feat(workflows): add brownfield epic scoping to detect file churn (#1823) (#1826)

Add design completeness gate, file overlap check, and validation
to prevent unnecessary file churn when epics target the same component.

src/bmm-skills/3-solutioning/bmad-create-epics-and-stories/steps/step-02-design-epics.md

@@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ Load {planning_artifacts}/epics.md and review:
 2. **Requirements Grouping**: Group related FRs that deliver cohesive user outcomes
 3. **Incremental Delivery**: Each epic should deliver value independently
 4. **Logical Flow**: Natural progression from user's perspective
-5. **🔗 Dependency-Free Within Epic**: Stories within an epic must NOT depend on future stories
+5. **Dependency-Free Within Epic**: Stories within an epic must NOT depend on future stories
+6. **Implementation Efficiency**: Consider consolidating epics that all modify the same core files into fewer epics
 
 **⚠️ CRITICAL PRINCIPLE:**
 Organize by USER VALUE, not technical layers:
@@ -74,6 +75,18 @@ Organize by USER VALUE, not technical layers:
 - Epic 3: Frontend Components (creates reusable components) - **No user value**
 - Epic 4: Deployment Pipeline (CI/CD setup) - **No user value**
 
+**❌ WRONG Epic Examples (File Churn on Same Component):**
+
+- Epic 1: File Upload (modifies model, controller, web form, web API)
+- Epic 2: File Status (modifies model, controller, web form, web API)
+- Epic 3: File Access permissions (modifies model, controller, web form, web API)
+- All three epics touch the same files — consolidate into one epic with ordered stories
+
+**✅ CORRECT Alternative:**
+
+- Epic 1: File Management Enhancement (upload, status, permissions as stories within one epic)
+- Rationale: Single component, fully pre-designed, no feedback loop between epics
+
 **🔗 DEPENDENCY RULES:**
 
 - Each epic must deliver COMPLETE functionality for its domain
@@ -82,21 +95,38 @@ Organize by USER VALUE, not technical layers:
 
 ### 3. Design Epic Structure Collaboratively
 
-**Step A: Identify User Value Themes**
+**Step A: Assess Context and Identify Themes**
+
+First, assess how much of the solution design is already validated (Architecture, UX, Test Design).
+When the outcome is certain and direction changes between epics are unlikely, prefer fewer but larger epics.
+Split into multiple epics when there is a genuine risk boundary or when early feedback could change direction
+of following epics.
+
+Then, identify user value themes:
 
 - Look for natural groupings in the FRs
 - Identify user journeys or workflows
 - Consider user types and their goals
 
 **Step B: Propose Epic Structure**
-For each proposed epic:
+
+For each proposed epic (considering whether epics share the same core files):
 
 1. **Epic Title**: User-centric, value-focused
 2. **User Outcome**: What users can accomplish after this epic
 3. **FR Coverage**: Which FR numbers this epic addresses
 4. **Implementation Notes**: Any technical or UX considerations
 
-**Step C: Create the epics_list**
+**Step C: Review for File Overlap**
+
+Assess whether multiple proposed epics repeatedly target the same core files. If overlap is significant:
+
+- Distinguish meaningful overlap (same component end-to-end) from incidental sharing
+- Ask whether to consolidate into one epic with ordered stories
+- If confirmed, merge the epic FRs into a single epic, preserving dependency flow: each story must still fit within
+  a single dev agent's context
+
+**Step D: Create the epics_list**
 
 Format the epics_list as:
 

src/bmm-skills/3-solutioning/bmad-create-epics-and-stories/steps/step-04-final-validation.md

@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@ Review the complete epic and story breakdown to ensure EVERY FR is covered:
 - Dependencies flow naturally
 - Foundation stories only setup what's needed
 - No big upfront technical work
+- **File Churn Check:** Do multiple epics repeatedly modify the same core files?
+  - Assess whether the overlap pattern suggests unnecessary churn or is incidental
+  - If overlap is significant: Validate that splitting provides genuine value (risk mitigation, feedback loops, context size limits)
+  - If no justification for the split: Recommend consolidation into fewer epics
+  - ❌ WRONG: Multiple epics each modify the same core files with no feedback loop between them
+  - ✅ RIGHT: Epics target distinct files/components, OR consolidation was explicitly considered and rejected with rationale
 
 ### 5. Dependency Validation (CRITICAL)
 

tools/installer/project-root.js

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const path = require('node:path');
 const os = require('node:os');
+const yaml = require('yaml');
 const fs = require('./fs-native');
 
