User Story Writer
deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills
Writes user stories in Mike Cohn's format with Gherkin acceptance criteria, turning user needs into development-ready work with testable conditions.
Turn broad requirements, large stories, epics, features, initiatives, or backlog items into small end-to-end child stories without turning them into technical component tasks.
Install Story Splitting
$ npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install citypaul/.dotfiles story-splitting --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting .claude/skills/story-splitting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "story-splitting" agent skill from https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles/tree/main/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting into .claude/skills/story-splitting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "story-splitting", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles/tree/main/claude/.claude/skills/story-splittingType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install citypaul/.dotfiles story-splitting --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting .agents/skills/story-splitting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "story-splitting" agent skill from https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles/tree/main/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting into .agents/skills/story-splitting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "story-splitting", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install citypaul/.dotfiles story-splitting --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting .cursor/skills/story-splitting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "story-splitting" agent skill from https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles/tree/main/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting into .cursor/skills/story-splitting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "story-splitting", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles.git --path claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install citypaul/.dotfiles story-splitting --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting .gemini/skills/story-splitting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "story-splitting" agent skill from https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles/tree/main/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting into .gemini/skills/story-splitting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "story-splitting", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install citypaul/.dotfiles story-splittingInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting .github/skills/story-splitting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "story-splitting" agent skill from https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles/tree/main/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting into .github/skills/story-splitting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "story-splitting", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install citypaul/.dotfiles story-splitting --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting .opencode/skills/story-splitting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "story-splitting" agent skill from https://github.com/citypaul/.dotfiles/tree/main/claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting into .opencode/skills/story-splitting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "story-splitting", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
story-splitting- GitHub stars
- 740
- Token cost
- ~3.7k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 1,866 words
- Files
- 3
- Skills in repo
- 44
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- Custom licence
At a glance
Turn broad requirements, large stories, epics, features, initiatives, or backlog items into small end-to-end child stories without turning them into technical component tasks.
- Works in 6 steps: Reframe The Parent → Surface Examples And Variations → Find Splitting Dimensions → …
- Refining a backlog
- SKILL.md covers Attribution, How This Fits With Other Skills, Requirement Refinement Pipeline and Core Principles, plus 4 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Story Splitting is an agent skill from citypaul/.dotfiles. Turn broad requirements, large stories, epics, features, initiatives, or backlog items into small end-to-end child stories without turning them into technical component tasks. Use when refining a backlog, decomposing epics, planning an MVP or walking skeleton, looking for vertical slices, reducing story size, applying SPIDR/Hamburger/capability slicing, avoiding scatter-gather/component stories, or deciding the first valuable story before implementation planning.
Its SKILL.md is about 3.7k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 3 other files (for example `resources/pattern-catalog.md` and `resources/source-notes.md`).
It sits in Product & Project Management, covering User stories.
When your agent uses it
- Refining a backlog
- Decomposing epics
- Planning an MVP
- Walking skeleton
Example prompts
- “/story-splitting”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
- Reframe The Parent
- Surface Examples And Variations
- Find Splitting Dimensions
- Use The Hamburger Method When The Team Is Stuck
- Choose The First Slice
- Write Child Stories
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit cd4028d. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are markdown).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
agileotter.blogspot.com
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Story Splitting loads about 3.7k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 121 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,866 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
Its licence (Custom licence) doesn't allow us to republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 1,866 words (~3,701 tokens).
“Split work so the team can deliver, test, learn, and change direction in small batches. A good split preserves a whole user-visible capability while reducing variation, uncertainty, scope, or quality level.”
- name
- story-splitting
Files
SKILL.md and 2 other files in claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting of citypaul/.dotfiles.
- SKILL.md
- resources/pattern-catalog.md
- resources/source-notes.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit cd4028d
Compare with similar skills
Story Splitting next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story Splitting this skillcitypaul/.dotfiles | 740 | — | ~3.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| User Story Writerdeanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills | 7.2k | 2 repos | ~2.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Ralph Tui Create Beadssubsy/ralph-tui | 2.5k | 1 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Agile Product Owneralirezarezvani/claude-skills | 28k | 3 repos | ~3.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Ralph Tui Create Beads Rustsubsy/ralph-tui | 2.5k | 1 repos | ~2.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| To Specbestofjs/bestofjs | 3.1k | 21 repos | ~757 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Turn the current conversation into a spec and publish it to the project issue tracker — no interview, just synthesis of what you've already discussed.
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Related
Categories
Questions about Story Splitting
What does Story Splitting do?
Turn broad requirements, large stories, epics, features, initiatives, or backlog items into small end-to-end child stories without turning them into technical component tasks. dotfiles. Turn broad requirements, large stories, epics, features, initiatives, or backlog items into small end-to-end child stories without turning them into technical component tasks.
When should I use Story Splitting?
Story Splitting fits situations like: refining a backlog; decomposing epics; planning an MVP; walking skeleton.
How do I install Story Splitting in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting in citypaul/.dotfiles) into .claude/skills/story-splitting in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Story Splitting in Codex?
Run `npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/.claude/skills/story-splitting in citypaul/.dotfiles) into .agents/skills/story-splitting in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Story Splitting in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add citypaul/.dotfiles --skill story-splitting -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/story-splitting, .gemini/skills/story-splitting, .github/skills/story-splitting and .opencode/skills/story-splitting in your project.
What does Story Splitting need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Story Splitting is instructions for the agent only.
Does Story Splitting access the network?
SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: agileotter.blogspot.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Story Splitting safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Story Splitting use?
Story Splitting has a licence file (the repository's licence) that doesn't match a standard licence. Read it on GitHub before reusing the skill.
How many tokens does Story Splitting use?
About 3.7k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 15k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Story Splitting?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Story Splitting: User Story Writer (deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, 7.2k stars), Ralph Tui Create Beads (subsy/ralph-tui, 2.5k stars), Agile Product Owner (alirezarezvani/claude-skills, 28k stars) and Ralph Tui Create Beads Rust (subsy/ralph-tui, 2.5k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Story Splitting?
citypaul (a GitHub user) maintains it in citypaul/.dotfiles, which has 740 GitHub stars. The repository holds 44 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 9, 2026.
Source: citypaul/.dotfiles on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.