Story decomposition

SkillDev tools

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.

Use Story decomposition in Claude, ChatGPT or Ahel Desktop

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Also: Claude Code · Cursor · Codex

Then ask your AI: use the Story decomposition skill

Details

Instructions available. Your AI can read the instructions. Execution depends on the setup they require.

Add Ahel to your AI once: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code or Codex. Then ask it to use this.

Story decompositionStart free

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by nerds-odd-e/doughnut in .agents/skills/dough-story-decomposition/SKILL.md and read by Ahel’s review.

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. 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 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; this discussion and decomposition work needs no workspace on its own. Then use seed format to update the supplied seed or create a new seed in that workspace. After a write that leaves a candidate with a recorded identity in its canonical home, apply record preparation facts. 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

Signals

GitHub stars
49
Forks
72
Last commit
Oct 2026
Advanced
Item type
skill
Key
dough-story-decomposition
Source
github.com/nerds-odd-e/doughnut