gstack/plan-devex-review/sections/review-sections.md.tmpl

## Review Sections (8 passes, after Step 0 is complete)

**Anti-skip rule:** Never condense, abbreviate, or skip any review pass (1-8) regardless of plan type (strategy, spec, code, infra). Every pass in this skill exists for a reason. "This is a strategy doc so DX passes don't apply" is always wrong — DX gaps are where adoption breaks down. If a pass genuinely has zero findings, say "No issues found" and move on — but you must evaluate it.

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### DX Trend Check

Before starting review passes, check for prior DX reviews on this project:

```bash
eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-review-read 2>/dev/null | grep plan-devex-review || echo "NO_PRIOR_DX_REVIEWS"
```

If prior reviews exist, display the trend:
```
DX TREND (prior reviews):
  Dimension        | Prior Score | Notes
  Getting Started  | 4/10        | from 2026-03-15
  ...
```

### Pass 1: Getting Started Experience (Zero Friction)

Rate 0-10: Can a developer go from zero to hello world in under 5 minutes?

**Evidence recall:** Reference the competitive benchmark from 0C (target tier), the
magical moment from 0D (delivery vehicle), and any Install/Hello World friction
points from 0F.

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 1" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Evaluate:
- **Installation**: One command? One click? No prerequisites?
- **First run**: Does the first command produce visible, meaningful output?
- **Sandbox/Playground**: Can developers try before installing?
- **Free tier**: No credit card, no sales call, no company email?
- **Quick start guide**: Copy-paste complete? Shows real output?
- **Auth/credential bootstrapping**: How many steps between "I want to try" and "it works"?
- **Magical moment delivery**: Is the vehicle chosen in 0D actually in the plan?
- **Competitive gap**: How far is the TTHW from the target tier chosen in 0C?

FIX TO 10: Write the ideal getting started sequence. Specify exact commands,
expected output, and time budget per step. Target: 3 steps or fewer, under the
time chosen in 0C.

Stripe test: Can a [persona from 0A] go from "never heard of this" to "it worked"
in one terminal session without leaving the terminal?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY. Reference the persona.

### Pass 2: API/CLI/SDK Design (Usable + Useful)

Rate 0-10: Is the interface intuitive, consistent, and complete?

**Evidence recall:** Does the API surface match [persona from 0A]'s mental model?
A YC founder expects `tool.do(thing)`. A platform engineer expects
`tool.configure(options).execute(thing)`.

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 2" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Evaluate:
- **Naming**: Guessable without docs? Consistent grammar?
- **Defaults**: Every parameter has a sensible default? Simplest call gives useful result?
- **Consistency**: Same patterns across the entire API surface?
- **Completeness**: 100% coverage or do devs drop to raw HTTP for edge cases?
- **Discoverability**: Can devs explore from CLI/playground without docs?
- **Reliability/trust**: Latency, retries, rate limits, idempotency, offline behavior?
- **Progressive disclosure**: Simple case is production-ready, complexity revealed gradually?
- **Persona fit**: Does the interface match how [persona] thinks about the problem?

Good API design test: Can a [persona] use this API correctly after seeing one example?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY.

### Pass 3: Error Messages & Debugging (Fight Uncertainty)

Rate 0-10: When something goes wrong, does the developer know what happened, why,
and how to fix it?

**Evidence recall:** Reference any error-related friction points from 0F and confusion
points from 0G.

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 3" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

**Trace 3 specific error paths** from the plan or codebase. For each, evaluate against
the three-tier system from the Hall of Fame:
- **Tier 1 (Elm):** Conversational, first person, exact location, suggested fix
- **Tier 2 (Rust):** Error code links to tutorial, primary + secondary labels, help section
- **Tier 3 (Stripe API):** Structured JSON with type, code, message, param, doc_url

For each error path, show what the developer currently sees vs. what they should see.

Also evaluate:
- **Permission/sandbox/safety model**: What can go wrong? How clear is the blast radius?
- **Debug mode**: Verbose output available?
- **Stack traces**: Useful or internal framework noise?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY.

### Pass 4: Documentation & Learning (Findable + Learn by Doing)

Rate 0-10: Can a developer find what they need and learn by doing?

**Evidence recall:** Does the docs architecture match [persona from 0A]'s learning
style? A YC founder needs copy-paste examples front and center. A platform engineer
needs architecture docs and API reference.

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 4" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Evaluate:
- **Information architecture**: Find what they need in under 2 minutes?
- **Progressive disclosure**: Beginners see simple, experts find advanced?
- **Code examples**: Copy-paste complete? Work as-is? Real context?
- **Interactive elements**: Playgrounds, sandboxes, "try it" buttons?
- **Versioning**: Docs match the version dev is using?
- **Tutorials vs references**: Both exist?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY.

### Pass 5: Upgrade & Migration Path (Credible)

Rate 0-10: Can developers upgrade without fear?

