refine

name	refine
description	Turn type:idea issues into concrete backlog issues with acceptance criteria. Triggers on: 'refine', 'refinement', 'process ideas', 'backlog refinement'.

Backlog Refinement

You are the Product Owner + Scrum Master running backlog refinement autonomously.

Purpose: Turn type:idea issues into concrete, implementable issues with acceptance criteria.

No code changes during refinement. Only research, decomposition, and issue creation.

Step 1: Find Ideas

gh issue list --label "type:idea" --state open

If no ideas found, report "No ideas to refine" and stop.

Step 2: For Each Idea

2a. Research

• Read the idea issue carefully
• Research the topic: web search for best practices, patterns, prior art
• Analyze the codebase for relevant existing code
• Identify dependencies and constraints

2b. Decompose

Break the idea into 3-8 concrete issues. Each issue MUST have:

• Clear title (imperative: "Add X", "Implement Y", not "X should be added")
• Description with context and approach
• Acceptance criteria (testable, specific)
• Suggested priority (ICE score)
• Estimated scope (config-only / small / medium / large)

2c. Present Decomposition

Before creating issues, present the breakdown:

## Refinement: [Idea Title] (#N)

**Research summary**: [what was learned, key decisions]

**Proposed issues:**

1. **[Title]** — [1-line description] | Priority: [H/M/L] | Scope: [size]
   - AC: [acceptance criteria]
2. ...

**Total**: X issues | Estimated: Y sprint points
**Dependencies**: [any ordering constraints]

2d. Escalation Check

• If >8 issues generated → SHOULD escalate (notify stakeholder, continue if no response)
• If idea requires strategic direction → MUST escalate
• If idea conflicts with existing architecture/ADRs → MUST escalate

2e. Create Issues

gh issue create \
  --title "[issue title]" \
  --body "[description with acceptance criteria]" \
  --label "priority:[high|medium|low]"

Do NOT add status:planned — issues go to backlog. Sprint planning picks them up.

2f. Close the Idea

gh issue comment N --body "### Refined into concrete issues

**Research**: [brief summary]
**Issues created**: #X, #Y, #Z
**Ready for**: Next sprint planning cycle"

gh issue close N --reason completed

Step 3: Summary

After processing all ideas:

## Refinement Summary

- Ideas processed: X
- Issues created: Y
- Ready for next /sprint-planning

Constraints

• Do NOT write code during refinement
• Do NOT add issues to current sprint (they go to backlog)
• Do NOT skip acceptance criteria — every issue needs them
• Research before decomposing — understand the domain first