swarm-beads-create

name	swarm-beads-create
model	opus
description	Convert implementation plans into actionable beads with proper structure, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and test requirements. Use after completing an implementation plan and before starting development.
triggers	["create beads from plan","plan to beads","convert plan to beads","make beads"]
argument-hint	<plan-file-or-dir> [--epic-prefix E] [--dry-run]

Plan-to-Beads Skill

Convert implementation plans into self-contained, implementation-ready beads.

When to Use

• After completing an implementation plan (feature doc, PDR, design doc)
• When a reviewed plan needs to become actionable work items
• To break a large feature into parallelizable units

Arguments

• First argument: path to plan file or directory of plan files
• --epic-prefix E: override epic label prefix (default: auto from plan)
• --dry-run: preview beads without creating them

Workflow

Step 1: Read & Analyze Plan

Read the plan file(s) and extract:

1. Epics/phases — high-level groupings
2. Changes per file — which files are modified, what changes
3. Cross-cutting concerns — l10n, a11y, error handling, perf, security
4. Test requirements — unit, integration, UI tests
5. Dependencies — ordering constraints between changes

# If plan is a directory, read all docs
fd '\.md$' <plan-dir> --exec cat {}

Step 2: Identify Bead Boundaries

Split work into beads following these sizing rules:

Rule	Rationale
1-3 files per bead	Keeps diffs reviewable, avoids merge conflicts
Single responsibility	Each bead does ONE thing completely
Test bead per feature bead	Tests are separate beads unless trivial
Cross-cutting embedded	Don't make separate "add l10n" beads; embed in each bead

Splitting heuristics:

• VM with >3 new properties → split into core + extended
• New model + VM + view → 3 beads (model first, VM depends on model, view depends on VM)
• Migration/schema change → always its own bead (P0)
• Bug fix discovered during planning → separate P0 bead

Step 3: Write Bead Descriptions

Each bead description MUST include these sections:

## Contract Reference
<!-- Required for beads with area:vm or area:xaml labels. Omit section only for
     infrastructure/tooling beads that touch no VM logic or XAML bindings. -->
<relative/path/from/repo/root/to/contract-file.yaml> — <state, element, or
action being implemented, e.g. "state: OverrideMismatch, transition: KeepOverride">

## Context
Why this change exists. Link to plan section.

## Acceptance Criteria
Given/When/Then format ONLY. No prose criteria.

- **Given** <precondition>
  **When** <action>
  **Then** <observable outcome>

## Files
- `path/to/File.cs` — what changes and why
- `path/to/Other.cs` — what changes and why

## Cross-Cutting
- [ ] Localization: <specific resx keys needed, or "N/A">
- [ ] Error handling: <specific error states, or "N/A">
- [ ] Accessibility: <specific a11y reqs, or "N/A">
- [ ] Performance: 


 Unit: 
 Integration: 
 UI: 


 Depends on: 
 Blocks: 


Implementation hints, gotchas, links to relevant code.

Step 4: Self-Containment Checklist

Before creating each bead, verify:

• Can an agent implement this bead reading ONLY its description + source code?
• Are all file paths absolute from repo root?
• Are acceptance criteria testable without human judgment?
• Are cross-cutting requirements embedded (not "see other bead")?
• Is the bead small enough for a single atomic commit?
• Does the description specify WHAT changes, not just WHY?
• Are error/edge cases explicitly listed in ACs?
• Are resx keys specified if UI text changes?
• Is the test requirement specific (not "add tests")?
• Are dependencies explicit and correct (no circular refs)?
• Contract Reference: if bead has label area:vm or area:xaml, is ## Contract Reference non-empty? (warn if missing — non-blocking, but agents will infer behavior and may get it wrong)

Contract Reference Validation (non-blocking warning)

For each bead with label area:vm or area:xaml:

1. Check that ## Contract Reference section is present and non-empty.

2. If the referenced path looks like a file path (contains /), check whether it exists under foundation/product/features/ (or anywhere in the repo):

   fd --type f "<contract-filename>" foundation/product/features/
   

3. Emit a warning if missing — do not block bead creation:

   ⚠ WARNING: bead <id> has area:vm/area:xaml but no contract_ref. Agents implementing this bead will infer behavior from prose and may get it wrong. Add a ## Contract Reference pointing to the relevant state-machine state, UI-contract element, or status-action entry in foundation/product/features/.

