| name | cut-it |
| description | Use when a plan, PRD, or milestone must become an executable sprint — dependency-ordered vertical slices sized for one focused agent run each, with done-when verification per slice. Never fabricates a plan; if none exists or it is too vague to slice, says so and recommends an interview first. Triggers on "cut it", "slice this plan", "make this executable", "turn this into a sprint". |
| version | 0.2.0 |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| allowed-tools | ["read","grep","ls","find","git","context","code_nav","write","artifact","ask_user"] |
| registry-id | iowarp/clio-coder |
| source-url | https://github.com/iowarp/clio-coder/tree/main/skills/cut-it |
| audit | pass |
Cut It
Transform an existing plan into ordered execution slices that a coding agent
can run one at a time, leaving the build green after every slice. The output
is a SPRINT.md another agent can execute cold — no conversation context
required.
Adapted from the community cut-it skill (TheOrcDev/skills), shaped to Clio's
agent fleet and sprint conventions.
Step 1 — Locate the plan
In priority order: a file the user names, a plan in the conversation,
PLAN.md / PRD.md / milestones/*/prompt.md in the repo. Never fabricate
the plan. If none exists, or what exists is too vague to slice honestly,
stop and say so — recommend grill-me to resolve intent first. Artificial
slicing of a vague plan hides gaps; flagging them is the deliverable.
Step 2 — Apply the cutting rules
- Vertical slices. Each slice delivers end-to-end behavior, however thin.
No "all the types first, all the wiring later" horizontal layers.
- Dependency order. A slice may depend only on earlier slices. State the
dependency explicitly.
- One agent run each. Sized so a focused agent completes it in a single
run: small enough to hold in context, large enough to be meaningful.
- Green after every slice. Build, lint, and existing tests pass at every
cut point. A slice that leaves the tree broken is two slices cut wrong.
- Self-contained. Real file paths, real commands, concrete steps. A reader
with zero conversation context can execute it.
Step 3 — Write the artifact
Default output is SPRINT.md at the repo root (honor a caller-supplied path).
Format:
# Sprint: <name>
## Battle order
1. <slice 1 title>
2. <slice 2 title> (depends on: 1)
...
## Slice 1 — <title>
**Goal**: <the behavior this delivers>
**Depends on**: <slice numbers or "nothing">
**Files**: <paths touched>
**Steps**:
1. <concrete step with real paths/commands>
**Done when**: <observable, testable criteria — the verification anchor>
**Out of scope**: <what this slice deliberately does not do>
"Done when" is the contract, not decoration. If you cannot write a testable
done-when for a slice, the slice is not ready to cut — go back to the plan.
Red flags (you are doing it wrong)
- A slice whose steps say "and related changes" or "etc."
- Done-when criteria that restate the goal instead of naming a check.
- A slice that only compiles when a later slice lands.
- Slicing a plan you had to invent on the spot.
