GAAI-framework generate-epics

Translate product intent or a PRD into a small set of outcome-driven Epics (3–7 max). Activate when starting a new product, adding a significant feature domain, or breaking down a PRD into actionable user outcomes.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/Fr-e-d/GAAI-framework

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/Fr-e-d/GAAI-framework "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/.gaai/core/skills/discovery/generate-epics" ~/.claude/skills/fr-e-d-gaai-framework-generate-epics && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: .gaai/core/skills/discovery/generate-epics/SKILL.md

source content

Generate Epics

Purpose / When to Activate

Activate when:

Starting a new product
Adding a significant feature or domain
Restructuring product scope
Breaking down a PRD into actionable outcomes

Works with or without a PRD.

Process

Read the Epic template at
```
contexts/artefacts/epics/_template.epic.md
```
before writing any Epic file.

CRITICAL — ID Collision Guard (MUST execute before assigning any Epic ID):
- a) Scan
```
contexts/backlog/active.backlog.yaml
```
  to find the highest existing Epic number (e.g., if E52 is the last, the next Epic must be E53 or higher).
- b) Also scan
```
contexts/artefacts/epics/
```
  for existing
```
.epic.md
```
  files to catch any that may not yet be in the backlog.
- c) For each Epic file to be created, check if the file already exists at
```
contexts/artefacts/epics/{id}.epic.md
```
  . If it exists with different content, STOP immediately — surface the conflict to the human.
- d) The new Epic ID =
```
max(existing IDs) + 1
```
  . Never reuse an Epic ID, even if the previous Epic was deleted or superseded.
- Rationale: In a past incident, two concurrent sessions both assigned the same Epic ID to different epics. The second overwrote the first's stories. This guard prevents recurrence.
Think in user outcomes, not features
Keep Epics high-level and value-focused
Avoid implementation detail
Limit to 3–7 Epics maximum
For each Epic, answer: "What meaningful user result will this create?"
Set domain based on the Epic's primary intent (e.g., engineering, marketing, legal). Leave empty if not applicable.
Output using the canonical Epic template

Outputs

Template:

contexts/artefacts/epics/_template.epic.md

Produces files at

contexts/artefacts/epics/{id}.epic.md

Key sections per Epic:

Purpose: what user outcome this delivers and why it matters
Scope: high-level description of what is included
Out of Scope: what is explicitly excluded
Stories: list of story IDs (descriptive only; authoritative tracking is in the backlog)
Success Metrics: how to know the Epic delivered value
Dependencies: other Epics or external factors this depends on

Quality Checks

Each Epic expresses a user outcome, not a technical feature
Maximum 7 Epics per initiative
No implementation detail present
Each Epic is independently valuable
No Epic ID collision — the assigned ID does not exist in the backlog or on disk with different content

Non-Goals

This skill must NOT:

Generate Stories (use
```
generate-stories
```
)
Make technical architecture decisions
Produce more than 7 Epics per initiative

Epics are the bridge between vision and execution.