version: "1.0.1" name: ln-210-epic-coordinator description: "Creates or replans 3-7 Epics from scope using Decompose-First pattern. Use when initiative needs Epic-level breakdown or Epic scope changed." license: MIT

Paths: File paths (references/, ../ln-*) are relative to this skill directory.

Epic Coordinator

Type: L2 Domain Coordinator Category: 2XX Planning

Universal Epic management coordinator that handles both creation and replanning through scope decomposition.

Purpose

Coordinates Epic creation (CREATE) and replanning (REPLAN) from scope decomposition. Discovery and research stay read-only until preview is approved; execution remains inline inside ln-210.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

• Start new scope/initiative requiring decomposition into multiple logical domains (CREATE mode)
• Break down large architectural requirement into Epics
• Update existing Epics when scope/requirements change (REPLAN mode)
• Rebalance Epic scopes within an initiative
• Add new Epics to existing initiative structure
• First step in project planning (scope → Epics → Stories → Tasks)
• Define clear scope boundaries and success criteria for each domain

Output: 3-7 tracker Epics (logical domains/modules; transport per the configured provider)

Runtime Contract

MANDATORY READ: Load references/coordinator_runtime_contract.md, references/epic_planning_runtime_contract.md, references/epic_plan_summary_contract.md MANDATORY READ: Load references/researchgraph_mcp_usage.md when the project has docs/hypotheses/, docs/goals/, or benchmark run manifests that can change Epic boundaries.

Runtime family: epic-planning-runtime

Identifier:

• scope identifier

Phases:

1. PHASE_0_CONFIG
2. PHASE_1_DISCOVERY
3. PHASE_2_RESEARCH
4. PHASE_3_PLAN
5. PHASE_4_MODE_DETECTION
6. PHASE_5_PREVIEW
7. PHASE_6_DELEGATE
8. PHASE_7_FINALIZE
9. PHASE_8_SELF_CHECK

Decision handling:

• preview/confirmation is runtime PAUSED + pending_decision
• ln-210 writes final epic-plan summary for ln-200 when used as downstream coordinator

Coordinator artifact flow:

• execution remains inline inside ln-210
• PHASE_7_FINALIZE writes the coordinator summary through node references/scripts/epic-planning-runtime/cli.mjs record-plan-summary
• managed parent flow stores the artifact at .hex-skills/runtime-artifacts/runs/{parent_run_id}/epic-plan/{identifier}.json

Worker Invocation (MANDATORY)

Downstream contract: ln-210 is itself a worker for ln-200 and writes epic-plan machine-readable output after inline Epic create/replan execution completes.

TodoWrite format (mandatory)

- Phase 1: Discover scope and project context (pending)
- Phase 2: Research only what changes Epic boundaries (pending)
- Phase 3: Build ideal Epic plan (pending)
- Phase 4: Detect mode and validate Infra Epic need (pending)
- Phase 5: Preview and confirm plan (pending)
- Phase 6: Execute create/replan flow (pending)
- Phase 7: Finalize epic-plan summary (pending)
- Phase 8: Self-check (pending)

Core Concepts

Decompose-First Pattern

Key principle: ALWAYS analyze scope and build IDEAL Epic plan FIRST, THEN check existing Epics to determine mode:

• No existing Epics → CREATE MODE (generate and create all Epics)
• Has existing Epics → REPLAN MODE (compare, determine operations: KEEP/UPDATE/OBSOLETE/CREATE)

Rationale: Ensures consistent Epic decomposition based on current scope requirements, independent of existing Epic structure (which may be outdated or suboptimal).

Epic 0 Reserved for Infrastructure

MANDATORY READ: Load references/numbering_conventions.md for Epic 0 rules, when to use it, and tracker numbering.

Inputs

Resolution: Epic Resolution Chain (adapted: scope doc discovery). Fallback: IF no scope doc found → AskUserQuestion: "What should be decomposed into Epics?"

