next-story

Selects the next sprint story, opens its branch, and hands it to bmad-build.

Updated Sep 3, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish --skill next-story-watchthelight
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: next-story
Source: https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish/tree/main/.claude/skills/next-story
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish --skill next-story-watchthelight

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? It removes the manual work of deciding which Shatterfish story to implement next by reading sprint-status.yaml and GitHub milestone issues, enforcing one-story-at-a-time discipline, and preparing the branch and issue before implementation begins. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Story Selection: Picks the next story from sprint-status.yaml using a strict priority order (in-progress, ready-for-dev, then backlog of the lowest unfinished epic). - Branch and Issue Setup: Locates the GitHub issue via a story marker, briefs the human with acceptance criteria and relevant ADRs, and creates the story/<key> branch. - Handoff and Fairness Review: Invokes bmad-build for implementation, then runs the fairness-reviewer subagent when the story touches Observer, ActionExecutor, brain, or the Observation schema. - Use Case: A maintainer says "next story" and the skill resumes the in-progress story or starts the next backlog story, opens its branch, and drives it through build, PR, and merge. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to start the next story in the sprint and it will pick the story, create the branch, and hand it to bmad-build.

Frequently Asked Questions about next-story

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I start the next story in a sprint automatically?

Invoke the skill by saying "next story" or "start the next story". It reads sprint-status.yaml, picks the highest-priority story, creates a story/<key> branch, and hands implementation to bmad-build.

How does the skill decide which story to work on next?

It follows a fixed order: resume any story marked in-progress or review, then a ready-for-dev story, then the first backlog story of the lowest-numbered unfinished epic. It never picks stories beyond the current and next epic.

What happens if two stories are in progress at once?

Two active stories is treated as a turn-discipline violation. The skill reports the conflict and asks which story to finish first instead of proceeding.

What prerequisites are required before running next-story?

You need a clean git tree on main after git pull --ff-only, a sprint-status.yaml from sprint planning, epics documents, and synced GitHub issues. If issues are missing, run /sync-issues first.

When does the fairness-reviewer subagent run?

It runs after bmad-build returns, but only when the story touches Observer, ActionExecutor, anything in brain, or the Observation schema. It reviews git diff main...HEAD and all findings must be addressed before opening the PR.