Gate check

Phase Gate Validation

This skill validates whether the software project is ready to advance to the next delivery phase. It checks for required artifacts, quality standards, and operational blockers.

Distinct from /project-stage-detect: That skill is diagnostic ("where are we?"). This skill is prescriptive ("are we ready to advance?" with a formal verdict).

Production Stages (7)

The project progresses through these stages:

1. Concept - Problem framing, product concept document
2. Systems Design - Requirements, workflows, architecture boundaries
3. Technical Setup - Stack selection, CI/CD, environments, architecture decisions
4. Pre-Production - Spikes, prototypes, acceptance criteria, delivery planning
5. Production - Feature development and integration work
6. Polish - Stabilization, QA hardening, performance, operational readiness
7. Release - Go-live prep, support readiness, rollback and communication planning

When a gate passes, write the new stage name to production/stage.txt (single line, e.g. Production). This updates the status line immediately.

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1. Parse Arguments

• With argument: /gate-check production - validate readiness for that specific phase
• No argument: Auto-detect current stage using the same heuristics as /project-stage-detect, then validate the NEXT phase transition

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2. Phase Gate Definitions

Gate: Concept -> Systems Design

Required Artifacts:

• design/docs/product-concept.md exists and has content
• Product pillars defined (in concept doc or design/docs/product-pillars.md)
• Success metrics or launch goals captured in the concept or PRD seed notes

Quality Checks:

• Product concept has been reviewed (/design-review verdict not MAJOR REVISION NEEDED)
• Primary user workflow or business outcome is described and understood
• Target audience and problem statement are identified

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Gate: Systems Design -> Technical Setup

Required Artifacts:

• Systems index exists at design/docs/systems-index.md with at least MVP systems enumerated
• At least 1 PRD in design/docs/ (beyond product-concept.md and systems-index.md)

Quality Checks:

• PRD(s) pass design review (8 required sections present)
• System dependencies are mapped in the systems index
• MVP priority tier is defined
• Non-functional requirements are captured where relevant (performance, security, reliability, compliance)

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Gate: Technical Setup -> Pre-Production

Required Artifacts:

• Stack chosen (CLAUDE.md Technology Stack is not [CHOOSE])
• Technical preferences configured (.claude/docs/technical-preferences.md populated)
• At least 1 Architecture Decision Record in docs/architecture/
• CI/CD workflow, build script, or release automation exists
• Environment strategy documented (dev/staging/prod, secrets handling, deployment path)

Quality Checks:

• Architecture decisions cover core domains, data flow, integrations, and deployment concerns
• Technical preferences have naming conventions and performance budgets set
• Operational ownership is clear for build, deploy, and rollback paths

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Gate: Pre-Production -> Production

Required Artifacts:

• At least 1 prototype, spike, or technical validation artifact exists with notes or a README
• First sprint plan exists in production/sprints/
• All MVP-tier PRDs from systems index are complete
• Initial delivery scope is defined for the first release or milestone

Quality Checks:

• Prototype or spike validates the riskiest technical assumption or critical user workflow
• Sprint plan references real work items from PRDs
• Acceptance criteria and release scope are defined
• Dependencies and sequencing risks are identified

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Gate: Production -> Polish

Required Artifacts:

• src/ has active code organized into subsystems
• All core workflows from PRD are implemented (cross-reference design/docs/ with src/)
• Main user journey works end-to-end in a dev or staging environment
• Test files exist in tests/
• Deployment or release scripts exist
• QA/UAT evidence exists (test summary, checklist, sign-off notes, or release candidate results)

Quality Checks:

• Tests are passing (run test suite via Bash)
• No critical/blocker bugs in any bug tracker or known issues
• Critical acceptance criteria are satisfied (compare to PRD acceptance criteria)
• Performance and reliability are within target budgets (check technical-preferences.md targets)
• Logs, metrics, and error reporting exist for critical paths

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Gate: Polish -> Release

Required Artifacts:

• All features from the milestone plan are implemented or explicitly deferred
• Environment variables, secrets, and feature flags are audited for release
• Localization strings are externalized (no hardcoded user-facing text in src/)
• QA test plan exists
• Release checklist completed (/release-checklist or /launch-checklist run)
• Deployment and rollback runbook exists
• Customer-facing release artifacts are prepared (release notes, support notes, status-page/internal comms as applicable)
• Changelog / patch notes drafted

Quality Checks:

• Full QA or UAT pass signed off by the owning team
• All automated checks and release validations are passing
• Performance, availability, and operational targets are met for the release surface
• No known critical or high-severity bugs; medium-severity items have documented accepted risk
• Accessibility basics covered for the release surface
• Localization verified for all target languages
• Legal, privacy, and security requirements are met (privacy policy, consent, licenses, terms as applicable)
• Production deployment, packaging, or publish flow completes cleanly
• Monitoring, alerting, and incident communication paths are ready