Workflow

Phase 0: Tools Config

MANDATORY READ: Load references/environment_state_contract.md, references/storage_mode_detection.md, references/input_resolution_pattern.md

Extract: task_provider = Task Management → Provider

Phase 1: Discovery

Objective: Gather the minimum context required to shape Epic boundaries before any preview or mutation.

Step 0: Resolve scopeDoc (per input_resolution_pattern.md, adapted for scope):

• IF args provided (scope description or doc path) → use args
• ELSE IF docs/project/requirements.md exists → use as scope source
• ELSE IF docs/requirements.md exists → use as scope source
• ELSE → AskUserQuestion: "What should be decomposed into Epics?"

Step 1: Load Configuration

Auto-discovers Team ID and Next Epic Number from docs/tasks/kanban_board.md:

• Team ID: Reads Tracker Configuration table → Fallback: Ask user directly
• Next Epic Number: Reads Next Epic Number field → Fallback: Ask user directly

MANDATORY READ: Load CLAUDE.md — sections "Configuration Auto-Discovery" and "Tracker Integration".

Phase 2: Research

Objective: Research only what changes Epic boundaries, Infra Epic need, or batch preview quality.

Step 1: Project Research

Objective: Research project documentation AND frontend code to understand context BEFORE asking user questions.

Process:

1. Researchgraph Preflight (if present):

• If docs/hypotheses/, docs/goals/, or benchmark/runs/*/manifest.yaml exists, run read-only verify_index first.
• Use inspect_goal, trace_goal_tree, find_hypotheses, or audit_goal_alignment only when goals/hypotheses can change Epic boundaries, validation scope, or promotion/generalization work.
• Treat STALE graph debt as planning context, not as an Epic blocker by itself.

1. Document Scan:

• Use Glob to find: docs/requirements.md, docs/architecture.md, docs/tech_stack.md
• Use Read to load found documents

1. Frontend Code Scan (if applicable):

• Use Glob to find: **/*.html, src/**/*.html, public/**/*.html, templates/**/*.html
• Use Read to load HTML files
• Extract functional domains from:
• Navigation menus: <nav>, <a href> links reveal feature areas
• Forms: Input fields reveal data models (user registration, login, checkout)
• Page titles: <h1>, <title> tags reveal feature names
• Route patterns: URL structures reveal domain boundaries

Example HTML extraction: ``html <nav> <a href="/products">Products</a> <a href="/cart">Shopping Cart</a> <a href="/checkout">Checkout</a> </nav> <!-- Reveals domains: Product Catalog, Shopping Cart, Payment --> ``

1. Extract key information from docs + HTML:

• Business objectives: What is the project trying to achieve? (from requirements.md)
• User personas: Who will use the system? (from requirements.md)
• Major functional domains: What are the main modules/areas? (from requirements.md, architecture.md, HTML navigation)
• Technical stack: What technologies mentioned? (from tech_stack.md, architecture.md, HTML meta/script tags)
• Infrastructure requirements: Any mention of logging, monitoring, deployment, CI/CD, security, performance optimization?

1. Combine findings:

• Merge domains from docs + HTML (deduplicate, consolidate similar)
• Example: "User Auth" (from docs) + "Login" (from HTML) → "User Management"

Fallback: If docs AND HTML missing → Skip to scope questioning; do not invent research-heavy detail

Step 2: Infrastructure Epic Decision

Objective: Determine if Infrastructure Epic (Epic 0) should be proposed.

Criteria for Infrastructure Epic:

✅ PROPOSE Infrastructure Epic (Epic 0) if ANY of:

1. New project (no docs/infrastructure.md found, no Epic "Infrastructure" in kanban_board.md Epic Story Counters)
2. Multi-stack (requirements.md or tech_stack.md mentions frontend AND backend on different stacks - e.g., React + Python)
3. Infrastructure requirements mentioned in requirements.md, architecture.md:

• Logging, Error Handling
• Monitoring, Alerting
• Hosting, Deployment, CI/CD
• Security (authentication, authorization, encryption, secrets management)
• Performance optimization (caching, rate limiting, database optimization)

❌ DO NOT propose if:

1. Existing project (found docs/infrastructure.md)
2. Epic Story Counters shows existing Epic with "Infrastructure" in title
3. User explicitly declined in previous interaction

Decision: Store YES/NO decision for use in Phase 2

Output from Discovery + Research:

• Team ID, Next Epic Number
• Project context (business goals, domains from docs + HTML, tech stack, infrastructure needs) - if found
• Infrastructure Epic decision (YES/NO)

Phase 2: Scope Analysis & Epic Planning

Objective: Identify logical domains and build Epic structure inline.

