Checklists Reference
Checklists define quality criteria that artifacts are evaluated against during review gates. Each checklist item is scored as PASS, WARN, or FAIL. Checklists are stored in .sniper/checklists/ as markdown files.
Available Checklists
Phase Checklists
These checklists evaluate artifacts produced by lifecycle phases.
| Checklist | File | Used By | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover Review | discover-review.md | /sniper-review after discover | Evaluates brief, risks, and personas |
| Plan Review | plan-review.md | /sniper-review after plan | Evaluates PRD, architecture, UX spec, security doc |
| Story Review | story-review.md | /sniper-review after solve | Evaluates epic and story quality |
| Sprint Review | sprint-review.md | /sniper-review after sprint | Evaluates code, tests, and implementation quality |
| Doc Review | doc-review.md | /sniper-review after doc | Evaluates documentation completeness and accuracy |
Extended Checklists
These checklists support specialized workflows.
| Checklist | File | Used By | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature Review | feature-review.md | Feature lifecycle | Evaluates scoped feature artifacts |
| Ingest Review | ingest-review.md | /sniper-ingest | Evaluates reverse-engineered artifacts |
| Debug Review | debug-review.md | /sniper-debug | Evaluates investigation and fix quality |
| Code Review | code-review.md | /sniper-audit review | Evaluates code quality in PR reviews |
| Refactor Review | refactor-review.md | /sniper-audit refactor | Evaluates refactoring scope and safety |
| Test Review | test-review.md | /sniper-audit tests | Evaluates test coverage and quality |
| Security Review | security-review.md | /sniper-audit security | Evaluates security posture and vulnerabilities |
| Perf Review | perf-review.md | /sniper-audit performance | Evaluates performance profiling and optimizations |
| Memory Review | memory-review.md | Memory operations | Evaluates memory entry quality |
| Workspace Review | workspace-review.md | Workspace operations | Evaluates cross-repo contract compliance |
Checklist Format
Each checklist is a markdown file with checkbox items organized by category:
markdown
# Plan Review Checklist
## PRD Quality
- [ ] All user stories have Given/When/Then acceptance criteria
- [ ] Non-functional requirements are quantified (response times, uptime)
- [ ] Edge cases and error scenarios are documented
## Architecture Completeness
- [ ] System context diagram exists
- [ ] All external integrations are specified
- [ ] Data model covers all entities from PRD
## Cross-Document Consistency
- [ ] Architecture addresses all PRD requirements
- [ ] UX spec references match architecture API endpointsEvaluation Scoring
During a review gate, each checklist item receives a score:
| Score | Meaning | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| PASS | Criterion is fully met | No action needed |
| WARN | Criterion is partially met or needs attention | Noted for review; does not block in flexible mode |
| FAIL | Criterion is not met | Blocks advancement in strict mode |
Gate Modes
How checklist results affect phase advancement depends on the gate mode:
- Strict -- any FAIL blocks advancement; requires explicit human approval
- Flexible -- auto-advances if no FAIL items; warnings are noted for async review
- Auto -- no evaluation performed; phase advances immediately
Domain Pack Checklists
Domain packs can provide additional checklists that are appended to phase review gates. Pack checklist items are evaluated alongside standard items. See Domain Packs for details.
Related
- Review Gates -- how checklists are used in the review process
- Configuration -- setting gate modes per phase
- Teams -- gate configuration in team YAML files