User Story Generator

User Story Generator

Purpose

Generate INVEST-compliant user stories from epics or requirements with clear value statements and story point guidance.

Input: Epic description, story themes, or FR list; persona (optional) Output: User story set with IDs, INVEST validation, and dependency notes Examples: See [examples.md](examples.md) for worked input/output.

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Workflow

Step 1: Identify story sources

Extract story candidates from:

• Epic story themes
• PRD functional requirements
• User flows (one story per flow step if appropriate)

Step 2: Write stories in standard format

As a [persona] I want [action] so that [benefit]

Each story must:

• Reference a specific persona (not "user")
• Describe desired behavior, not implementation
• State measurable benefit in "so that" clause

Step 3: Apply INVEST criteria

| Criterion | Check | |-----------|-------| | Independent | Can be developed without other stories | | Negotiable | Details open for discussion | | Valuable | Delivers user or business value | | Estimable | Team can estimate size | | Small | Completable in one sprint | | Testable | Acceptance criteria can be written |

Flag stories failing any criterion with fix recommendation.

Step 4: Assign metadata

For each story:

• ID: US-001, US-002...
• Epic reference
• Priority: Must / Should / Could
• Size hint: S / M / L (not hours)
• Dependencies: other story IDs

Step 5: Validate

Run Validation checklist.

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Decision Rules

| Condition | Action | |-----------|--------| | Story describes implementation | Rewrite as user behavior | | Story too large (fails Small) | Split into multiple stories | | Story has no persona | Use persona from input or request one | | "So that" is vague | Rewrite with measurable outcome | | Stories are not independent | Document dependency; consider merge or reorder |

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Validation

• [ ] All stories follow As/Want/So format
• [ ] INVEST check completed for each story
• [ ] Each story has unique ID and epic reference
• [ ] No implementation details in story text
• [ ] Dependencies explicitly documented
• [ ] Size hints provided (S/M/L)
• [ ] Stories failing INVEST have fix notes

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Anti-patterns

• Technical stories as user stories — "As a developer I want to set up Redis."
• Epic-sized stories — "As a user I want the entire dashboard."
• No benefit clause — missing or generic "so that I can use the app."
• Generic persona — "As a user" without specificity.
• Untestable stories — no observable behavior to verify.

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Best Practices

• One story = one testable behavior change.
• Split by workflow step, not by technical layer.
• Align stories with epic goal; reject orphan stories.
• Leave acceptance criteria to acceptance-criteria-generator.
• Group related stories under epic headers in output.

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Output Structure

# User Stories: [Epic Name]

## Epic Reference
[Epic goal and ID]

## Stories

### US-001: [Short title]
**As a** [persona] **I want** [action] **so that** [benefit]

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| Priority | Must |
| Size | M |
| Dependencies | none |
| INVEST | Pass / Fail (note) |

[Repeat for each story]

## Dependency Map
US-001 → US-003

## Stories Needing Split
| Story | Issue | Suggested split |
|-------|-------|-----------------|

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Next Skills

| Outcome | Recommended Skill | |---------|-------------------| | Add acceptance criteria | product/acceptance-criteria-generator | | Visualize story sequence | product/story-mapping | | Need epics first | product/epic-generator | | Sprint planning | product/acceptance-criteria-generator |

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: patonkikh
• Source: patonkikh/APES
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.