Process:

Step 1: Auto-identify Domains

Use research context from Phase 1 Step 2:

• If project docs found → Extract domains from requirements.md, architecture.md (module names, feature areas)
• If HTML found → Extract domains from navigation, forms, page structures
• Combine and deduplicate domains
• Example: "User Auth" + "Profile Management" → "User Management"

Fallback: If no docs/HTML → Ask user basic questions (scope, objectives, functional areas)

Step 2: Build Epic List (inline)

IF Infrastructure needed (from Phase 1 Step 3):

• Epic 0: Infrastructure & Operations — per numbering_conventions.md §Epic 0 Content Template
• Epic 1-N: Business domains (from Step 1)

ELSE:

• Epic 1-N: Business domains only

Step 3: Determine Epic Count

• Infrastructure Epic (if applicable): +1 Epic
• Simple Initiative (1-3 domains): 3-4 Epics total
• Medium Initiative (4-6 domains): 5-7 Epics total
• Complex Initiative (7+ domains): 7-10 Epics total (rare)
• Max 10 Epics per Initiative (enforced)

Step 4: Show Proposed Epic Structure (USER CONTROL POINT 1)

Display identified Epics with initiative-internal indexes:

📋 Proposed Epic Structure:
 
Epic 0: Infrastructure & Operations
Epic 1: User Management
Epic 2: Product Catalog
Epic 3: Shopping Cart
Epic 4: Payment Processing
Epic 5: Order Management
 
Total: 6 Epics
Type "confirm" to proceed, or modify the list

Step 5: User Confirmation

• User types "confirm" → Proceed to Phase 3
• User modifies → Update domain list, show again

Output: Approved Epic list (Epic 0-N or Epic 1-N) ready for next phase

Read-only preparation rule: Domain extraction, HTML scanning, and Infrastructure Epic detection may be gathered up front. Do not move into creation/replan until preview is confirmed.

Epic Quality Gate

Context: Structured quality check before creating Epics ensures scope clarity and prevents rework during Story decomposition.

For each proposed Epic, validate 5 criteria:

Quality Score = count of PASS criteria (0-5)

• 5/5: Proceed to creation
• 3-4/5: Show warnings, user decides
• <3/5: Rework Epic structure before creation

Phase 3: Check Existing Epics

Objective: Determine CREATE vs REPLAN mode.

Query kanban_board.md and task provider for existing Epics:

1. Read Epic Story Counters table in kanban_board.md
2. IF task_provider == "linear": list_projects(team=teamId) to cross-check

ELSE IF task_provider == "github": gh issue list -R {REPO} --label epic --state all --json number,title to cross-check ELSE: Glob("docs/tasks/epics/*/epic.md") to list file-based Epics

1. Count existing Epic rows (excludes header row)

Decision Point:

• Count = 0 → No existing Epics → Proceed to Phase 4+5a (CREATE MODE)
• Count ≥ 1 → Existing Epics found → Proceed to Phase 5b (REPLAN MODE)

Phase 4: Epic Preparation (CREATE mode only)

Trigger: Phase 3 determined Count = 0 (CREATE MODE)

Objective: Prepare all Epic documents before batch preview.

