BMAD Index - Generate Story Index

Use the product-manager subagent to generate a STORY-INDEX.md file that summarizes all epics and user stories in the backlog. This provides a quick overview for sprint planning and progress tracking.

Purpose

Create a summary table showing:

• Total epics, stories, and story points
• Epic overview with story counts
• Per-epic story details
• Priority distribution
• Development phases

When to Use

• After /bmad:start completes (auto-generated)
• After adding new epic with /bmad:epic
• After manually editing epic files
• Want refreshed totals and summaries
• Planning sprints

Task Delegation

First check that epics exist, then launch the product-manager subagent to handle the complete index generation workflow.

Process

Step 1: Check for Epics

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

If no epics found:

❌ No epic files found

Story index requires epic files to summarize.

Please generate epics first:
- Run: /bmad:epic 1
- Or: /bmad:start (complete workflow)

Stop here - do not launch product-manager without epic files.

If epics found: Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Launch Product-Manager Subagent

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

Task(
  description: "Generate BMAD story index",
  prompt: "Create comprehensive story index summarizing all epics and user stories.

Input:
- Epic files: bmad-backlog/epics/EPIC-*.md

Output:
- Story index: bmad-backlog/STORY-INDEX.md

Your workflow:

1. **Generate story index** using MCP tool:

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

2. **Review generated index**:
- Read bmad-backlog/STORY-INDEX.md
- Extract totals (epics, stories, story points)
- Extract epic breakdown
- Extract priority distribution

3. **Present summary** with key metrics:
- Total epics, stories, story points
- Epic breakdown with story counts per epic
- Priority distribution (P0/P1/P2 percentages)
- Show sample from index (epic overview table)

4. **Run vibe-check** to validate index quality

5. **Store in Pieces** for future reference:
- Include index file
- Include all epic files
- Summarize totals and breakdown

6. **Suggest next steps**:
- Sprint planning guidance
- Implementation readiness
- Progress tracking tips

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

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

The product-manager subagent will handle:

• Scanning all epic files
• Generating story index
• Extracting and presenting totals
• Validation (vibe-check)
• Pieces storage
• Summary presentation with next steps

Step 3: 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/STORY-INDEX.md containing:

• Summary Statistics: Total epics, stories, story points
• Epic Overview Table: Epic ID, name, story count, points, status
• Per-Epic Story Details: All stories with IDs, titles, priorities
• Priority Distribution: P0/P1/P2 breakdown with percentages
• Development Phases: Logical grouping of epics
• Quick Reference: Key metrics for sprint planning

Error Handling

If No Epics Found

Handled in Step 1 - command exits gracefully with helpful message.

If Epic Files Malformed

The product-manager subagent will:

• Report which files couldn't be parsed
• Generate index from parseable epics only
• Offer to help fix malformed files

Voice Feedback

Voice announces:

• "Generating story index" (when starting)
• "Story index complete: {{N}} epics, {{M}} stories" (when done)

Example Usage

Example 1: After Epic Generation

User: /bmad:epic 1
[Epic 1 generated]
User: /bmad:epic 2
[Epic 2 generated]
User: /bmad:index

Product-Manager:
- Scans epics/
- Finds 2 epics
- Counts stories
- Generates index
- "Index complete: 2 epics, 18 stories, 75 story points"

Example 2: After Manual Edits

User: [Edits EPIC-003.md, adds more stories]
User: /bmad:index

Product-Manager:
- Rescans all epics
- Updates totals
- "Index updated: 5 epics, 52 stories (was 45), 210 points (was 180)"

Example 3: Sprint Planning

User: /bmad:index

Product-Manager:
- Generates index
- "Total: 148 stories, 634 points"
- "P0 stories: 98 (65%)"

Integration

Auto-generated by:

• /bmad:start (after all epics created)
• /bmad:epic (after each epic)

Manually run:

• After editing epic files
• Before sprint planning
• To refresh totals

Used by:

• Project managers for planning
• Developers for understanding scope
• Stakeholders for status updates

Cost

Typical cost: ~$0.01 (minimal - just parsing and formatting, using Claude Haiku 4.5)

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This command delegates to the product-manager subagent who creates the 30,000-foot view of your entire backlog!