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 5" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Evaluate:
- **Backward compatibility**: What breaks? Blast radius limited?
- **Deprecation warnings**: Advance notice? Actionable? ("use newMethod() instead")
- **Migration guides**: Step-by-step for every breaking change?
- **Codemods**: Automated migration scripts?
- **Versioning strategy**: Semantic versioning? Clear policy?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY.

### Pass 6: Developer Environment & Tooling (Valuable + Accessible)

Rate 0-10: Does this integrate into developers' existing workflows?

**Evidence recall:** Does local dev setup work for [persona from 0A]'s typical
environment?

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 6" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Evaluate:
- **Editor integration**: Language server? Autocomplete? Inline docs?
- **CI/CD**: Works in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI? Non-interactive mode?
- **TypeScript support**: Types included? Good IntelliSense?
- **Testing support**: Easy to mock? Test utilities?
- **Local development**: Hot reload? Watch mode? Fast feedback?
- **Cross-platform**: Mac, Linux, Windows? Docker? ARM/x86?
- **Local env reproducibility**: Works across OS, package managers, containers, proxies?
- **Observability/testability**: Dry-run mode? Verbose output? Sample apps? Fixtures?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY.

### Pass 7: Community & Ecosystem (Findable + Desirable)

Rate 0-10: Is there a community, and does the plan invest in ecosystem health?

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 7" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Evaluate:
- **Open source**: Code open? Permissive license?
- **Community channels**: Where do devs ask questions? Someone answering?
- **Examples**: Real-world, runnable? Not just hello world?
- **Plugin/extension ecosystem**: Can devs extend it?
- **Contributing guide**: Process clear?
- **Pricing transparency**: No surprise bills?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY.

### Pass 8: DX Measurement & Feedback Loops (Implement + Refine)

Rate 0-10: Does the plan include ways to measure and improve DX over time?

Load reference: Read the "## Pass 8" section from `~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Evaluate:
- **TTHW tracking**: Can you measure getting started time? Is it instrumented?
- **Journey analytics**: Where do devs drop off?
- **Feedback mechanisms**: Bug reports? NPS? Feedback button?
- **Friction audits**: Periodic reviews planned?
- **Boomerang readiness**: Will /devex-review be able to measure reality vs. plan?

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion once per issue. Recommend + WHY.

### Appendix: Claude Code Skill DX Checklist

**Conditional: only run when product type includes "Claude Code skill".**

This is NOT a scored pass. It's a checklist of proven patterns from gstack's own DX.

Load reference: Read the "## Claude Code Skill DX Checklist" section from
`~/.claude/skills/gstack/plan-devex-review/dx-hall-of-fame.md`.

Check each item. For any unchecked item, explain what's missing and suggest the fix.

**STOP.** AskUserQuestion for any item that requires a design decision.

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When constructing the outside voice prompt, include the Developer Persona from Step 0A
and the Competitive Benchmark from Step 0C. The outside voice should critique the plan
in the context of who is using it and what they're competing against.

## CRITICAL RULE — How to ask questions

Follow the AskUserQuestion format from the Preamble above. Additional rules for
DX reviews:

* **One issue = one AskUserQuestion call.** Never combine multiple issues.
* **Ground every question in evidence.** Reference the persona, competitive benchmark,
  empathy narrative, or friction trace. Never ask a question in the abstract.
* **Frame pain from the persona's perspective.** Not "developers would be frustrated"
  but "[persona from 0A] would hit this at minute [N] of their getting-started flow
  and [specific consequence: abandon, file an issue, hack a workaround]."
* Present 2-3 options. For each: effort to fix, impact on developer adoption.
* **Map to DX First Principles above.** One sentence connecting your recommendation
  to a specific principle (e.g., "This violates 'zero friction at T0' because
  [persona] needs 3 extra config steps before their first API call").
* **Zero findings:** if a section has zero findings, state "No issues, moving on"
  and proceed. Otherwise, use AskUserQuestion for each gap — a gap with an
  "obvious fix" is still a gap and still needs user approval before any change
  lands in the plan.
* Assume the user hasn't looked at this window in 20 minutes. Re-ground every question.