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3. Run the Gate Check

For each item in the target gate:

Artifact Checks

• Use Glob and Read to verify files exist and have meaningful content
• Don't just check existence - verify the file has real content (not just a template header)
• For code checks, verify directory structure and file counts

Quality Checks

• For test checks: Run the test suite via Bash if a test runner is configured
• For design review checks: Read the PRD and check for the 8 required sections
• For performance checks: Read technical-preferences.md and compare against any profiling data in tests/performance/ or recent /perf-profile output
• For localization checks: Grep for hardcoded strings in src/
• For release readiness checks: Read runbooks, release notes, deployment docs, and QA summaries if they exist

Cross-Reference Checks

• Compare design/docs/ documents against src/ implementations
• Check that every system referenced in architecture docs has corresponding code
• Verify sprint plans reference real work items
• Verify deployment, environment, and rollback expectations are reflected in documentation or automation

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4. Collaborative Assessment

For items that can't be automatically verified, ask the user:

• "I can't automatically verify business or QA sign-off. Has the release candidate been approved?"
• "No regression summary was found. Has QA or UAT completed a full pass?"
• "Performance or reliability evidence isn't available. Would you like to run /perf-profile or review recent monitoring data?"

Never assume PASS for unverifiable items. Mark them as MANUAL CHECK NEEDED.

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5. Output the Verdict

## Gate Check: [Current Phase] -> [Target Phase]

**Date**: [date]
**Checked by**: gate-check skill

### Required Artifacts: [X/Y present]
- [x] design/docs/product-concept.md - exists, 2.4KB
- [ ] docs/architecture/ - MISSING (no ADRs found)
- [x] production/sprints/ - exists, 1 sprint plan

### Quality Checks: [X/Y passing]
- [x] PRD has 8/8 required sections
- [ ] Tests - FAILED (3 failures in tests/unit/)
- [?] QA sign-off - MANUAL CHECK NEEDED

### Blockers
1. **No Architecture Decision Records** - Create an ADR before entering production.
2. **3 test failures** - Fix failing tests in tests/unit/ before advancing.

### Recommendations
- [Priority actions to resolve blockers]
- [Optional improvements that aren't blocking]

### Verdict: [PASS / CONCERNS / FAIL]
- **PASS**: All required artifacts present, all quality checks passing
- **CONCERNS**: Minor gaps exist but can be addressed during the next phase
- **FAIL**: Critical blockers must be resolved before advancing

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6. Update Stage on PASS

When the verdict is PASS and the user confirms they want to advance:

1. Write the new stage name to production/stage.txt (single line, no trailing newline)
2. This immediately updates the status line for all future sessions

Always ask before writing: "Gate passed. May I update production/stage.txt to 'Production'?"

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Protocol

• Question: Asks about unverifiable quality checks (QA/UAT sign-off, monitoring evidence, manual validation)
• Options: Skip - gate is auto-detected or specified by argument
• Decision: User confirms whether to advance on PASS verdict
• Draft: Full gate check report shown in conversation before updating stage
• Approval: "May I update production/stage.txt to '[new-stage]'?" - only on PASS + user confirmation

Output

Deliver exactly:

• Gate being checked: [Current Phase] -> [Target Phase]
• Artifacts: X/Y present (with list of missing items)
• Quality checks: X/Y passing (with list of failures and MANUAL CHECK NEEDED items)
• Blockers: numbered list, or "None"
• Verdict: PASS / CONCERNS / FAIL

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7. Follow-Up Actions

Based on the verdict, suggest specific next steps:

• No product concept? -> /brainstorm to create one
• No systems index? -> /map-systems to decompose the concept into systems
• Missing design docs? -> /reverse-document
• Missing ADRs? -> /architecture-decision-records
• Tests failing? -> /test-driven-development
• No QA or release evidence? -> /release-checklist or /launch-checklist
• Performance unknown? -> /perf-profile
• Security or compliance gaps? -> /security-audit
• Not localized? -> /localize
• Ready for release? -> /launch-checklist

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Collaborative Protocol

This skill follows the collaborative design principle:

1. Scan first: Check all artifacts and quality gates
2. Ask about unknowns: Don't assume PASS for things you can't verify
3. Present findings: Show the full checklist with status
4. User decides: The verdict is a recommendation - the user makes the final call
5. Get approval: "May I write this gate check report to production/gate-checks/?"

Never block a user from advancing - the verdict is advisory. Document the risks and let the user decide whether to proceed despite concerns.