSummaryArtifactPath}") - full mode with prior cycle: append
--previous-cycle-focus "{blocking_categories}"whenprevious_cycleis not null
- full mode:
- Read child
story-qualityartifact only, thenrecord-quality. - Checkpoint
PHASE_3_QUALITY_CHECKSwith the recorded quality summary. - If the quality summary already implies hard FAIL, you may jump directly to
PHASE_6_VERDICT.
Phase 4: Test Planning
- Decide whether planning is needed:
- no test task -> invoke
ln-520 - fast-track -> invoke simplified
ln-520 - test task already exists and is terminal (
Done | SKIPPED | VERIFIED) -> checkpoint as reused
- no test task -> invoke
- When invoking
ln-520, compute:childRunId = {parent_run_id}--ln-520--{storyId}childSummaryArtifactPath = .hex-skills/runtime-artifacts/runs/{parent_run_id}/story-tests/{storyId}.json
- Materialize child manifest and start child coordinator runtime:
node shared/scripts/test-planning-runtime/cli.mjs start --story {storyId} --manifest-file .hex-skills/story-gate/ln-520--{storyId}_manifest.json --run-id {childRunId}
- Checkpoint
PHASE_4_TEST_PLANNINGwith:child_run.worker=ln-520child_run.run_id={childRunId}child_run.summary_artifact_path={childSummaryArtifactPath}child_run.phase_context=test_planning
- Invoke
ln-520-test-plannerwith managed transport inputs:- normal mode:
Skill(skill: "ln-520-test-planner", args: "{storyId} --run-id {childRunId} --summary-artifact-path {childSummaryArtifactPath}") - simplified mode:
Skill(skill: "ln-520-test-planner", args: "{storyId} --simplified --run-id {childRunId} --summary-artifact-path {childSummaryArtifactPath}")
- normal mode:
- Read child
story-testsartifact only, thenrecord-test-status. - Checkpoint
PHASE_4_TEST_PLANNING.
Phase 5: Test Verification
- If test task exists but is not
Done, pause runtime:phase = PAUSEDresume_action = wait for test task completion
- When resumed, verify:
- test task terminal status is
Done,SKIPPED, orVERIFIED - coverage summary exists
- planned scenarios and Story AC coverage are machine-readable
- test task terminal status is
- Checkpoint
PHASE_5_TEST_VERIFICATIONwith:test_task_status- verification result
Phase 6: Verdict
- Calculate
quality_score. - Evaluate NFR validation:
- full gate: security, performance, reliability, maintainability
- fast-track: security mandatory, others may downgrade to concerns-only scope
- End-to-End Scenario Completeness Walkthrough: For each AC where an actor (user, bot, scheduler, handler, pipeline) must invoke or consume a mechanism, trace all 5 segments of the interaction path:
- (1) Actor trigger — what initiates the scenario (user sends message, timer fires, webhook arrives, event is enqueued)
- (2) Entry point — the named mechanism (MCP tool, API endpoint, CLI command, UI component, chat handler, config file, cron handler)
- (3) Discovery — how the actor's system finds/loads the mechanism at runtime (config registration, route mounting, plugin loading, system prompt, environment variable)
- (4) Usage context — what the actor's system needs to correctly invoke the mechanism (instructions, prompts, schemas, type hints, documentation, parameter guidance)
- (5) Observable outcome — the verifiable result (response message, state change, log entry, notification)
If any segment is missing, create an
AC-prefixed issue. Common failures: infrastructure exists but nothing exposes it (missing segment 2), mechanism exists but the actor's system can't find it (missing segment 3), mechanism is discoverable but the actor's system doesn't know when or how to use it (missing segment 4). If anyAC-issue is found: verdict MUST beFAIL; create fix tasks for the missing segments.
- Determine final verdict.
- For
FAIL:- create follow-up tasks
- keep Story out of
Done
- Checkpoint
PHASE_6_VERDICTwith:final_resultquality_scorenfr_validationfix_tasks_created
Phase 7: Finalization
For PASS | CONCERNS | WAIVED:
- Commit and push verified branch if needed.
- Move Story to
Done. - Post gate comment.
- Cleanup worktree when caller does not own it.
For FAIL:
- Do not finalize branch as accepted.
- Create follow-up tasks from blocking issues.
- Checkpoint
PHASE_7_FINALIZATIONwithstatus=requires_rework. - Record resulting Story status, follow-up task IDs.
