If story has branch

The user input to you can be provided directly by the agent or as a command argument - you MUST consider it before proceeding with the prompt (if not empty).

User input:

$ARGUMENTS

⚠️ Step 0: Read Template First

Before any other action — read this template now using the Read tool:

.speck/​templates/​story/​story-retro-template.md

The template defines required sections and formatting for story-retro.md, including pattern extraction, effort variance, and what gets flagged to the epic retro. Reading it first tells you what data to mine from commits.

Checkpoint: After reading, note the top-level sections from the template. Then continue to Step 1.

Mine raw learning data from story implementation and consolidate into structured summary. Apply immediate learnings to current epic, flag patterns for epic retrospective validation.

Subagent Parallelization

This command benefits from parallel data mining:

Data Mining Phase - Spawn parallel speck-explorer:

├── [Parallel] speck-explorer: Mine git commits for learning tags
├── [Parallel] speck-explorer: Read validation-report.md
├── [Parallel] speck-explorer: Find future story specs in epic
└── [Wait] → Synthesize into story-retro.md

Speedup: 2-3x compared to sequential mining.

Critical Understanding

Story retrospective is the ONLY level that consumes raw data:

• ✅ Mines git commit tags (PATTERN:, GOTCHA:, PERF:, ARCH:, RULE:, DEBT:)
• ✅ Reads validation-report.md

Produces structured output:

• Creates story-retro.md using template
• Epic retrospective will read this summary (NOT raw data)

Prerequisites

• Story validated (validation-report.md exists)
• Story directory with artifacts (spec.md, plan.md, tasks.md)
• Git commits for the story (with learning tags ideally)

Retrospective Process (Data Mining → Template → Application)

Step 1: Mine Raw Data Sources

A. Mine Git Commits for Learning Tags

Get commits for story:

# If story has branch:
git log [story-branch] --grep="PATTERN:\|GOTCHA:\|PERF:\|ARCH:\|RULE:\|DEBT:"

# Or by date range if known:
git log --since="[story-start-date]" --until="[story-end-date]"

Extract and categorize tags:

• PATTERN: tags → Reusable code patterns list
• GOTCHA: tags → Surprises and pitfalls list
• PERF: tags → Performance optimizations list
• ARCH: tags → Architecture decisions list
• RULE: tags → Cursor rule updates needed list
• DEBT: tags → Technical debt items list

B. Read Validation Report

Load validation-report.md and extract:

• Specification accuracy (requirements matched/​deviated)
• Performance vs targets (met/​missed with gaps)
• Constitution compliance (violations if any)
• Learnings for Retrospective section (if present)
• Visual/​UX Validation findings (if section exists):
  • Design token compliance % → If <100%, note which tokens were violated
  • Accessibility audit issues → Note a11y GOTCHAs for future stories
  • Voice/​tone violations → Note for ux-strategy.md updates
  • ui-spec.md checklist gaps → Note unchecked items
  • Screenshot notes → Any visual anomalies or platform-specific issues

C. Calculate Effort Variance

• Estimated effort: From tasks.md or spec.md estimate
• Actual effort: From git commit timestamps (first to last commit on the story)
• Variance percentage and direction

Step 2: Consolidate into Template

CRITICAL: Load and follow the template exactly:

.speck/​templates/​story/​story-retro-template.md

The template is self-documenting - follow all sections and guidelines within it. Use the mined data from Step 1 to fill each section.

Step 3: Apply Immediate Learnings (Non-Meta - Current Epic Only)

Intelligent Learning Application Logic:

# Pseudo-code for learning application

for pattern in discovered_patterns:
    if pattern.affects_future_stories_in_epic():
        # Check if there are future story specs in epic
        future_stories = find_future_story_specs(current_epic)
        for story in future_stories:
            if pattern.is_relevant_to(story):
                propose_update_to_story_spec(story, pattern)
                # Example: "Story 3 also does native setup - add 2h for cert"
                
    if pattern.should_document_in_epic():
        propose_append_to_epic_md(pattern)
        propose_append_to_epic_architecture(pattern)
        
for gotcha in discovered_gotchas:
    if gotcha.affects_other_stories():
        # Find other unstarted stories in epic
        future_stories = find_unstarted_stories(current_epic)
        for story in future_stories:
            if gotcha.is_relevant_to(story):
                propose_update_to_story_spec(story, gotcha)
                # Example: "Story 5 needs Firebase - warn about auth setup time"

Example Applications:

Scenario: Story 1 discovers "iOS cert setup takes 45min"

• Action: Find Story 3 spec (also iOS work)
• Update: Add setup task with 45min allocation
• Update: epic.md → Add note about iOS prerequisites
• Escalate: Flag for epic retro (might affect other epics)

Scenario: Story 2 finds "PostgreSQL window functions 10x faster"

• Action: Check Story 4 spec (also has overlaps)
• Suggest: Use window functions instead of Python
• Document: epic-architecture.md → Add pattern
• Escalate: Flag for epic retro (might be project-wide pattern)

Interactive Approval: For each proposed update:

• Show: Current spec section
• Propose: Specific change based on learning
• Ask: "Apply this update? [Y/​n]"
• Document: Track in "Immediate Actions" section

Step 4: Flag Escalations for Epic Retrospective

Determine What to Escalate (vs handle now):

Escalate to Epic Retro if:

• Pattern appears in this story, MIGHT appear in others (need validation)
• Gotcha might be systemic across epic
• Planning issue might affect epic-level commands
• Architecture decision needs validation across epic scope

Handle Now if:

• Obviously affects specific future story in epic
• Clear epic-level documentation update
• Low-risk, high-value immediate update

Escalate to Project Retro if:

• Insight about cross-epic coordination
• Methodology/​process observation
• Pattern that might apply to other epics

Step 5: Generate story-retro.md from Template

Create [STORY_DIR]/​story-retro.md using template:

1. Fill template with all mined data
2. Mark escalations clearly in template sections
3. Document immediate actions taken
4. Ensure consistent format for epic retro parsing

Step 6: Output Summary

✅ Story Retrospective Complete!

Story: [Name]
Duration: [Actual vs estimated with variance]

Data Sources Mined:
- Git commits: [Z commits with learning tags]
- Validation report: [Spec accuracy, performance data]

Learnings Captured:
- Patterns: [X] ([Y] reusable, [Z] story-specific)
- Gotchas: [A] ([B] escalated, [C] documented)
- Performance insights: [D]
- Architecture decisions: [E]

Immediate Actions Applied:
- ✅ Updated [X] future story specs in epic
- ✅ Updated epic.md with [Y] patterns
- ✅ Updated epic-architecture.md with [Z] decisions

Escalated to Epic Retro:
- Patterns to validate: [X]
- Process issues: [Y]
- Rule updates: [Z]

Created:
- story-retro.md (structured summary for epic retro)

Ready for: Next story / Epic retrospective when all stories complete

Integration Points

Feeds Into:

• Epic retrospective reads this story-retro.md (NOT raw data)
• Epic retro aggregates learnings across all story retros
• Epic retro validates flagged patterns

Feeds Forward (Non-Meta):

• Updates future story specs in same epic
• Updates epic-level documentation
• Improves velocity estimates for similar stories

Feeds Upward (Meta - via Epic Retro):

• Flags process issues for epic retro validation
• Suggests template improvements
• Proposes rule updates

---

Position in Flow: After /​story-validate, before next story
Duration: 10-15 minutes (automated mining + interactive application)
Purpose: Mine raw data, produce structured summary, apply immediate learnings
Output: story-retro.md for epic retrospective consumption