AgileFlow

/epic

PreviousNext

Create a new epic with stories

/epic

Create a new epic with optional child stories to organize related user stories around a larger feature or goal.

Quick Start

/agileflow:epic EPIC=<EP-ID> TITLE=<text> OWNER=<id> GOAL=<text>

Parameters

ParameterRequiredDefaultDescription
EPICYes-Epic identifier (e.g., EP-0001)
TITLEYes-Epic title describing the feature or goal
OWNERYes-Owner name or agent ID (e.g., AG-UI, AG-API)
GOALYes-Outcome or metric that defines success for this epic
STORIESNo-Comma-separated list of initial stories (format: US-ID|title|owner)

Examples

Basic Epic Creation

/agileflow:epic EPIC=EP-0010 TITLE="User Authentication" OWNER=AG-API GOAL="Enable users to securely register and log in"

Creates a new epic file at docs/05-epics/EP-0010.md with the provided details and registers it in docs/09-agents/status.json.

Epic with Initial Stories

/agileflow:epic EPIC=EP-0011 TITLE="Payment Processing" OWNER=AG-API GOAL="Enable payments via Stripe" STORIES="US-0040|Stripe integration|AG-API,US-0041|Payment form|AG-UI,US-0042|Webhook handler|AG-API"

Creates the epic and automatically generates initial child stories under docs/06-stories/EP-0011/. Each story is created with:

  • Status: ready (ready for development)
  • Estimate: 0.5d (default, can be modified)
  • Dependencies: empty (updated manually as needed)

Output

The command creates:

  1. Epic file (docs/05-epics/EP-XXXX.md)

    • Epic metadata (title, owner, status, goal)
    • Current status and metrics
    • Child stories list

  2. Story files (one per story, docs/06-stories/EP-XXXX/US-XXXX-<slug>.md)

    • Story template with acceptance criteria placeholders
    • Linked to parent epic
    • Ready for detailed definition

  3. Status tracking (docs/09-agents/status.json)

    • Epic entry with owner and current status
    • Story entries linked to epic

  4. Agent communication (docs/09-agents/bus/log.jsonl)

    • Assignment messages showing epic created and stories assigned

Workflow

  1. Plan your epic - Define the feature goal and success metrics
  2. Create the epic - Run /epic command with basic details
  3. Add stories - Either create them now with STORIES parameter or use /story to add individually later
  4. Develop stories - Use /story-validate to ensure each story is ready before development
  5. Sprint plan - Use /sprint to select stories for upcoming sprint
  6. Track progress - Use /board to monitor epic completion

Integration with Other Commands

  • After epic creation: Use /story to add more stories
  • Before sprint planning: Use /sprint to select stories from this epic
  • For progress tracking: Use /board or /metrics to see epic completion
  • For dependencies: Use /deps to visualize story dependencies within epic

Best Practices

  • Keep epics focused - One feature or feature area per epic
  • Make goals measurable - Use specific outcomes or metrics (not "improve user experience")
  • Add stories incrementally - Start with core stories, add related ones over time
  • Assign appropriate owners - Match epic owner with primary development agent
  • Document context - Add technical context in epic file after creation

Related Commands

  • /story - Create individual stories within an epic
  • /sprint - Plan sprints with epic-specific stories
  • /deps - Visualize story dependencies within epic
  • /board - Track epic progress visually
  • /metrics - View epic completion and velocity metrics