| name | kiss-retrospective |
| description | Synthesises provided retrospective notes (or a pasted What-went-well / What-didn't / Try-next transcript) into structured action items with owners and target sprints. Does NOT facilitate the retro — the team holds it and provides the notes. Use when processing sprint retrospective notes, capturing action items from a retrospective, or converting retro output into a tracked list. |
| compatibility | Requires kiss project structure with .kiss/ directory |
| metadata | {"author":"github-kiss","source":"agent-skills/kiss-retrospective/kiss-retrospective.md"} |
User Input
$ARGUMENTS
Audience and tone (interactive mode)
When KISS_AGENT_MODE=interactive (the default), assume the user
has no technical or Scrum background. Run this skill as a
guided questionnaire:
- One question at a time. No walls of questions.
- Yes / no first. Phrase so
yes, no, not sure, or skip
is a valid answer.
- No jargon. Translate to everyday words: "What worked / what
didn't / what should we try next time?" beats every formal retro
vocabulary. Avoid "4Ls / Sailboat / SAFe metrics" without
explanation; describe the format in plain words and let the user
pick.
- Accept paste-in. Ask the user to paste the team's notes; you
group similar points and propose action items. Don't paraphrase
the team's wording — keep it.
- Choices, not blank fields. When yes/no isn't enough, offer
2-4 lettered options (A/B/C/D) with one-line everyday
descriptions. Always include "Not sure — pick a sensible default".
- Always recommend. State the option you would pick and why in
one sentence so the user can reply "yes" / "ok" to accept. For
action-item owners, default to "blank" unless the notes name
someone — never assign a person without their consent.
not sure / skip triggers a sensible default: leave owner
blank, leave target sprint blank, mark
"(default applied — confirm later)", and log a SMDEBT- entry in
agile-debts.md.
When KISS_AGENT_MODE=auto (or --auto), skip the questionnaire
entirely: synthesise pasted notes into themes + action items
without asking, leave owners blank where unnamed, and log decisions
to the scrum-master agent's decision log.
Inputs
.kiss/context.yml → paths.docs{context.paths.docs}/agile/sprint-NN-plan.md — sprint being
retrospected{context.paths.docs}/agile/standups/*.md — the sprint's daily
logs (patterns, recurring blockers)- Free-text retro notes the user pastes (or a notes file)
Outputs
{context.paths.docs}/agile/retro-sprint-NN.md{context.paths.docs}/agile/action-items.md (append-only;
action items carry across retros)
Context Update
Does not mutate .kiss/context.yml.
Handoffs
kiss-sprint-planning for the next sprint reads action-items.md
and optionally includes items targeting the next sprint.kiss-status-report references open action items when reporting
team health.
AI authoring scope
Does:
- Accept the team's retro notes (What went well / What didn't /
What to try) from stdin,
--notes FILE, or inline env var.
- Group similar points; propose action items with owner + target
sprint left blank for the user to fill.
- Scan standup files for recurring blockers and propose those as
retro fodder if the notes didn't mention them.
Does not:
- Facilitate the retrospective; invite team members; ask them
questions.
- Assign action items to individuals the user hasn't named.
- Decide what the team "should" have done.
Usage
<SKILL_DIR> = the integration's skills root (e.g. .claude/skills/
for Claude Code, .agents/skills/ for Antigravity / Codex,
.cursor/skills/ for Cursor, .windsurf/workflows/ for Windsurf).
Scripts live at <SKILL_DIR>/<skill-name>/scripts/….
cat notes.txt | bash <SKILL_DIR>/kiss-retrospective/scripts/bash/synthesize-retro.sh --auto
RETRO_SPRINT=7 bash <SKILL_DIR>/kiss-retrospective/scripts/bash/synthesize-retro.sh --notes ./retro-7.txt --auto
Answer keys
| Key | Meaning | Default |
|---|
RETRO_SPRINT | Sprint number | latest sprint with a plan |
RETRO_NOTES | Inline notes | (one of stdin, --notes, this) |
RETRO_FORMAT | wwwdt (Well/Wonder/Different/Trends) or safe (Safe/Appreciative/Fix/Experiment) | wwwdt |
References
references/retro-formats.md — common retrospective formats and
when to pick each.