## Required Outputs

### Developer Persona Card
The persona card from Step 0A. This goes at the top of the plan's DX section.

### Developer Empathy Narrative
The first-person narrative from Step 0B, updated with user corrections.

### Competitive DX Benchmark
The benchmark table from Step 0C, updated with the product's post-review scores.

### Magical Moment Specification
The chosen delivery vehicle from Step 0D with implementation requirements.

### Developer Journey Map
The journey map from Step 0F, updated with all friction point resolutions.

### First-Time Developer Confusion Report
The roleplay report from Step 0G, annotated with which items were addressed.

### "NOT in scope" section
DX improvements considered and explicitly deferred, with one-line rationale each.

### "What already exists" section
Existing docs, examples, error handling, and DX patterns that the plan should reuse.

### TODOS.md updates
After all review passes are complete, present each potential TODO as its own individual
AskUserQuestion. Never batch. For DX debt: missing error messages, unspecified upgrade
paths, documentation gaps, missing SDK languages. Each TODO gets:
* **What:** One-line description
* **Why:** The concrete developer pain it causes
* **Pros:** What you gain (adoption, retention, satisfaction)
* **Cons:** Cost, complexity, or risks
* **Context:** Enough detail for someone to pick this up in 3 months
* **Depends on / blocked by:** Prerequisites

Options: **A)** Add to TODOS.md **B)** Skip **C)** Build it now

### DX Scorecard

```
+====================================================================+
|              DX PLAN REVIEW — SCORECARD                             |
+====================================================================+
| Dimension            | Score  | Prior  | Trend  |
|----------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| Getting Started      | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
| API/CLI/SDK          | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
| Error Messages       | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
| Documentation        | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
| Upgrade Path         | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
| Dev Environment      | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
| Community            | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
| DX Measurement       | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TTHW                 | __ min | __ min | __ ↑↓  |
| Competitive Rank     | [Champion/Competitive/Needs Work/Red Flag]   |
| Magical Moment       | [designed/missing] via [delivery vehicle]    |
| Product Type         | [type]                                      |
| Mode                 | [EXPANSION/POLISH/TRIAGE]                    |
| Overall DX           | __/10  | __/10  | __ ↑↓  |
+====================================================================+
| DX PRINCIPLE COVERAGE                                               |
| Zero Friction      | [covered/gap]                                  |
| Learn by Doing     | [covered/gap]                                  |
| Fight Uncertainty  | [covered/gap]                                  |
| Opinionated + Escape Hatches | [covered/gap]                       |
| Code in Context    | [covered/gap]                                  |
| Magical Moments    | [covered/gap]                                  |
+====================================================================+
```

If all passes 8+: "DX plan is solid. Developers will have a good experience."
If any below 6: Flag as critical DX debt with specific impact on adoption.
If TTHW > 10 min: Flag as blocking issue.

### DX Implementation Checklist

```
DX IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST
============================
[ ] Time to hello world < [target from 0C]
[ ] Installation is one command
[ ] First run produces meaningful output
[ ] Magical moment delivered via [vehicle from 0D]
[ ] Every error message has: problem + cause + fix + docs link
[ ] API/CLI naming is guessable without docs
[ ] Every parameter has a sensible default
[ ] Docs have copy-paste examples that actually work
[ ] Examples show real use cases, not just hello world
[ ] Upgrade path documented with migration guide
[ ] Breaking changes have deprecation warnings + codemods
[ ] TypeScript types included (if applicable)
[ ] Works in CI/CD without special configuration
[ ] Free tier available, no credit card required
[ ] Changelog exists and is maintained
[ ] Search works in documentation
[ ] Community channel exists and is monitored
```

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### Unresolved Decisions
If any AskUserQuestion goes unanswered, note here. Never silently default.

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## Next Steps — Review Chaining

After displaying the Review Readiness Dashboard, recommend next reviews:

**Recommend /plan-eng-review if eng review is not skipped globally** — DX issues often
have architectural implications. If this DX review found API design problems, error
handling gaps, or CLI ergonomics issues, eng review should validate the fixes.

**Suggest /plan-design-review if user-facing UI exists** — DX review focuses on
developer-facing surfaces; design review covers end-user-facing UI.

**Recommend /devex-review after implementation** — the boomerang. Plan said TTHW would
be [target from 0C]. Did reality match? Run /devex-review on the live product to find
out. This is where the competitive benchmark pays off: you have a concrete target to
measure against.

Use AskUserQuestion with applicable options:
- **A)** Run /plan-eng-review next (required gate)
- **B)** Run /plan-design-review (only if UI scope detected)
- **C)** Ready to implement, run /devex-review after shipping
- **D)** Skip, I'll handle next steps manually

## Mode Quick Reference
```
             | DX EXPANSION     | DX POLISH          | DX TRIAGE
Scope        | Push UP (opt-in) | Maintain           | Critical only
Posture      | Enthusiastic     | Rigorous           | Surgical
Competitive  | Full benchmark   | Full benchmark     | Skip
Magical      | Full design      | Verify exists      | Skip
Journey      | All stages +     | All stages         | Install + Hello
             | best-in-class    |                    | World only
Passes       | All 8, expanded  | All 8, standard    | Pass 1 + 3 only
Outside voice| Recommended      | Recommended        | Skip
```

## Formatting Rules

* NUMBER issues (1, 2, 3...) and LETTERS for options (A, B, C...).
* Label with NUMBER + LETTER (e.g., "3A", "3B").
* One sentence max per option.
* After each pass, pause and wait for feedback before moving on.
* Rate before and after each pass for scannability.