quality-gates

# Quality Gates

This skill teaches agents how to assess task complexity, enforce quality gates, and prevent wasted work on incomplete or poorly-defined tasks.

**Key Principle:** Stop and clarify before proceeding with incomplete information. Better to ask questions than to waste cycles on the wrong solution.

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## Overview

### Auto-Activate Triggers
- Receiving a new task assignment
- Starting a complex feature implementation
- Before allocating work in Squad mode
- When requirements seem unclear or incomplete
- After 3 failed attempts at the same task
- When blocked by dependencies

### Manual Activation
- User asks for complexity assessment
- Planning a multi-step project
- Before committing to a timeline

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## Core Concepts

### Complexity Scoring (1-5 Scale)

| Level | Files | Lines | Time | Characteristics |
|-------|-------|-------|------|-----------------|
| 1 - Trivial | 1 | < 50 | < 30 min | No deps, no unknowns |
| 2 - Simple | 1-3 | 50-200 | 30 min - 2 hr | 0-1 deps, minimal unknowns |
| 3 - Moderate | 3-10 | 200-500 | 2-8 hr | 2-3 deps, some unknowns |
| 4 - Complex | 10-25 | 500-1500 | 8-24 hr | 4-6 deps, significant unknowns |
| 5 - Very Complex | 25+ | 1500+ | 24+ hr | 7+ deps, many unknowns |

**See:** `references/complexity-scoring.md` for detailed examples and assessment formulas.

### Blocking Thresholds

| Condition | Threshold | Action |
|-----------|-----------|--------|
| Critical Questions | > 3 unanswered | BLOCK |
| Missing Dependencies | Any blocking | BLOCK |
| Failed Attempts | >= 3 | BLOCK & ESCALATE |
| Evidence Failure | 2 fix attempts | BLOCK |
| Complexity Overflow | Level 4-5 no plan | BLOCK |

**WARNING Conditions** (proceed with caution):
- Level 3 complexity
- 1-2 unanswered questions
- 1-2 failed attempts

**See:** `references/blocking-thresholds.md` for escalation protocols and decision logic.

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## References

### Complexity Scoring
**See:** `references/complexity-scoring.md`

Key topics covered:
- Detailed Level