BMAD Epic - Generate Epic File

Use the product-manager subagent to create a single epic file with user stories following BMAD methodology. This command is used to add NEW epics to existing backlog or regenerate existing epics.

When to Use This Command

Add NEW Epic (change request, new feature):

# 6 months after launch, need mobile app
/bmad:epic "Mobile App"
# → Creates EPIC-012-mobile-app.md

Regenerate Existing Epic (refinement):

/bmad:epic 3
# → Regenerates EPIC-003 with updated content

NOT used during /bmad:start - guided workflow generates all epics automatically.

Task Delegation

First check prerequisites, determine which epic to generate, then launch the product-manager subagent to handle the complete epic generation workflow.

Process

Step 1: Check Prerequisites

Require PRD:

ls bmad-backlog/prd/prd.md 2>/dev/null || echo "No PRD found"

If not found:

❌ Error: PRD required for epic generation

Please run: /bmad:prd
(Or /bmad:start for complete workflow)

Stop here - do not launch product-manager without PRD.

Check for Architecture (recommended):

ls bmad-backlog/architecture/architecture.md 2>/dev/null || echo "No architecture found"

If not found:

⚠️  Architecture not found

Epic generation works best with architecture (for technical notes).

Would you like to:
1. Generate architecture first (recommended): /bmad:architecture
2. Continue without architecture (epics will have minimal technical notes)
3. Cancel

Choose:

If user chooses 1: Run /bmad:architecture first, then continue If user chooses 2: Continue to Step 2 If user chooses 3: Exit gracefully

Step 2: Determine Epic to Generate

If user provided epic number:

# User ran: /bmad:epic 3

• Epic number = 3
• Store epic_identifier = "3"

If user provided epic name:

# User ran: /bmad:epic "Mobile App"

• Epic name = "Mobile App"
• Store epic_identifier = "Mobile App"

If user provided nothing:

• Ask: "Which epic would you like to generate?
  • Provide epic number (e.g., 1, 2, 3)
  • Or epic name for NEW epic (e.g., 'Mobile App')
  • Or 'all' to generate all epics from PRD"
• Wait for response
• Store epic_identifier

Step 3: Launch Product-Manager Subagent

Use the Task tool to launch the product-manager subagent in its own context window:

Task(
  description: "Generate BMAD epic with user stories",
  prompt: "Create comprehensive epic file following BMAD methodology.

Epic to Generate: {{epic_identifier}}

Input:
- PRD: bmad-backlog/prd/prd.md
- Architecture: bmad-backlog/architecture/architecture.md (if exists)

Output:
- Epic file: bmad-backlog/epics/EPIC-{num:03d}-{slug}.md
- Updated index: bmad-backlog/STORY-INDEX.md

Your workflow:

1. **Read inputs** to understand context:
   - Read bmad-backlog/prd/prd.md
   - Read bmad-backlog/architecture/architecture.md (if exists)
   - Extract epic definition and user stories

2. **Generate epic** using MCP tool:

mcp__plugin_titanium-toolkit_tt__bmad_generator( doc_type: "epic", input_path: "bmad-backlog/prd/prd.md bmad-backlog/architecture/architecture.md {{epic_identifier}}", project_path: "$(pwd)" )

3. **Review and present** epic summary:
- Read generated epic file
- Present title, priority, story count, story points
- Show story list
- Note if technical notes included/minimal

4. **Validate epic** using:

mcp__plugin_titanium-toolkit_tt__bmad_validator( doc_type: "epic", document_path: "bmad-backlog/epics/EPIC-{num}-{name}.md" )

5. **Update story index**:

mcp__plugin_titanium-toolkit_tt__bmad_generator( doc_type: "index", input_path: "bmad-backlog/epics/", project_path: "$(pwd)" )

6. **Run vibe-check** to validate epic quality

7. **Store in Pieces** for future reference

8. **Present summary** with next steps:
- If more epics in PRD: offer to generate next
- If this was last epic: show completion status
- If new epic not in PRD: suggest updating PRD

**IMPORTANT**: Keep your summary response VERY BRIEF (under 200 tokens). Just return:
- Confirmation epic is complete
- Epic title and number
- Story count
- Story points total

DO NOT include the full epic content in your response - it's already saved to the file.

Follow your complete epic workflow from the bmad-methodology skill.

Project path: $(pwd)",
subagent_type: "product-manager"
)

The product-manager subagent will handle:

• Reading PRD and Architecture
• Generating epic file (300-500 lines)
• Presenting epic summary
• Validation (structural and vibe-check)
• Updating story index
• Pieces storage
• Summary presentation with next steps

Step 4: Return Results

The product-manager will return a summary when complete. Present this to the user.

What the Product-Manager Creates

The product-manager subagent generates bmad-backlog/epics/EPIC-{num:03d}-{slug}.md containing:

• Epic Header: Owner, Priority, Sprint, Status, Effort
• Epic Description: What and why
• Business Value: Why this epic matters
• Success Criteria: Checkboxes for completion
• User Stories: STORY-{epic}-{num} format
  • Each with "As a... I want... so that..."
  • Acceptance criteria (checkboxes)
  • Technical notes (code examples from architecture)
• Dependencies: Blocks/blocked by relationships
• Risks & Mitigation: Potential issues and solutions
• Related Epics: Cross-references
• Definition of Done: Completion checklist

Also updates bmad-backlog/STORY-INDEX.md with new epic totals.

Epic Numbering

If adding new epic:

• Determines next epic number by counting existing epics
• New epic becomes EPIC-{next_num}-{slug}.md

If regenerating:

• Uses existing epic number
• Overwrites file
• Preserves filename

Integration

Standalone:

/bmad:epic 1
/bmad:epic 2
/bmad:epic 3

Part of /bmad:start:

• Guided workflow generates all epics automatically
• Loops through epic list from PRD
• Generates each sequentially

After Initial Backlog:

# 6 months later, need new feature
/bmad:epic "Mobile App"
# → Adds EPIC-012
# → Updates index
# → Ready to implement

Voice Feedback

Voice announces:

• "Generating epic" (when starting)
• "Epic {{num}} complete: {{story count}} stories" (when done)

Cost

Typical cost: ~$0.01 per epic (Claude Haiku 4.5 API usage in bmad_generator tool)

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This command delegates to the product-manager subagent who creates complete epic files with user stories!