| name | plan-release |
| model | sonnet |
| description | RELEASE-INDEX BUILDER — Sequence elaborated epics into specs/release-plan.yaml with WSJF ordering and BCP baselines. NOT a planning-spine substitute: it does not scope work (scope-work) or write story tasks (plan-work). Use after elaborate-spec when the user wants a versioned release index of epics. |
Plan Release
HARD GATE — Do NOT run this skill unless elaborate-spec has produced a clear spec or the user has already defined the feature in detail. If the problem is still fuzzy, run elaborate-spec first.
HARD GATE — specs/product/SCOPE_LATEST.yaml (or legacy specs/product/SCOPE_LATEST.yaml) must exist. If missing, run scope-work first.
Synthesize the conversation context into specs/release-plan.yaml (index) and shard detail under specs/epics/. No new interview — only clarify if something is genuinely ambiguous.
Outputs
| File | Content |
|---|
specs/release-plan.yaml | release.version, semver bump hint, WSJF-ordered epic list with id, capsule_dir, wsjf, bcps — no story status |
specs/epics/eNN-<slug>/epic.yaml | Epic manifest: id, title, wsjf, total_bcps, status, stories[] list |
specs/epics/eNN-<slug>/eNNsYY-<slug>.md | Story spec in countable-story-format.md with 20 sections and Gherkin acceptance criteria |
specs/epics/eNN-<slug>/eNNsYY-tasks.yaml | Decoupled task checklist with verify: commands per task |
specs/execution-status.yaml | Flat key-value store for story status (eNNsYY: todo) |
Epic Capsule Structure
All epics use capsule directories (no flat/folder distinction):
specs/epics/e01-auth-system/
├── epic.yaml # Epic manifest
├── adr/ # Epic-local ADRs (created lazily)
├── e01s01-login.md # Story spec (countable-story-format)
├── e01s01-tasks.yaml # Decoupled task checklist
├── e01s02-jwt.md # Story spec
└── e01s02-tasks.yaml # Decoupled task checklist
Rationale: Capsule dirs achieve change isolation (C9), enable archive pruning (C2/C6), and enforce SRP by decoupling spec .md from execution -tasks.yaml (C1).
Process
1. Draft epics and stories
From the conversation context, define:
- Epics —
e01, e02, … (stable IDs; WSJF order in release-plan.yaml only)
- Stories —
e01s01, e01s02, … with Gherkin acceptance criteria
WSJF-sort epics: score = (Business Value + Time Criticality + Risk Reduction) / Job Size. Highest score first.
Security risk boost: If an epic's specs/security/epics/<id>/THREAT_MODEL.md identifies HIGH or CRITICAL risk, add +2 to the WSJF numerator (BV + TC + RR + 2) to reflect the urgency of addressing security concerns before they ship. Document the boost in the epic's note field in release-plan.yaml.
2. Write acceptance criteria (Gherkin)
For each story, write at least one happy-path and one edge-case scenario (countable format §17 if maturity ≥ 3).
3. Write tasks with verify commands
Every task must have a verify: command. No verify command = not a task.
4. Save specs/release-plan.yaml
Do NOT hand-track the real version. semantic-release decides it at merge. version here is a
non-authoritative mirror/label only — read the real number with gh release view. Set bump_hint
(the expectation), not a number you intend to enforce.
release:
version: "2.29.0"
codename: "Feature Name"
status: planning
semantic_release: true
bump_hint: minor
epics:
- id: e01
title: Auth System
wsjf: 4.5
capsule_dir: epics/e01-auth-system
- id: e02
title: User Profile
wsjf: 3.8
capsule_dir: epics/e02-user-profile
5. Save epic manifest (epic.yaml)
Each epic capsule directory contains an epic.yaml manifest:
id: e01
title: Auth System
wsjf: 4.5
total_bcps: 8
status: in_progress
stories:
- id: e01s01
title: Login
bcps: 3
status: todo
spec: e01s01-login.md
tasks: e01s01-tasks.yaml
- id: e01s02
title: JWT Token Management
bcps: 5
status: todo
spec: e01s02-jwt.md
tasks: e01s02-tasks.yaml
6. Save story specs (countable-story-format .md)
Each story becomes a standalone .md file following countable-story-format.md. Minimum: maturity 3 (Countable) with all 20 sections present. Acceptance criteria in §17 use Gherkin scenarios.
7. Save decoupled task files (-tasks.yaml)
Each story has a decoupled -tasks.yaml with implementation steps:
story_id: e01s01
title: Login
status: todo
bcps: 3
tasks:
- id: 1
description: "Add login form component tests"
verify: "npm test -- login-form.test.tsx"
status: todo
- id: 2
description: "Implement login form with validation"
verify: "npm test -- login-form.test.tsx"
status: todo
HARD GATE — Every task MUST have a runnable verify: command. No verify: = not a task.
→ verify: bash scripts/validate-specs-yaml.sh
7b. Generate bug registry summary
Read specs/bugs/registry.yaml and add a bugs: section to release-plan.yaml with totals by status (fixed, deferred, wontfix, open): bugs: { total: N, fixed: N, deferred: N, wontfix: N, registry: specs/bugs/registry.yaml }.
8. Sync execution status
bash scripts/sync-status-from-epics.sh
9. Snapshot on planning close (optional)
Copy to specs/product/snapshots/release-<version>/ when the user approves the plan.
10. Suggest next steps
- Run
assess-impact before plan-work for any story touching existing modules.
- Run
plan-work per story for detailed steps inside the epic shard.
- Run
change-request if a new requirement arrives mid-flight.