fix(bmm): resolve dead references and syntax errors in agents and workflows

[joyshmitz]

Summary

• Fix XML syntax error in dev-story/instructions.xml:20 (invalid <goto> element)
• Fix path typo in tech-writer.agent.yaml (_bmadbmm → _bmad/bmm)
• Fix wrong route in analyst.agent.yaml (edit-agent → party-mode)
• Comment out unimplemented validate-create-story in sm.agent.yaml
• Comment out unimplemented validate-design in ux-designer.agent.yaml
• Remove misleading validate-create-story reference from create-story output

Root Cause

The validate-workflow: handler type is not recognized by the workflow engine. Menu items using this handler fail silently.

Testing

Verified that:

1. All corrected paths point to existing files
2. YAML syntax is valid after changes
3. XML syntax is valid after goto fix

Related Issues

• Fixes Not found /bmad:bmm:workflows:validate-create-story #1075 (validate-create-story not found)
• Related to [BUG] Multiple dead references and syntax errors in BMM agents/workflows #1163 (systematic audit findings)

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[joyshmitz]

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Walkthrough

This PR makes targeted corrections and cleanup to agent configurations and workflow instructions. It updates routing paths in analyst and tech-writer agents, removes unimplemented validate-create-story triggers from sm and ux-designer agents, eliminates the quality competition section from create-story instructions, and fixes goto syntax in dev-story instructions.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Change Summary
Agent Configuration Updates src/modules/bmm/agents/analyst.agent.yaml, src/modules/bmm/agents/tech-writer.agent.yaml	Updated routing paths: analyst party-mode route changed from edit-agent to party-mode workflow; tech-writer trigger-standard-guide path corrected from typo path to proper path.
Trigger Removals src/modules/bmm/agents/sm.agent.yaml, src/modules/bmm/agents/ux-designer.agent.yaml	Removed active validate-create-story and validate-design triggers respectively, replaced with commented TODO notes and GitHub issue references indicating unimplemented features.
Workflow Instructions src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/create-story/instructions.xml	Removed Optional Quality Competition and Quality Competition Option section, including validate-create-story command description and interactive outputs, streamlining Next Steps section.
Syntax Fix src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/dev-story/instructions.xml	Updated goto anchor syntax from <goto> anchor with id task_check</goto> to <goto anchor="task_check" />.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~10 minutes

• Verify routing path changes are correct (analyst.agent.yaml party-mode and tech-writer path)
• Confirm trigger removals align with issue #1075 and don't create broken references
• Validate goto syntax change is compatible with workflow engine

Possibly related issues

• [BUG] Multiple dead references and syntax errors in BMM agents/workflows #1163: Directly related at code level—fixes the same goto syntax in dev-story, corrects tech-writer path typo, and removes validate-create-story references.

Possibly related PRs

• fix(bmm): remove stale 'drafted' story state from docs and workflows #1107: Related feature change—modifies create-story and validate-create-story workflow; this PR removes the validate-create-story trigger while #1107 refactors it to optional.
• fix(bmm): normalize story status references to lowercase kebab-case #1108: Code-level overlap—both modify src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/dev-story/instructions.xml; this PR fixes goto syntax while #1108 modifies status labels.

Suggested reviewers

• muratkeremozcan
• pbean
• bmadcode

Pre-merge checks and finishing touches

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title accurately summarizes the main changes: fixing dead references and syntax errors in the bmm module agents and workflows.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description is well-related to the changeset, providing a clear summary of fixes, root cause analysis, testing verification, and related issue references.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The PR successfully addresses issue #1075 by removing references to the unimplemented validate-create-story handler and commenting out unimplemented triggers, eliminating workflow resolution errors.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are directly related to fixing dead references and syntax errors as required by the linked issues; no unrelated modifications were introduced.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between e39aa33 and 0992267.

📒 Files selected for processing (6)

• src/modules/bmm/agents/analyst.agent.yaml (1 hunks)
• src/modules/bmm/agents/sm.agent.yaml (1 hunks)
• src/modules/bmm/agents/tech-writer.agent.yaml (1 hunks)
• src/modules/bmm/agents/ux-designer.agent.yaml (1 hunks)
• src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/create-story/instructions.xml (1 hunks)
• src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/dev-story/instructions.xml (1 hunks)

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📓 Path-based instructions (1)

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Files:

• src/modules/bmm/agents/ux-designer.agent.yaml
• src/modules/bmm/agents/analyst.agent.yaml
• src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/dev-story/instructions.xml
• src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/create-story/instructions.xml
• src/modules/bmm/agents/tech-writer.agent.yaml
• src/modules/bmm/agents/sm.agent.yaml

🔇 Additional comments (7)

src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/dev-story/instructions.xml (1)

20-20: LGTM: XML syntax fix is correct.

The attribute-based <goto anchor="task_check" /> syntax properly resolves the XML syntax error mentioned in the PR objectives. This is the standard XML approach for anchor references.

src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/create-story/instructions.xml (2)

337-338: Next Steps cleanup looks good.

The removal of the validate-create-story reference from the Next Steps section appropriately reflects that this workflow is not yet implemented.

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43-43: Fix file path and line references for validate-create-story cleanup.

The incomplete removal of validate-create-story references exists, but the review points to the wrong file. References appear in src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/dev-story/instructions.xml (lines 43, 47, 57, 91, 101) and create-story/template.md (line 5), not in create-story/instructions.xml as claimed. These references should be removed or commented out since the workflow is unimplemented.

Likely an incorrect or invalid review comment.

src/modules/bmm/agents/tech-writer.agent.yaml (1)

57-57: LGTM: Path typo corrected.

The path correction from _bmadbmm to _bmad/bmm fixes the typo and aligns with the proper module structure. Per the PR description, the corrected path has been verified to exist.

src/modules/bmm/agents/analyst.agent.yaml (1)

46-46: LGTM: Route correction aligns trigger with workflow.

The route now correctly points to the party-mode workflow, matching the trigger name. The previous edit-agent route was incorrect.

src/modules/bmm/agents/ux-designer.agent.yaml (1)

30-35: LGTM: Proper handling of unimplemented feature.

Commenting out the validate-design trigger with a clear TODO, issue reference, and root cause explanation is the appropriate approach. This prevents users from attempting to use an unimplemented feature while preserving the configuration for future implementation.

src/modules/bmm/agents/sm.agent.yaml (1)

35-40: LGTM: Proper handling of unimplemented feature.

Commenting out the validate-create-story trigger with clear documentation is appropriate and consistent with the approach used in ux-designer.agent.yaml. The TODO, issue reference, and root cause explanation help future maintainers understand why this feature is disabled.

Note: As flagged in create-story/instructions.xml, there are still active references to this unimplemented workflow in the instruction files that should be addressed for consistency.

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[bmadcode]

good finds here, thanks @joyshmitz

[dlukt]

The same is true for bmgd