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Getting Started

Workflow - Storyline Docs

Complete guide to the Storyline workflow: from PRD to working code through epics, stories, specs, and implementation.

This guide walks through the complete Storyline workflow. Each stage produces structured markdown files that feed into the next, creating full traceability from requirements to code.

The Pipeline

PRD/Tech Spec → Epics → User Stories → Technical Specs → Implementation
     ↓            ↓         ↓              ↓                ↓
[epic-creator] [story]  [spec-story]   [develop] → [create-plans] → Code

Stage 1: Epic Creation

Command: /sl-epic-creator [prd-file]

Epics are high-level features parsed from your PRD or technical spec. Each epic represents a substantial chunk of work that gets broken down into stories.

With an existing PRD

/sl-epic-creator docs/PRD.md

You’ll be prompted for an optional identifier (e.g., JIRA-123, feature-auth). This identifier propagates through all downstream artifacts.

Guided mode (no PRD)

/sl-epic-creator

Answer prompts to interactively create your PRD and epics.

Output

.storyline/
├── PRD-jira-123.md
└── epics/
    ├── epic-jira-123-01-authentication.md
    ├── epic-jira-123-02-task-management.md
    └── epic-jira-123-03-categories.md

Stage 2: Story Generation

Command: /sl-story-creator [epic-file]

User stories describe specific functionality from the user’s perspective. Each story follows INVEST criteria:

  • Independent — Can be developed separately
  • Negotiable — Details can be discussed
  • Valuable — Provides user value
  • Estimable — Can estimate effort
  • Small — Completable in one iteration
  • Testable — Has clear acceptance criteria

From an epic

/sl-story-creator .storyline/epics/epic-jira-123-01-authentication.md

Standalone stories (no epic)

For bug fixes, small features, or quick tasks:

/sl-story-creator

This launches guided mode that prompts for:

  • Work type (bug fix, small feature, enhancement, task)
  • Title and description
  • User persona and acceptance criteria

Output

Epic-based stories:

.storyline/stories/epic-jira-123-01/
├── story-01.md
├── story-02.md
└── story-03.md

Standalone stories:

.storyline/stories/.standalone/
└── story-fix-login-validation.md

Stage 3: Technical Specs

Command: /sl-spec-story <story-file>

Technical specs translate user stories into implementation plans. Each spec includes:

  • Architecture decisions
  • File changes required
  • Dependencies and imports
  • Testing requirements
  • Acceptance criteria verification

Spec strategies

For epic-based stories, choose a strategy:

  • Simple (1:1): One story → one spec
  • Complex (1:many): One story → multiple specs (for large stories)
  • Combined (many:1): Multiple related stories → one spec

Standalone stories always use simple strategy.

Example

/sl-spec-story .storyline/stories/epic-jira-123-01/story-01.md

Output

.storyline/specs/epic-jira-123-01/
├── spec-01.md
└── spec-stories-02-03-combined.md

Stage 4: Implementation

Command: /sl-develop <spec-file>

Implementation executes the technical spec using Claude’s autonomous planning system.

What happens

  1. Spec is converted to a PLAN.md format
  2. Work is broken into atomic tasks (2-3 per plan)
  3. Each task is executed with quality controls
  4. Tests run and errors are fixed
  5. Git commits are created using /sl-commit
  6. A SUMMARY.md links back to the original story

Example

/sl-develop .storyline/specs/epic-jira-123-01/spec-01.md

Output

Working code in your project, plus:

.storyline/.planning/jira-123-01-spec-01/
├── PLAN.md
└── SUMMARY.md

Bonus: Smart Commits

Command: /sl-commit [message]

Create git commits with conventional commit format:

  • Analyzes git diff to understand changes
  • Generates semantic messages (feat:/fix:/chore:)
  • 50-character summary limit
  • Detailed bulleted descriptions
/sl-commit                    # Auto-generate message
/sl-commit "Custom message"   # Use custom message

Important: Commits are created but never auto-pushed. You decide when to ship.

Checking Progress

Command: /sl-setup status

See what you’ve created and what to do next:

/sl-setup status

Shows:

  • Current project state
  • Existing epics, stories, and specs
  • Suggested next steps

Directory Structure

A complete Storyline project:

my-project/
├── .storyline/
│   ├── README.md
│   ├── PRD-jira-123.md
│   ├── epics/
│   │   ├── epic-jira-123-01-auth.md
│   │   └── epic-jira-123-02-tasks.md
│   ├── stories/
│   │   ├── .standalone/
│   │   │   └── story-fix-login.md
│   │   ├── epic-jira-123-01/
│   │   │   ├── story-01.md
│   │   │   └── story-02.md
│   │   └── epic-jira-123-02/
│   │       └── story-01.md
│   ├── specs/
│   │   ├── .standalone/
│   │   │   └── spec-fix-login.md
│   │   └── epic-jira-123-01/
│   │       └── spec-01.md
│   └── .planning/
│       └── jira-123-01-spec-01/
│           ├── PLAN.md
│           └── SUMMARY.md
└── src/

Next Steps