qa-structure

<qa_structure>

<when_to_use_skill>

Use when you need to create the QA session folder, resolve or name an artifact path, derive the {IDENTIFIER} / <test-name> slug, or seed/read the QA state file. This is the single source for WHERE QA artifacts live -- not for HOW to author or analyze them. Use TMS, Issue Tracker, and Wiki as the roles; TestRail, Jira, and Confluence are canonical examples only.

</when_to_use_skill>

<core_concepts>

• This skill is the SSoT for QA paths, identifiers, and state-file shape; paths here are used verbatim, never reinvented.
• Load only your flow's layout (progressive disclosure): READ SKILL FILE references/api-aqa-layout.md (backend API) XOR READ SKILL FILE references/ui-aqa-layout.md (UI/E2E) -- canonical paths + each flow's slug authority, guards, and state-file fields live there.
• Slug format (both flows): lowercase ASCII kebab-case -- letters, digits, hyphens only; no spaces/paths; ≤80 chars; reserved: state, index, and the flow's own *-state name.
• Underivable slug/{IDENTIFIER}: if unresolvable even after one user attempt, stop, record the gap in the flow's state file, ask once -- never fabricate or guess.
• State-file shape (both flows): header + ## Phase Completion Status (8 rows) + per-phase append blocks; each phase appends only its own delta.
• Repository-root gain.json.sdlc is the primary SDLC-provider configuration. Merge it with explicit user input, recognizable provider URLs/handles, and available integrations; ask only when evidence conflicts or remains unresolved.
• The API-AQA per-run config-key schema is reference-grade -- READ SKILL FILE references/config-schema.md only when loading/validating that run artifact.
• Fill-in skeletons are assets, loaded with READ SKILL FILE at point of use, never resident -- see <resources>.

</core_concepts>

Router -- READ SKILL FILE for the one your current step needs (point-of-use, never all at once):

When you need to…	Command
resolve API-AQA paths, {IDENTIFIER} derivation, or the QA state-file shape	READ SKILL FILE references/api-aqa-layout.md
resolve UI-AQA paths, the <test-name> slug rules, the page-sources contract, or the UI-AQA state-file shape	READ SKILL FILE references/ui-aqa-layout.md
load or validate the API-AQA per-run config keys (keys + consumer + accepted N/A forms)	READ SKILL FILE references/config-schema.md
write the API-AQA project-config file	READ SKILL FILE assets/api-aqa-project-config-template.md
run the user interview when the config is missing	READ SKILL FILE assets/api-aqa-config-interview.md
seed the UI-AQA state file	READ SKILL FILE assets/ui-aqa-state-template.md

The API-AQA state-file seed and the API-AQA per-run initial-data skeleton are tiny + always-needed, so they stay inline in the consuming step rather than as assets -- avoids extra reads on the critical path.

<anti_patterns>

Flag/refuse these before proceeding:

• Fabricating or guessing a <test-name> / {IDENTIFIER} slug instead of confirming with the user (or stopping when underivable).
• Writing the project config or any per-session artifact to a shared agents/ path instead of the per-session feature plan folder (plans/ui-aqa-<test-name>/, plans/api-aqa-{IDENTIFIER}/, or plans/testgen-{TICKET-KEY}/) -- a shared path collides across parallel sessions and commits.
• Leaving a required config key absent instead of N/A -- <reason> -- a later grep silently misses an absent key.
• Inventing a non-canonical artifact path instead of binding to the layout reference verbatim.
• Loading both flows' layouts when only one applies (api-aqa-layout XOR ui-aqa-layout).

</anti_patterns>

</qa_structure>