   If referenced file not found:

   ⚠ WARNING: contract_ref path <path> not found in repo. Contract may be in-progress; proceeding. Verify path once contract is authored.

Step 5: Create Beads

Create beads using br CLI:

# Create epic first
br epic create "Epic Name" --prefix E1

# Create beads within epic
br create "Bead title" \
  -t task \
  -p <0-4> \
  -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
<full description from Step 3>
EOF
)" \
  --parent <epic-id> \
  -l "track-a,phase-1"

# Add dependencies after all beads exist
br dep add <child-id> <parent-id>

Step 6: Verify Dependency Graph

# Check for cycles
br dep cycles

# Verify graph structure
br graph

# List ready beads (should be leaf nodes only)
br ready

# Lint all new beads
br lint

Step 7: Priority Labeling

Apply two-track priority labels:

Track	Priority	What
A	P0-P1	Data integrity, safety, correctness — ships first
B	P2	Architecture, UX, features — ships second
C	P3-P4	Polish, terminology, nice-to-have — ships last

# Label beads by track
br update <id> -l "track-a" -p 0
br update <id> -l "track-b" -p 2

Given/When/Then Conversion Patterns

Transform prose acceptance criteria into testable GWT:

Prose AC	GWT AC
"User can see device status"	Given a station with 2 plates, When settings opens, Then each plate shows status icon matching DeviceStatus enum
"Error shown for invalid config"	Given plate count > station.MaxPlates, When user clicks Save, Then validation error "Maximum {max} plates" appears AND save is blocked
"Supports composite plates"	Given a CompositeDevice with 4 quadrants, When layout detection runs, Then all 4 quadrants resolve to the same physical position

Rules:

• Given = setup/precondition (specific values, not "some data")
• When = single action (not "user does various things")
• Then = observable assertion (UI text, return value, state change)
• Use AND for multiple assertions in one scenario
• Separate NEGATIVE cases into their own GWT

Cross-Cutting Embedding Pattern

Do NOT create standalone beads like "Add localization for feature X". Instead, embed cross-cutting requirements into each bead:

## Cross-Cutting
- Localization: Add keys `Settings_Plate_Status_Online`, `Settings_Plate_Status_Offline`
  to `Strings.resx`. Use `Loc["Settings_Plate_Status_Online"]` in VM.
- Error handling: Wrap `DetectLayout()` in try/catch; show toast on
  `DeviceException`; log with `Log.Hardware.Error`.
- Performance: Layout detection must complete in <2s for 4 plates.

Output

After creating all beads, report:

## Beads Created: <count>

### By Epic
| Epic | Beads | Track |
|------|-------|-------|
| E1: ... | bd-xxx, bd-yyy | A |
| E2: ... | bd-zzz | B |

### Dependency Summary
- Root beads (no deps): <list>
- Leaf beads (nothing depends on them): <list>
- Critical path: <longest chain>
- Parallel tracks: <independent groups>

### Quality Check
- [x] br lint: 0 issues
- [x] br dep cycles: 0 cycles
- [x] All ACs in Given/When/Then
- [x] All cross-cutting embedded
- [x] Self-containment checklist passed for all beads
- [x] Contract references present for all area:vm / area:xaml beads (or warnings noted)

Contract Reference Field — Quick Reference

Bead type	## Contract Reference required?
area:vm	Yes — state-machine state, property, or command from contract YAML
area:xaml	Yes — UI-contract element or binding from contract YAML
area:model	Recommended — relevant entity or schema section
area:test	Recommended — test scenario from contract
infra/tooling	No

Format:

foundation/product/features/<feature>/<file>.yaml — <specific element>

Examples:

foundation/product/features/bbox/config-source.yaml — state: OverrideMismatch, transition: KeepOverride
foundation/product/features/bbox/ui-contract.yaml — element: DismissButton, visible-when: OverrideMismatch
foundation/product/features/multistation/status-actions.yaml — action: SetActiveStation

Contract files live under foundation/product/features/. If the contract has not been authored yet, provide the expected path and note "(in-progress)" — the skill will warn but still create the bead.