fix(create-story): read UPDATE files before generating dev notes

[pablontiv]

What

Adds a step at the end of Step 3 (Architecture analysis) in bmad-create-story/workflow.md that reads every file marked UPDATE in the architecture directory structure before generating dev notes.

Why

When a story modifies existing files, the dev agent currently has no knowledge of their current state — it only knows planning artifacts. This leads to improvised design decisions at implementation time, which code review then catches as regressions. A story implementation must leave the system working end-to-end, not just satisfy its stated ACs.

How

• Identified the gap in Step 3 (Architecture analysis)
• Added a <critical> block and two <action> items after the existing architecture extraction
• Each UPDATE file is read completely; dev notes document current state, what changes, and what to preserve
• Validated with project lint scripts (0 new findings)

Testing

Applied locally to a brownfield React Native project. First story using the updated skill correctly read _layout.tsx before generating dev notes, documenting the existing auth guard and share-intent integration that the story needed to preserve.

Fixes #2273

[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The workflow documentation for create-story Step 3 has been updated to add guardrail instructions mandating that developers identify all architecture directory files marked UPDATE (excluding NEW), read each completely, and record dev notes documenting current state, story-specific changes, and preserved behaviors. An explicit requirement for end-to-end system functionality has also been added.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Workflow guardrails src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-create-story/workflow.md	Added mandatory guardrail instructions to Step 3 requiring identification and complete reading of all UPDATE-marked architecture files, documentation of current behavior/state, story changes, and preservation requirements in dev notes. Includes non-optional requirement to ensure end-to-end system functionality.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~10 minutes

Possibly related PRs

• fix(quick-dev): replace role statement with step-following mandate #2045: Both PRs strengthen workflow guardrails—this PR adds specific Step 3 requirements for reading UPDATE files while the related PR adds a global mandate for strict step file adherence.
• refactor: convert create-story workflow.yaml to workflow.md (step 7) #1862: Both PRs modify the create-story workflow's Step 3 "Architecture analysis" guardrails—the related PR defines the step while this PR adds concrete requirements for UPDATE file handling and end-to-end functionality.

Suggested reviewers

• pbean
• cecil-the-coder
• muratkeremozcan

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title accurately summarizes the main change: adding a step to read UPDATE files before generating dev notes in the create-story workflow.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description is clearly related to the changeset, explaining the what, why, how, and testing of the update to the create-story workflow.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The PR directly addresses all objectives from issue #2273: reads UPDATE files before generating dev notes, documents current state and changes, prevents improvisation, and modifies Step 3 in the workflow.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are scoped to the create-story workflow enhancement; no unrelated modifications are present in the changeset.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

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✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

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[coderabbitai]

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-create-story/workflow.md (1)

278-280: Consider simplifying "whether or not" to "whether".

The critical note about end-to-end functionality is an important guardrail. One minor style refinement: line 280's "whether or not" could be shortened to just "whether" for conciseness, unless you specifically want to emphasize "regardless of whether."

✨ Optional style improvement

   <critical>A story implementation must leave the system working end-to-end — not just satisfy its stated ACs.
-  If a behavior is required for the feature to work correctly in the existing system, it is a requirement
-  whether or not it is explicitly written in the story. The dev agent owns this.</critical>
+  If a behavior is required for the feature to work correctly in the existing system, it is a requirement
+  whether it is explicitly written in the story. The dev agent owns this.</critical>

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.

In `@src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-create-story/workflow.md` around lines
278 - 280, Replace the phrase "whether or not" with "whether" in the critical
note inside the critical block of workflow.md (the sentence beginning "If a
behavior is required for the feature to work correctly..."); update the text in
that critical block so it reads "whether it is explicitly written in the story"
to improve conciseness, unless you intentionally want the extra emphasis, in
which case leave it unchanged.

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.

Nitpick comments:
In `@src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-create-story/workflow.md`:
- Around line 278-280: Replace the phrase "whether or not" with "whether" in the
critical note inside the critical block of workflow.md (the sentence beginning
"If a behavior is required for the feature to work correctly..."); update the
text in that critical block so it reads "whether it is explicitly written in the
story" to improve conciseness, unless you intentionally want the extra emphasis,
in which case leave it unchanged.

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ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: fafe83a4-2d3e-43c1-a071-d6c7c76655c5

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 6b964ac and 5af1b20.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-create-story/workflow.md