dough-story-decomposition git:20260922.2ef78c3A

Immutable. This exact content never changes and is served at /api/v1/blob/91d760ae60aabb8e.

---
name: dough-story-decomposition
description: >-
  Challenges and decomposes a broad product problem into ordered
  Valuable/Visible/Vertical stories with rough effort hypotheses. Use when the
  parent problem, candidate stories, or learning priority are unresolved.
  Writes one non-executable seed.
---

# Story decomposition

Produce one human-reviewed seed containing a clear parent problem and ordered
candidate stories. Do not perform technical design or write an executable plan.

## Choose the workflow

Use this skill when the beneficiary, problem, desired effect, or value is
unclear; a request prescribes a solution without establishing why; several
outcomes or story boundaries must be chosen; or the first increment's value or
learning priority is disputed.

For selected-story goal, scope, and examples, use
[dough-story-refinement](../dough-story-refinement/SKILL.md). Hand off one
understood story to the project's execution-planning workflow only when the
user explicitly requests planning. A seed or backlog selection does not
authorize execution.

## Resolve required context

Read the user's instructions and repository guidance to identify:

- The repository root, supplied seed or canonical seed directory, seed ID
  allocation and filename conventions, and stable story-anchor convention.
- Required seed metadata and lifecycle vocabulary.
- The project's definitions of S, M, and L effort bands.
- The canonical backlog path, only when queueing or reprioritizing is requested.
- The execution-planning workflow, only when that handoff is requested.

Resolve project paths from this project, not this skill's location.
If context or a linked dependency needed for the current action is unavailable,
name it, ask only for the missing information, and stop the affected activity
before writing.

## Decompose and record

Read and follow [problem decomposition](references/problem-decomposition.md)
to establish human-owned framing decisions, challenge alternatives, and select,
size, and order stories. Before writing to the seed, establish or reuse the
required workspace under
[preparation workspace](../dough-story-refinement/references/preparation-workspace.md);
this discussion and decomposition work needs no workspace on its own. Then use
[seed format](references/seed-format.md) to update the supplied seed or create
a new seed in that workspace. Leave the seed there for review by default; this
skill commits or publishes it only through that reference's disposition.

Report the seed path, recommended first story, rejected simpler alternative,
effort distribution, and open decisions. Apply that reference's keep or
discard decision, then close or retain the workspace, when this session ends.
After writing the seed, end with:

`## STORY DECOMPOSITION WRITTEN`