| name | sprintpilot-plan-sprint |
| description | Build (or refresh) the Sprintpilot sprint plan at _bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/sprint-plan.yaml. Infers per-epic + cross-epic dependencies from epics.md + architecture.md + sprint-status.yaml, presents the DAG, lets the user curate which stories belong in the active plan, and persists the result. Triggered by /sprintpilot-plan-sprint, by the autopilot when a stale plan is detected, or by `replan_sprint` mid-flight. Replaces the manual `infer-dependencies.js` workflow for end users. |
STOP — read this entire file before doing anything
This skill writes the authoritative sprint plan at
_bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/sprint-plan.yaml. The plan
controls which story Sprintpilot runs next and in what order, with
dependency-aware priorities and optional external-tracker links.
Follow ./workflow.md verbatim. The 14 steps it lists are not
suggestions — each one shells out to a primitive (infer-dependencies.js,
resolve-dag.js, sprint-plan.js) that validates inputs and updates
the plan atomically. Skipping a step or reordering them produces an
inconsistent plan that downstream phases (autopilot queue resolver,
reorder validator) will reject.
Never improvise
- Never infer dependencies in chat — always pipe LLM JSON through
node _Sprintpilot/scripts/infer-dependencies.js dry-run --epic <id>
(or --cross-epic) first. The script enforces schema, unknown-key,
self-dep, cross-epic-isolation, missing-rationale, and cycle checks.
Hand-edited envelopes that bypass dry-run leave a plan that fails
validation on the next read.
- Never write directly to
sprint-plan.yaml — route every mutation
through node _Sprintpilot/scripts/sprint-plan.js so atomic write,
schema validation, and generated/auto_inferred_at stamping happen.
- Never call an LLM "to plan the sprint" outside this skill. The skill
IS the LLM-driving layer; scripts never call models.
Invocation modes
The skill responds to three callers:
- User-direct:
/sprintpilot-plan-sprint [<focus>] [<scheduling>].
Build a plan from scratch OR refresh + (re-)curate an existing one.
Optional focus / scheduling hints:
/sprintpilot-plan-sprint epic 21 → focus_epics: ["21"]/sprintpilot-plan-sprint 21-3-add-auth, 21-4-router → focus_stories: [...]/sprintpilot-plan-sprint rebuild → force full re-inference- Natural-language ("focus on epic 21", "prioritize 21-3") works too —
Step 0 parses it from the surrounding chat message.
- Auto-derive: the autopilot emits
invoke_skill: sprintpilot-plan-sprint with
template_slots: { auto: true, reason, missing_keys?, removed_keys? }
when a plan is missing/stale and the user opted in via
autopilot.auto_plan_on_start: true. Preserves prior curation.
- Replan: the autopilot emits the same action with
template_slots: { replan: true, reason } after the user issued
user_input { kind: 'replan_sprint' } mid-flight. Treated as a full
rebuild.
In every mode the skill follows the same workflow — only the "present
results" tone differs (auto mode assumes the user wants a brief summary;
user-direct and replan modes are more conversational and ALWAYS reach
the curation step, even when nothing has gone stale).
Scheduling contract
When the user signals focus (focus_epics or focus_stories), the skill
ASKS how the focus should be scheduled relative to existing pending
stories — it does NOT assume. Step 11a presents four options:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|
top | Bump focus stories to the head of the queue; keep other pending stories below. The "do this next" mode. |
focus_only | Exclude all non-focus pending stories from this sprint (they stay in the plan as plan_status: excluded for context). The "single-epic mini-sprint" mode. |
append | Keep current priorities; focus stories run last. Today's legacy behavior — rarely what a user wants when they say "focus on X". |
custom | Skip the preset, drop into per-story curation in Step 11b. |
If the orchestrator emits template_slots.scheduling, the skill honors
it without prompting. If not, Step 11a is mandatory — silently picking
append (the historical default) is the bug fixed in this revision.
When NOT to invoke
- BMad's
sprint-status.yaml is missing → run bmad-sprint-planning
first; this skill has no work to do.
epics.md or architecture.md missing in
_bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ → halt with a clear message
asking the user to run bmad-create-epics-and-stories and
bmad-create-architecture first.- The user only wants to see the existing DAG without editing →
use
node _Sprintpilot/scripts/resolve-dag.js render directly;
no need to invoke this full skill.
Follow the instructions in ./workflow.md.
