Agent skill · operations · yonatangross
quality-gates
Task complexity scoring (1-5), escalation when stuck, and best-practice checks. Use before complex tasks or after repeated failed attempts.
Why this skill is useful
Adds a structured complexity assessment framework and escalation workflows that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 6k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-06. 215 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
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. --- 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 --- 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 The table above is the canonical rubric. Score with max(filecount, LOC, dependencycount, unknowns), not an average: one Level 5 axis makes the task Level 5. Run scripts/assess-complexity.md or scripts/analyze-codebase.sh <target> to measure the inputs. Blocking Thresholds Condition Threshold Action ----------- ----------- -------- YAGNI Gate Justified ratio > 2.0 BLOCK with simpler alternatives YAGNI Warning Justified ratio 1.5-2.0 WARN with simpler alternatives 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 The escalation protocol and gate decision logic are both in "Quick Reference" below. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills yonatangross/quality-gates--a2ea12