 /**
@@ -86,8 +87,11 @@ function getExternalModuleCachePath(moduleName, ...segments) {
  * Built-in modules (core, bmm) live under <src>. External official modules are
  * cloned into ~/.bmad/cache/external-modules/<name>/ with varying internal
  * layouts (some at src/module.yaml, some at skills/module.yaml, some nested).
- * Local custom-source modules are not cached; their path is read from the
- * CustomModuleManager resolution cache set during the same install run.
+ * Url-source custom modules are cloned into ~/.bmad/cache/custom-modules/<host>/<owner>/<repo>/
+ * and are resolved by walking the cache and matching `code` or `name` from the
+ * discovered module.yaml. Local custom-source modules are not cached; their
+ * path is read from the CustomModuleManager resolution cache set during the
+ * same install run.
  * This mirrors the candidate-path search in
  * ExternalModuleManager.findExternalModuleSource but performs no git/network
  * work, which keeps it safe to call during manifest writing.
@@ -99,11 +103,14 @@ async function resolveInstalledModuleYaml(moduleName) {
   const builtIn = path.join(getModulePath(moduleName), 'module.yaml');
   if (await fs.pathExists(builtIn)) return builtIn;
 
-  // Search a resolved root directory using the same candidate-path pattern.
-  async function searchRoot(root) {
+  // Collect every module.yaml under a root using the standard candidate paths.
+  // Url-source repos can host multiple plugins (discovery mode), so we need all
+  // matches, not just the first. Returned in priority order.
+  async function searchRootAll(root) {
+    const results = [];
     for (const dir of ['skills', 'src']) {
       const direct = path.join(root, dir, 'module.yaml');
-      if (await fs.pathExists(direct)) return direct;
+      if (await fs.pathExists(direct)) results.push(direct);
 
       const dirPath = path.join(root, dir);
       if (await fs.pathExists(dirPath)) {
@@ -111,7 +118,7 @@ async function resolveInstalledModuleYaml(moduleName) {
         for (const entry of entries) {
           if (!entry.isDirectory()) continue;
           const nested = path.join(dirPath, entry.name, 'module.yaml');
-          if (await fs.pathExists(nested)) return nested;
+          if (await fs.pathExists(nested)) results.push(nested);
         }
       }
     }
@@ -121,12 +128,19 @@ async function resolveInstalledModuleYaml(moduleName) {
     for (const entry of rootEntries) {
       if (!entry.isDirectory() || !entry.name.endsWith('-setup')) continue;
       const setupAssets = path.join(root, entry.name, 'assets', 'module.yaml');
-      if (await fs.pathExists(setupAssets)) return setupAssets;
+      if (await fs.pathExists(setupAssets)) results.push(setupAssets);
     }
 
     const atRoot = path.join(root, 'module.yaml');
-    if (await fs.pathExists(atRoot)) return atRoot;
-    return null;
+    if (await fs.pathExists(atRoot)) results.push(atRoot);
+    return results;
+  }
+
+  // Backwards-compatible single-result variant for the existing external-cache
+  // and resolution-cache fallbacks (one module per root by construction).
+  async function searchRoot(root) {
+    const all = await searchRootAll(root);
+    return all.length > 0 ? all[0] : null;
   }
 
   const cacheRoot = getExternalModuleCachePath(moduleName);
@@ -150,6 +164,37 @@ async function resolveInstalledModuleYaml(moduleName) {
     // Resolution cache unavailable — continue
   }
 
+  // Fallback: url-source custom modules cloned to ~/.bmad/cache/custom-modules/.
+  // Walk every cached repo, enumerate ALL module.yaml files via searchRootAll
+  // (a single repo can host multiple plugins in discovery mode), and match by
+  // the yaml's `code` or `name` field. This works on re-install runs where
+  // _resolutionCache is empty and covers both discovery-mode (with marketplace.json)
+  // and direct-mode modules, since we identify repo roots by .bmad-source.json
+  // (written by cloneRepo) or .claude-plugin/ rather than by marketplace.json.
+  try {
+    const customCacheDir = path.join(os.homedir(), '.bmad', 'cache', 'custom-modules');
+    if (await fs.pathExists(customCacheDir)) {
+      const { CustomModuleManager } = require('./modules/custom-module-manager');
+      const customMgr = new CustomModuleManager();
+      const repoRoots = await customMgr._findCacheRepoRoots(customCacheDir);
+      for (const { repoPath } of repoRoots) {
+        const candidates = await searchRootAll(repoPath);
+        for (const candidate of candidates) {
+          try {
+            const parsed = yaml.parse(await fs.readFile(candidate, 'utf8'));
+            if (parsed && (parsed.code === moduleName || parsed.name === moduleName)) {
+              return candidate;
+            }
+          } catch {
+            // Malformed yaml — skip
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // Custom-modules cache walk failed — continue
+  }
+
   return null;
 }