bassclef
SkillsDesign
LitePhase DesignBody 5 sections · ~541 wordsUpdated 2026-10-02

/user-stories

Produce INVEST-shaped user stories that trace back to personas, JTBDs, and value-prop-canvas entries. Backlog-intake artifact for incremental delivery. Distinct from /task-scenarios (UX narrative) and /use-case (system behavior).

Copy the command
/user-stories

Type it bare, or paste it with loose context after — Claude figures out the rest.

Solves

Stories get written from developer intent not persona need. INVEST shape drifts.

Payoff

INVEST-shaped stories that trace back to personas and JTBDs and value prop.

Takes in

  • A feature scope plus personas ref

Returns

  • INVEST user stories per persona
  • Acceptance criteria per story
Runs with
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Needs first
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Called by
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Deep dive — 5 sections · ~541 words · original SKILL.mdScroll for tutorial ↓

What it does

Produce backlog-ready user stories shaped per INVEST (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable). Each story traces to a persona, a JTBD, and (when present) a value-prop-canvas entry + a use-case line. Backlog-intake artifact, not UX research, not system spec.

Per @luminary alistair-cockburn (2024) and NN/G: user stories ≠ task scenarios ≠ use cases. Each is a distinct artifact with a distinct purpose.

Read the full skill

The complete instructions live at .claude/skills/user-stories/SKILL.md in your repo after bassclef-sync. Open with your editor for phases, rules, and worked examples.

Where in the SDLC

Why this phase: INVEST-shaped user stories tied to personas + JTBDs.

FAQ

Terms from bassclef vocabulary that appear on this page.

luminary
A design or engineering thinker whose discipline bassclef borrows as a review lens — the practitioner in the cameo pattern above. Cooper for personas, Norman for signifiers, Feathers for characterization tests, Beck for TDD rhythm, plus about 90 others. Skills invoke a lens to check work against a specific discipline. `/luminary` browses the catalog. See: /docs/skills/luminary, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22145491
INVEST
Bill Wake's checklist for well-formed user stories — Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable. `/ticket` enforces all six for stories. Epics only need V (Valuable) + N (Negotiable) since they break I/E/S/T by definition.
rule
A markdown file auto-loaded into every session's context. Rules pin discipline the agent applies to every response (plain-English writing, blocked-items protocol, temperance gates). Different from a hook — rules are steering; hooks are enforcement.
skill
A user-invocable command (like `/kiss` or `/temperance`) that runs a specific bassclef workflow. Every skill lives at `.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md` with frontmatter + procedure. Adopters type the slash command; Claude Code loads the skill and runs it.
bassclef-upstream
The private repo where bassclef substrate is authored. Ships to a public `bassclef` npm package + a public `bassclef-web` docs site. Adopters read the public tier; the operator maintains upstream.

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