change-request

name

change-request

description

Creates structured change request documents for intentional modifications to already-implemented use cases. Use when the user asks to "create a change request", "log a CR", "document a change", or describes a stakeholder-requested modification to existing behavior (e.g., renaming a field, changing validation rules, restructuring data). A change request always references exactly one use case and describes only the delta — the original use case remains immutable.

Change Request

Instructions

Create a change request document for $ARGUMENTS in docs/change_requests/. $ARGUMENTS is a description of the requested change, a reference to a use case (UC-XXX) where the behavior is currently defined, or a full GitHub issue URL.

A change request describes an intentional, stakeholder-approved modification to behavior that is already implemented. It is not a bug (unintended deviation) and not a new use case (net-new behavior). It is a delta: what changes, why, and what is affected.

Constraint

One change request references exactly one use case. If a change spans multiple use cases, create one CR per use case.

DO NOT

• Rewrite or reproduce the full use case spec — describe only what changes
• Create a CR for unintended behavior (use report-bug instead)
• Create a CR for net-new behavior with no prior use case (use use-case-spec instead)
• Leave the E2E Test Impact section vague — enumerate specific test files and test names
• Create a CR that references more than one use case

Nexa Rules Gate

Read and follow ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/readiness/NEXA_RULES_GATE.md.

Template

Use templates/change-request.md as the document structure.

Example Change Request

Change Request: Replace 'Role' field with 'Department' on User Profile form

Overview

CR ID	CR-001
Title	Replace 'Role' field with 'Department' on User Profile form
Status	Open
References	UC-007: Edit User Profile
Requested By	Product — customer feedback Q1 2026
Origin	human-in-the-loop
GitHub Issue	https://github.com/acme/app/issues/88

Context

UC-007 currently allows users to edit their profile, which includes a free-text role field stored in the users table. The field is displayed on the profile page and used in team listings.

Requested Change

Replace the role free-text field with a department dropdown backed by a departments lookup table. The dropdown must be populated from the database and validated server-side. The role column in users is renamed to department_id (foreign key).

Affected Layers

• UI — Profile edit form: replace text input with dropdown
• API — Profile update action: validate department_id against lookup table
• Database — Rename users.role to users.department_id; add departments table; migrate data
• Business Logic
• Tests — E2E and integration tests that reference the role field

Acceptance Criteria

• Profile edit form shows a Department dropdown populated from the database
• Selecting a department and saving persists the correct department_id
• The role free-text field no longer appears anywhere in the UI
• Server-side validation rejects unknown department_id values
• Existing users have their role value migrated to the closest matching department

E2E Test Impact

Test File	Test Name	Action Required
e2e/profile/edit-profile.spec.ts	user can update role	Update — rename to user can update department, replace text input interaction with dropdown selection
e2e/team/team-listing.spec.ts	team members display role	Update — assert department label instead of role

Annotation: All updated and new E2E tests must carry both @UC-007 and @CR-001.

Related Artifacts

• Use Case: UC-007 (Edit User Profile) — docs/use_cases/UC-007-edit-user-profile.md
• Affected Files: src/app/profile/, src/actions/profile.ts, prisma/schema.prisma

Origin Detection

Determine the origin of the change request from $ARGUMENTS:

• github-issue — $ARGUMENTS contains a GitHub issue URL. The issue already exists and is the source of truth.
• human-in-the-loop — $ARGUMENTS is a description or artifact reference with no issue URL. The CR document becomes the source of truth and a new GitHub issue will be created.

Workflow

1. Check docs/change_requests/ for existing CRs to determine the next CR-XXX ID
2. Read the referenced use case from docs/use_cases/ to understand the current behavior
3. If origin is github-issue: a. Read the issue: gh issue view <issue-number> --json title,body,labels b. Extract the change description and context from the issue c. Set Origin to the full GitHub issue URL d. Set GitHub Issue to the same URL — do NOT create a new issue
4. If origin is human-in-the-loop: a. Gather the change description from the user's request b. Set Origin to human-in-the-loop
5. Write the Context section — describe the current behavior from the use case (2–4 sentences max)
6. Write the Requested Change section — describe only the delta, precisely and completely
7. Check the affected layers — mark every layer that requires code or schema changes
8. Define concrete, verifiable acceptance criteria (one criterion per observable outcome)
9. Enumerate E2E Test Impact — search the project's E2E test files for tests annotated with the referenced UC or that exercise the affected behavior; list each by file path and test name with the required action (Update / Add / Remove). If no E2E tests are affected, write "None" explicitly.
10. Set status to Open
11. Note for implementation: when this CR is delivered, the implementer must:
    • Update the affected requirement entry in docs/requirements.md to reflect the new desired behavior
    • Append an entry to the ## Amendments section of the referenced UC file in this format:

      - **CR-XXX** ([date]) — [One-line summary of what changed]. Full spec: `docs/change_requests/CR-XXX-<slug>.md`
      

      If the UC file has no ## Amendments section yet, add it above the --- divider.
12. If origin is human-in-the-loop: a. Create a GitHub tracking issue by following the Before Implementation steps in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/tracking/TRACKING.md b. Update the CR's GitHub Issue field with the issue URL
13. If origin is github-issue: a. Follow the Before Implementation steps in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/tracking/TRACKING.md — the issue already exists, so only ensure the CR .md and the issue link to each other (no new issue is created)