Qa Structure

---
name: qa-structure
description: "To resolve QA session paths, identifiers/slugs, and state-file shape"
---

<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>

<resources>

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.

</resources>

<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>