Gate Check

Validate whether the PRD stage is ready to advance to the next version. Delegates to the three-layer readiness scorer — SoT files → EPICs → stage — then surfaces the leverage view (what to fix first, and which EPICs it unblocks).

Workflow Overview

1. Compute → run scripts/readiness.py run --quiet to refresh status/readiness.json
2. Read → parse status/readiness.json
3. Report → PASS / WARN / BLOCK verdict with top blockers and causal links
4. Recommend → actionable next steps (always highest-leverage first)

Authority

references/gate-criteria.md remains the canonical source of mandatory artifacts per gate. The scorer's GATE_REQUIREMENTS table mirrors it. Do not hand-roll checklists here — the scoring engine is the single source of truth.

Step 1: Compute

Run the orchestrator. It runs SoT → EPIC → stage in dependency order and writes status/readiness.json.

python scripts/readiness.py run --quiet
# exit 0 = all pass, 1 = warn, 2 = block, 3 = error

If the exit code is 3, report a runtime error and stop. If 0/1/2, proceed to Step 2.

Fallback: no scripts available

If scripts/readiness.py is missing or Python is unavailable, fall back to reading status/readiness.json directly. If that's also absent, report: "Readiness not yet computed — install scripts/requirements.txt and run python scripts/readiness.py run."

Step 2: Read

cat status/readiness.json

Extract:

• summary.current_stage — the gate being evaluated and its score
• summary.top_blockers — ranked SoT files blocking progress
• stages.{target} — detailed stage block (dimensions, unmet_criteria, caps)
• epics.{id} — per-EPIC scores (cite the lowest ones)

Step 3: Report

Use this template. Fill every field from the JSON — do not improvise scores.

## Gate Check Report: {stage.gate_description}

**Verdict**: [PASS | WARN | BLOCK]
**Stage Score**: {stage.score} / 100  (warn < {threshold_warn}, block < {threshold_block})
**Date**: {now}

### Stage Dimensions

| Dimension | Score | Weight |
|-----------|-------|--------|
| required_ids_present | {score} | {weight} |
| relevant_sot_readiness | {score} | {weight} |
| cross_ref_integrity | {score} | {weight} |
| downstream_epic_readiness | {score or "n/a"} | {weight or "—"} |

### Top Blockers (leverage view)

1. **{file}** (score {score}) — blocks {N} EPICs: {EPIC-XX, …} — impact {impact}
2. …

### Unmet Criteria (high severity first)

- [high] {ref}: {reason}
- [medium] {ref}: {reason}

### Recommendation

**If PASS**: Advance to {next_version}. Run `ghm-status-sync` to update the README dashboard.

**If WARN / BLOCK**: Do not advance. Address top blockers in order — fixing the highest-impact SoT file cascades up the graph.

**Next action**: {top_blockers[0] → concrete fix}

Verdict bands

Stage score	Verdict	Meaning
≥ 70	PASS	Safe to advance
50–69	WARN	Advance with documented risk; log in PRD change log
< 50	BLOCK	Cannot advance — per rule 05-lifecycle-gates, update the EPIC and STOP

Step 4: Recommend

Always prioritize by impact = (100 − score) × #EPICs blocked. The top blocker is the single highest-leverage fix; cite its blocking_epics list so the human understands what unblocks.

Quality Gates

• Stage score cited from JSON, not estimated
• Top blockers include their consumer EPICs
• Recommendation is actionable (specific file, specific action)
• Verdict matches the score band exactly (don't round up)

Anti-Patterns

Pattern	Example	Fix
Ignoring the score	"Feels ready; pass"	Cite stage.score verbatim
Skipping blockers	"Minor stuff, advance anyway"	Block if score < 50; warn if < 70
Hand-rolling criteria	Re-checking IDs manually	Trust the scorer; if wrong, fix GATE_REQUIREMENTS in _readiness/stage.py
Forcing PASS	Overriding the verdict	Never override; the score is the contract

Boundaries

DO:

• Delegate computation to readiness.py
• Cite specific scores, files, and EPICs from the JSON
• Surface the top_blockers leverage view

DON'T:

• Modify status/readiness.json directly — it's computed output
• Create missing artifacts inside this skill (that's the author's job)
• Override PASS/BLOCK verdicts subjectively

Handoff

After a report:

• PASS: Trigger ghm-status-sync; the gate advancement updates the README dashboard
• WARN: Same as PASS but note the risks in the PRD change log
• BLOCK: Return control to the human. The top_blockers[0] fix is the single most important next action

References

• references/gate-criteria.md — canonical gate requirements (consumed by scorer)
• references/examples.md — pass/warn/block report examples
• .claude/rules/07-readiness-protocol.md — the discipline rule
• docs/READINESS_PROTOCOL.md — full schema