acceptance-criteria_skill

Overview

This skill creates clear, testable acceptance criteria in Given/When/Then (Gherkin) format that can be used directly by QA and automation. It reads the existing story, follows the project's language setting, and appends criteria to the story file in docs/reference/pm/stories/. The output focuses on observable behavior, edge cases, and independent testability.

How this skill works

The skill inspects the user story in docs/reference/pm/stories/ and checks aico.json for the language setting. It generates multiple Gherkin scenarios: happy paths, edge cases, validation and error handling, and performance checks when relevant. All criteria strictly use Given/When/Then and are written to be independently verifiable and non-ambiguous.

When to use it

• When someone asks for "acceptance criteria", "AC", "test criteria" or "done criteria"
• When product asks "how do we know it's done?" or "what counts as complete?"
• When a user story lacks clear or testable success conditions
• When QA needs test scenarios or test cases derived from the story
• When running /pm.plan and adding AC to stories
• When reviewing stories and acceptance criteria are missing or vague

Best practices

• Read the story file in docs/reference/pm/stories/ before writing criteria
• Always use Given [context], When [action], Then [expected result] for every scenario
• Write happy path scenarios first, then add validation, error, and edge-case scenarios
• Make each criterion independently testable and avoid vague language (no "should", "might")
• Include observable acceptance conditions and explicit success/failure messages or codes when applicable
• Confirm language from aico.json and write criteria in that language

Example use cases

• Add AC to a new feature story so QA can implement tests immediately
• Convert vague story notes into specific Gherkin scenarios for automation
• Provide edge-case and validation criteria for input fields and boundaries
• Append performance and error-handling acceptance criteria to existing stories
• Generate testable acceptance criteria when onboarding a new PM or QA to the codebase