user-story

Create user stories in Mike Cohn format with Gherkin acceptance criteria.

1|1|Updated Jul 6, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/muhammaddadu/ai-skill-collection --skill user-story-muhammaddadu
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: user-story
Source: https://github.com/muhammaddadu/ai-skill-collection/tree/main/2-discovery/user-story
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/muhammaddadu/ai-skill-collection --skill user-story-muhammaddadu

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Product requirements often arrive as vague feature requests that engineering and QA cannot act on or test. This Skill turns user needs into development-ready user stories with a clear persona, action, outcome, and testable acceptance criteria. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Mike Cohn Story Format: Structures each story as "As a / I want to / so that" to keep focus on user value rather than features. - Gherkin Acceptance Criteria: Produces Given/When/Then scenarios that QA can directly convert into test cases. - Template Generator Script: Includes a deterministic Python CLI script that prints a Markdown story stub from persona, action, and outcome arguments. - Use Case: Convert a PRD requirement like "add social login" into a story such as "As a trial user, I want to log in with Google, so that I can access the app without creating a new password," complete with verifiable acceptance criteria. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to write a user story with Gherkin acceptance criteria for a specific feature, providing the target persona and desired outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions about user-story

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I write a user story with acceptance criteria?

Write the use case in Mike Cohn format (As a [persona], I want to [action], so that [outcome]), then add Gherkin acceptance criteria with one Given/When/Then scenario. Keep the persona specific and make the Then outcome measurable so QA can verify it.

What is the Mike Cohn user story format?

The Mike Cohn format structures a story as "As a [role], I want to [action], so that [outcome]." It comes from his 2004 book User Stories Applied and keeps stories focused on who benefits and why, rather than on feature specifications.

How do I write Gherkin acceptance criteria for a user story?

Use one scenario with Given preconditions, a single When trigger matching the story's action, and a single Then outcome matching the story's goal. Multiple When or Then statements signal the story should be split into smaller stories.

When should a user story be split into smaller stories?

Split a story when it has multiple When/Then pairs, bundles unrelated outcomes, or is too large for a single sprint. Each resulting story should deliver one focused, independently testable piece of user value.

When should I not use a user story format?

Avoid user stories for pure technical debt or refactoring work with no direct user outcome; use engineering tasks instead. Also avoid writing stories before the underlying user problem has been validated through discovery work.