Cut to a shippable slice

---
name: spec-cut
description: "Applies “Cut to a shippable slice” as a repeatable product-quality gate. Use during spec work when scope is a knife: one thin, end-to-end slice a user can finish."
---

# Cut to a shippable slice

Apply this skill during **Spec** work. It supports Any stack.

Scope is a knife: one thin, end-to-end slice a user can finish.

## Instructions

Turn this idea into the thinnest end-to-end slice a real user can complete. Write acceptance criteria as concrete, testable sentences ('given X, when Y, then Z'). List everything cut under 'Later' so scope loss is explicit and recoverable. Reject horizontal slices ('build the database first') — every slice must touch UI, logic, and data. If the slice can't ship within days, propose the next cut and say what it costs.

## Detect the problem

- 'Build the backend first' phase plans
- Acceptance criteria that say 'works well'
- A 'quick MVP' already three weeks long

## Hold the gate

Do not declare this phase complete until every item passes:

- [ ] The slice is end-to-end (UI → logic → data), not a horizontal layer
- [ ] A named user can complete one real task start-to-finish
- [ ] Acceptance criteria are testable sentences, not vibes
- [ ] Everything deferred is listed under 'later' — visible, not forgotten
- [ ] The slice ships in days, not weeks; if not, cut again

## Verify the result

Walk the slice on paper as the named user: every step from open to done exists in the spec.