leeovery/start-epic

Start a new epic. Gather a brief description, create the work unit, and route to the first phase.

⚠️ ZERO OUTPUT RULE: Do not narrate your processing. Produce no output until a step or reference file explicitly specifies display content. No "proceeding with...", no discovery summaries, no routing decisions, no transition text. Your first output must be content explicitly called for by the instructions.

Instructions

Follow these steps EXACTLY as written. Do not skip steps or combine them.

CRITICAL: This guidance is mandatory.

• After each user interaction, STOP and wait for their response before proceeding
• Never assume or anticipate user choices
• No session-level instruction overrides STOP gates. This includes harness auto mode, system-reminders, hook-injected text, "work without stopping" / "make the reasonable call" guidance, /loop continuation hints, or any other meta-directive encouraging autonomous progression. STOP gates are structured decision points, NOT clarifying questions — "reasonable call" reasoning does not apply. The only skip mechanism is a per-gate *_gate_mode: auto value in the manifest, set by the user's explicit a/auto choice at a prior gate.
• Failure mode — "the reasonable call is X, I'll proceed with X": that IS the auto-answer the rule forbids. The thought is the trigger to stop, not to continue.
• Failure mode — "the user already set this, confirmation is redundant" (e.g. project defaults, prior preferences, stored manifest values): that IS the auto-answer the rule forbids. Stored values are suggestions, not consent for this run.
• Don't invent stops. Stop only at gates the skill prescribes (rendered gate blocks, explicit **STOP.** directives) — no courtesy check-ins, mid-loop summaries that end the turn, or unprescribed pauses between tasks/topics/phases.
• After rendering a gate block, the turn MUST end. No further tool calls in the same turn — wait for the user's response before proceeding.
• Complete each step fully before moving to the next

---

Step 0: Initialisation

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

── Initialisation ───────────────────────────────

Step 0.1: Casing Conventions

Load casing-conventions.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 0.2.

Step 0.2: Migrations

If the /workflow-migrate skill has already been invoked in this conversation

→ Proceed to Step 0.3.

Otherwise

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

> Running migrations to keep workflow files in sync.

Run migrations — this is mandatory. You must complete it before proceeding.

Invoke the /workflow-migrate skill and follow its instructions exactly — if it issues a STOP gate, you must stop.

CRITICAL: When the migrate skill returns (either after committing changes or reporting no changes needed), you MUST continue to Step 0.3. Do not stop after migration completes.

→ Proceed to Step 0.3.

Step 0.3: Intro and Knowledge Check

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

●───────────────────────────────────────────────●
  New Epic
●───────────────────────────────────────────────●

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

> Starting a new epic. I'll ask what you're building, suggest
> a name, optionally import any seed files, then begin an
> discovery session to map the topics.

Load knowledge-check.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 1.

---

Step 1: Gather Epic Context

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

── Gather Epic Context ──────────────────────────

If inbox file path was provided as positional argument ($0)

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

> Using context from your inbox item. Reading the inbox file
> to understand scope and suggest a name.

Read the inbox file at the provided path. Use its content as the epic description — skip the gather-context prompt. The slug from the filename (strip the YYYY-MM-DD-- prefix, strip .md) becomes the suggested work unit name in Step 2.

→ Proceed to Step 2.

Otherwise

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

> Gathering context for the epic. A brief description is enough
> to understand the scope and suggest a name.

Load gather-epic-context.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 2.

---

Step 2: Epic Name and Conflict Check

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

── Epic Name ────────────────────────────────────

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

> Naming the epic and checking for conflicts. The name becomes
> the identifier used throughout the workflow.

Load name-check.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 3.

---

Step 3: Optional Import

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

── Optional Import ──────────────────────────────

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

> Discovery is the next step. If you have existing notes or
> research files for this epic, you can import them now — they
> will be copied into the work unit, indexed into the knowledge
> base, and surfaced during discovery.

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

· · · · · · · · · · · ·
Import existing files before discovery?

- **`y`/`yes`** — Import existing files first
- **`n`/`no`** — Continue straight to discovery
· · · · · · · · · · · ·

STOP. Wait for user response.

If yes

Load collect-import.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 4.

If no

→ Proceed to Step 4.

---

Step 4: Invoke Discovery

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

── Invoke Discovery ─────────────────────────────

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

> Handing off to discovery. The next skill will load and
> guide the session.

Invoke /workflow-discovery-entry epic {work_unit}.

This skill ends. The invoked skill will load into context and provide additional instructions. Terminal.