Step 1: Auto-extract Information for ALL Domains

For EACH domain (from Phase 2), extract answers to 5 key questions from project documentation:

1. Q1: Business goal - Why this Epic/domain matters

• Source: requirements.md (domain objectives section)
• Extraction: "The [domain] module aims to..." or "Goal: [objective]"
• Fallback: architecture.md (module purpose)

1. Q2: Key features in scope - 3-5 bullet points of capabilities

• Source: requirements.md (functional requirements for this domain)
• Extraction: Bulleted lists under domain heading, feature descriptions
• Fallback: architecture.md (component responsibilities)

1. Q3: Out of scope - Prevent scope creep

• Source: requirements.md (explicitly excluded features section)
• Extraction: "Not in scope:", "Future versions:", "Out of scope for [domain]:"
• Fallback: Infer from requirements.md (features NOT mentioned in domain)

1. Q4: Success criteria - Measurable outcomes

• Source: requirements.md (acceptance criteria, metrics, KPIs for domain)
• Extraction: Performance targets, user metrics, quality gates
• Fallback: Generic criteria based on domain type (e.g., "<200ms API response" for backend)

1. Q5: Known risks (Optional) - Blockers, dependencies

• Source: architecture.md (technical constraints, dependencies section)
• Extraction: "Risks:", "Dependencies:", "Constraints:"
• Fallback: User input if critical, otherwise leave as "To be determined during Story planning"

If extraction incomplete:

• Show extracted information to user
• Ask ONCE for ALL missing information across ALL domains (batch question, not per-domain)
• Example: "For Epic 1 (User Management), I couldn't find success criteria. For Epic 2 (Payment), I couldn't find risks. Please provide..."

Step 2: Generate ALL Epic Documents

For EACH domain, generate complete Epic document using epic_template_universal.md:

Epic indexing:

• IF Infrastructure Epic exists (from Phase 1 Step 3) → Epic 0 (Infrastructure), Epic 1-N (business domains)
• ELSE → Epic 1-N (business domains only)

Tracker Title (will be created in Phase 5a):

• Use Next Epic Number from kanban_board.md for sequential numbering
• Format: "Epic {Next Epic Number}: {Domain Title}"
• Example: Next = 11 → "Epic 11: Infrastructure & Operations"

Sections: Goal, Scope In/Out, Success Criteria, Dependencies, Risks & Mitigations, Architecture Impact, Phases

Use extracted information from Step 1 for all sections

Output: All Epic documents ready (Epic 0-N), indexed within initiative

Phase 5a: Epic Creation (CREATE mode)

Trigger: Phase 4 completed preparation

Objective: Show preview, get confirmation, create all Epics via the configured tracker provider.

Step 1: Show Batch Preview (USER CONTROL POINT 2)

Display ALL generated Epics with initiative-internal indexes:

📋 Epic Batch Preview (6 Epics to create)
 
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
Epic 0: Infrastructure & Operations
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
Goal: Establish foundational infrastructure, deployment pipeline, and operational capabilities to support all business Epics
 
Scope In:
- Logging and error handling framework
- Monitoring and alerting system
- CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions)
- Security baseline (secrets management, encryption)
- Performance optimization (caching, rate limiting)
 
Scope Out:
- Application-specific business logic
- User-facing features
- Domain-specific integrations
 
Success Criteria:
- All deployments automated via CI/CD (<10 min deployment time)
- System uptime ≥99.9%
- API response time <200ms (p95)
- Security audit passed
 
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
Epic 1: User Management
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
Goal: Enable users to register, authenticate, and manage their accounts securely
 
Scope In:
- User registration with email verification
- Login/logout with JWT authentication
- Password reset flow
- Profile management
 
Scope Out:
- Social login (OAuth) - planned for Epic 5
- Multi-factor authentication - future version
- User roles and permissions - part of Epic 3
 
Success Criteria:
- User registration <2 seconds
- Login success rate >98%
- Password reset completion rate >90%
 
[... all other Epics ...]
 