After finalization, write a Stage 3 coordinator artifact with:
summary_kind=pipeline-stagestage=3story_idstatus=completedfinal_resultstory_statusverdictquality_scorewarningsmetadata.rework_hint— when verdict is FAIL, include:rework_tasks: list of created follow-up task IDsblocking_categories: list of issue categories that caused FAIL (e.g.ac_gap,security,regression)suggested_focus: concise one-line description of what the rework cycle should prioritize
Phase 8: Self-Check
Build final checklist from runtime state:
- [ ] Config, discovery, and fast-track checkpoints exist
- [ ] Quality summary recorded from
ln-510 - [ ] Test-planning and test-verification state are deterministic
- [ ] Final verdict checkpoint exists
- [ ] Story final status recorded
- [ ] Branch finalization recorded or skipped by verdict
- [ ] Stage 3 coordinator artifact recorded
Checkpoint PHASE_8_SELF_CHECK with pass=true|false.
Complete runtime only after pass=true.
Worker Invocation (MANDATORY)
| Phase | Worker | Purpose |
|-------|--------|---------|
| 3 | ln-510-quality-coordinator | Code quality, agent review, regression, log analysis |
| 4 | ln-520-test-planner | Research/manual/auto test planning |
childRunId = "{parent_run_id}--ln-510--{storyId}"
childSummaryArtifactPath = ".hex-skills/runtime-artifacts/runs/{parent_run_id}/story-quality/{storyId}.json"
node shared/scripts/quality-runtime/cli.mjs start --story {storyId} --manifest-file .hex-skills/story-gate/ln-510--{storyId}_manifest.json --run-id {childRunId}
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs checkpoint --phase PHASE_3_QUALITY_CHECKS --payload '{"child_run":{"worker":"ln-510","run_id":"{childRunId}","summary_artifact_path":"{childSummaryArtifactPath}","phase_context":"quality_checks"}}'
Skill(skill: "ln-510-quality-coordinator", args: "{storyId} --run-id {childRunId} --summary-artifact-path {childSummaryArtifactPath}")
childRunId = "{parent_run_id}--ln-520--{storyId}"
childSummaryArtifactPath = ".hex-skills/runtime-artifacts/runs/{parent_run_id}/story-tests/{storyId}.json"
node shared/scripts/test-planning-runtime/cli.mjs start --story {storyId} --manifest-file .hex-skills/story-gate/ln-520--{storyId}_manifest.json --run-id {childRunId}
node shared/scripts/story-gate-runtime/cli.mjs checkpoint --phase PHASE_4_TEST_PLANNING --payload '{"child_run":{"worker":"ln-520","run_id":"{childRunId}","summary_artifact_path":"{childSummaryArtifactPath}","phase_context":"test_planning"}}'
Skill(skill: "ln-520-test-planner", args: "{storyId} --run-id {childRunId} --summary-artifact-path {childSummaryArtifactPath}")
TodoWrite format (mandatory)
- Start ln-500 runtime (pending)
- Load Story/test-task metadata (pending)
- Decide fast-track mode (pending)
- Start ln-510 child runtime, checkpoint child_run, and record quality summary (pending)
- Start or reuse ln-520 child runtime, checkpoint child_run, and record test-planning summary (pending)
- Verify test task readiness (pending)
- Calculate final verdict (pending)
- Finalize Story/branch state and Stage 3 artifact (pending)
- Run runtime self-check and complete (pending)
Critical Rules
- Runtime state is the gate orchestration SSOT.
ln-510andln-520are consumed only through summary JSON artifacts.- Child coordinator runtime status is resume-only metadata; phase completion still depends on the recorded child artifact.
- Test-task waiting is a deterministic pause, not an implicit stop.
FAILis a valid terminal gate result if follow-up actions are recorded correctly.ln-1000consumes the Stage 3 coordinator artifact, not free-text stage output.- Story may go to
Doneonly onPASS,CONCERNS, orWAIVED.
Definition of Done
- [ ] Runtime started and config/discovery checkpoints recorded
- [ ] Fast-track decision checkpointed
- [ ]
ln-510summary recorded in runtime - [ ]
ln-520summary recorded or reused deterministically - [ ] Test verification reached terminal state or deterministic pause
- [ ] Final verdict checkpointed with quality score and NFR results
- [ ] Story moved to
Doneonly for passing outcomes, or follow-up tasks created forFAIL - [ ] Stage 3 coordinator artifact recorded before completion
- [ ] Self-check passed and runtime completed
Phase 9: Meta-Analysis
MANDATORY READ: Load shared/references/meta_analysis_protocol.md
Skill type: execution-orchestrator. Run after phases complete. Output to chat using the execution-orchestrator format.
Reference Files
shared/references/coordinator_runtime_contract.mdshared/references/story_gate_runtime_contract.mdshared/references/coordinator_summary_contract.mdreferences/minimum_quality_checks.md../ln-510-quality-coordinator/SKILL.md../ln-520-test-planner/SKILL.md
Version: 7.0.0 Last Updated: 2026-02-09