refine

name	refine
workflow	pre-rpiv
workflowPhase	refine
description	Repair tracker work-item readiness before RPIV intake. Use for jira:, github:, or gitlab: items that still need clarified outcome, acceptance criteria, or child work before /triage.

Skill: refine

Make a tracker item ready for engineering handoff without inventing product decisions.

Guardrails

• READ: tracker item, linked/child work, relevant comments, and targeted repo context only when needed for ownership or feasibility.
• WRITE: proposals in chat first; tracker comments/field edits/child creation only after explicit human approval.
• NEVER: implement code, create branches, or start RPIV task state.
• NEVER: invent missing product intent when a human decision is required.
• NEVER: duplicate existing child work or spam repeated agent comments.
• NEVER: move work across trackers.

Workflow

1. Parse namespaced source: jira:KEY, github:ID, or gitlab:ID.
2. Read the item, current structure, and recent comments.
3. Classify readiness gaps: missing outcome, acceptance criteria, ownership, dependencies, blockers, or decomposition.
4. For every proposed child item, state intended owner, confidence, and fallback unassigned. Auto-assign only when the signal is strong from the tracker, comments, or existing team ownership patterns.
5. Decide dependency handling explicitly for each child pair or blocker:
   • no dependency
   • description note only
   • real tracker link Prefer actual Jira Blocks links when child A must precede child B.
6. Return one outcome:
   • ready-single: one executable owner, no decomposition needed
   • ready-decomposed: split is needed and children, links, and owners are clear
   • needs-decision: missing product decision or not truly ready-decomposed because ownership/dependencies are still muddy
7. Propose the smallest useful tracker edits and child items before mutating anything.
8. Before any approved mutation, walk this checklist in order:
   • preserve product-authored text
   • append acceptance criteria instead of rewriting existing acceptance criteria
   • create child?
   • assign child?
   • link child?
   • then mutate parent text/fields
9. On explicit approval, apply the approved tracker edits only.
10. Re-run idempotently: reuse existing child items and any prior agent-owned refinement marker/comment.
11. Recommend /triage only once the item is execution-ready.

Output contract

End with:

• Outcome: ready-single / ready-decomposed / needs-decision
• Missing information
• Proposed tracker edits
• Proposed child work
• Proposed ownership
• Proposed dependency links
• Next step: approve edits / answer question / /triage