───────────────────────────────────────────────
Total: 6 Epics (Epic 0: Infrastructure, Epic 1-5: Business domains)
Type "confirm" to create all Epics via the configured tracker provider

Step 2: User Confirmation

• User types "confirm" → Proceed to Step 3
• User provides feedback → Adjust documents in Phase 4, regenerate preview, repeat

Stop Conditions (Preview Loop)

Step 3: Create All Epics

For EACH Epic (in sequential order for numbering consistency):

1. Get Next Epic Number:

• Read current Next Epic Number from kanban_board.md
• Example: 11

1. Create Epic (provider-dependent):

IF task_provider == "linear":

• save_project({name: "Epic {N}: {Title}", description: epic_markdown, team: teamId, state: "planned"})
• Collect returned URL

ELSE IF task_provider == "github":

• gh issue create -R {REPO} --title "Epic {N}: {Title}" --body "{epic_markdown}" --label "epic"
• Add to project + set status Backlog (per provider_github.md)
• Collect returned issue URL

ELSE (file mode):

• mkdir -p docs/tasks/epics/epic-{N}-{slug}/stories/
• Write("docs/tasks/epics/epic-{N}-{slug}/epic.md") with Epic markdown + file headers (**Status:** Backlog, **Created:** {date})

1. Update kanban_board.md:

• Increment Next Epic Number by 1 in Tracker Configuration table
• Add new row to Epic Story Counters: Epic {N} | - | US001 | - | EPN_01
• Add to "Epics Overview" → Active: - [Epic {N}: Title](link) - Backlog

1. Collect URL (Linear/GitHub mode) or file path (file mode) per references/provider_file.md, references/provider_github.md, references/provider_linear.md

Step 4: Display Summary

✅ Created 6 Epics for initiative
 
Epics created:
- Epic 11: Infrastructure & Operations (Epic 0 index) [link]
- Epic 12: User Management (Epic 1 index) [link]
- Epic 13: Product Catalog (Epic 2 index) [link]
- Epic 14: Shopping Cart (Epic 3 index) [link]
- Epic 15: Payment Processing (Epic 4 index) [link]
- Epic 16: Order Management (Epic 5 index) [link]
 
Next Epic Number updated to: 17
 
Next Steps:
1. Use ln-220-story-coordinator to create Stories for each Epic (run 6 times)
2. OR use ln-200-scope-decomposer to automate Epic + Story creation

Output: Created Epic URLs + summary

TodoWrite format: Add Phase 1-5a todos + one todo per Epic + kanban update. Mark in_progress/completed.

Phase 5b: Replan Mode (Existing Epics Found)

Trigger: Phase 3 determined Count ≥ 1 (REPLAN MODE)

Full workflow: MANDATORY READ: Load references/replan_workflow.md for complete REPLAN process.

Summary:

1. Load existing Epics (IF task_provider == "linear": from Linear API | IF task_provider == "github": from gh issue list --label epic | ELSE: from docs/tasks/epics/*/epic.md)
2. Compare IDEAL plan vs existing → Categorize: KEEP/UPDATE/OBSOLETE/CREATE
3. Show replan summary with diffs and warnings
4. User confirmation required
5. Execute operations (per provider_*.md) + update kanban_board.md

Constraints: Never auto-update/archive Epics with Stories In Progress. Never delete (use archived). Always require confirmation.

Critical Rules

• Decompose-First: Always build IDEAL Epic plan before checking existing Epics (prevents anchoring to outdated structure)
• Epic 0 reserved for Infrastructure: Business domains start from Epic 1; Epic 0 auto-proposed when new project, multi-stack, or infra requirements detected
• Auto-extract before asking: Extract Q1-Q5 from docs (requirements.md, architecture.md, tech_stack.md) + HTML; ask user only for missing info in a single batch
• Never auto-update Epics with In Progress Stories: REPLAN mode requires user confirmation; Epics with active Stories get warnings, not silent changes
• Tracker title format: "Epic {Next Epic Number}: {Domain Title}" — sequential numbering from kanban_board.md

Definition of Done

Before completing work, verify ALL checkpoints:

✅ Discovery Complete (Phase 1):

• [ ] Team ID loaded from kanban_board.md
• [ ] Next Epic Number loaded from kanban_board.md
• [ ] Documentation scanned (requirements.md, architecture.md, tech_stack.md)
• [ ] HTML files scanned (if frontend exists)
• [ ] Infrastructure Epic decision made (YES/NO based on project conditions)

✅ Scope Analysis Complete (Phase 2):

• [ ] Domains auto-identified from docs + HTML
• [ ] Infrastructure Epic (Epic 0) included if applicable
• [ ] Epic list built (Epic 0-N or Epic 1-N)
• [ ] User confirmed Epic structure (CONTROL POINT 1)

✅ Existing Epics Checked (Phase 3):

• [ ] Epic Story Counters read from kanban_board.md
• [ ] Existing Epic count determined (0 → CREATE, ≥1 → REPLAN)

✅ Epic Preparation Complete (Phase 4 - CREATE only):

• [ ] Q1-Q5 auto-extracted for ALL domains
• [ ] User provided missing information if needed (batch question)
• [ ] ALL Epic documents generated (Epic 0-N indexes)

✅ Epic Creation Complete (Phase 5a - CREATE only):

• [ ] Batch preview shown with Epic 0-N indexes
• [ ] User confirmed preview (CONTROL POINT 2)
• [ ] ALL Epics created via the configured tracker provider with "Epic {N}: {Title}" format (N = Next Epic Number)
• [ ] kanban_board.md updated after EACH Epic:
• Next Epic Number incremented by 1
• Epic Story Counters row added
• Epics Overview updated
• [ ] Summary displayed with all Epic URLs
• [ ] Coordinator epic-plan summary recorded during finalize

✅ Epic Replan Complete (Phase 5b - REPLAN only):

• MANDATORY READ: Load references/replan_workflow.md for full checklist
• [ ] Coordinator epic-plan summary recorded during finalize

Output: List of Epic URLs (Epic {N}: {Title}) + Next Epic Number value

Example Usage

Request: "Create epics for e-commerce platform"

Flow: Phase 1 (discover Team ID=Product, Next=11, scan docs+HTML) → Phase 2 (identify 6 domains: Infrastructure, User, Products, Cart, Payment, Orders) → Phase 3 (count=0 → CREATE) → Phase 4 (auto-extract Q1-Q5, generate docs) → Phase 5a (preview, confirm, create via configured tracker provider: Epic 11-16)

Result: 6 Epics created (Epic 0-5 internal indexes, Epic 11-16 tracker titles)

Phase 6: Meta-Analysis

Optional reference: load references/meta_analysis_protocol.md only when the user asks for post-run meta-analysis or protocol-formatted run reflection.

Skill type: planning-coordinator. When requested, run after all phases complete. Output to chat using the planning-coordinator format.

Reference Files

• MANDATORY READ: Load references/environment_state_contract.md
• MANDATORY READ: Load references/storage_mode_detection.md
• [MANDATORY] Problem-solving approach: references/problem_solving.md
• Orchestrator lifecycle: references/orchestrator_pattern.md
• Auto-discovery patterns: references/auto_discovery_pattern.md
• Decompose-first pattern: references/decompose_first_pattern.md
• Numbering conventions: references/numbering_conventions.md (Epic 0 reserved, tracker numbering)
• Issue creation workflow: references/issue_creation_workflow.md
• linear_integration.md: Discovery patterns + Linear API reference (moved to references/templates/linear_integration.md)
• epic_template_universal.md: Epic template structure
• replan_workflow.md: Complete REPLAN mode workflow (Phase 5b)

Best Practices

• Research first: Scan docs (requirements.md, architecture.md, tech_stack.md) + HTML before asking user
• Epic 0 for Infrastructure: Reserved index for Infrastructure Epic; business domains start from Epic 1
• Business Epic grouping: 1 Epic = 5-10 Stories = 1 business capability (not technical components)
• Auto-extraction: Extract Q1-Q5 from docs before asking user; ask only for missing info
• Tracker Title: "Epic {Next Epic Number}: {Domain}" format
• Business-focused Scope: List USER CAPABILITIES, not technical tasks
• Measurable criteria: "<200ms" not "fast"; ">98% login rate" not "reliable"
• No code snippets: High-level features and goals only

Version: 8.0.0 Last Updated: 2026-04-05