Publish Ready Check

Overview

A rigorous quality evaluation workflow that determines whether a product meets the threshold for production, publication, or sale. This workflow protects the suite from overclaiming readiness by applying clear quality bars rather than superficial approval.

Args: Accepts --headless / -H for non-interactive execution.

Output: Readiness report (HTML), gap analysis, final verdict with fix list if applicable.

Pipeline

Stage 1: Load Bundle

Load ./references/01-load-bundle.md

Gather the packaged product bundle and locate all relevant standards and context files. Establish what type of product is being evaluated and which standards apply.

Progression: Proceed when product bundle is located and product type is identified.

Stage 2: Assess Quality

Load ./references/02-assess-quality.md

Apply quality standards systematically across all dimensions: functionality, completeness, clarity, usability, and documentation. Score each dimension against defined criteria.

Progression: Proceed when all quality dimensions have been assessed and scored.

Stage 3: Check Gaps

Load ./references/03-check-gaps.md

Identify what specifically blocks release. Classify gaps as critical (must fix), important (should fix), or minor (nice to have). Generate actionable fix list.

Progression: Proceed when all gaps are documented with severity classification.

Stage 4: Generate Verdict

Load ./references/04-generate-verdict.md

Make final determination: production-ready, publish-ready, sellable-ready, or not-ready. Apply the appropriate threshold based on the target readiness level.

Progression: Complete when verdict is issued and documented.

On Activation

Determine the product workspace root: {project-root}/.pawbytes/prodig-suites/
Identify active product from .pawbytes/prodig-suites/active-product.md if it exists
If no active product and not in headless mode, prompt user to specify:
- Product slug (which product to evaluate)
- Target readiness level (production / publish / sellable)
Begin pipeline at Stage 1

Readiness Levels

Level	Definition	Quality Bar
Production-ready	Complete, functional, usable by intended audience	Core functionality works, documentation adequate, no critical bugs
Publish-ready	Formatted, polished, ready for publication platform	Production-ready + professional presentation, platform requirements met
Sellable-ready	Complete, polished, has all selling assets	Publish-ready + marketing assets, pricing, support materials

Hierarchy: Sellable-ready requires publish-ready, which requires production-ready.

Input Sources

Source	File Path	Purpose
Product Bundle	`.pawbytes/prodig-suites/products/{product-slug}/bundle/`	Packaged product files
Output Standards	`.pawbytes/prodig-suites/memory/paw-ps-sidecar/curated/output-standards.md`	Quality criteria
Product Context	`.pawbytes/prodig-suites/products/{product-slug}/product-context.md`	Product type and requirements
Product Brief	`.pawbytes/prodig-suites/products/{product-slug}/product-brief.md`	Scope and promises
Product Decisions	`.pawbytes/prodig-suites/products/{product-slug}/product-decisions.md`	Prior decisions

Minimum Requirement: Product bundle must exist. Standards may be loaded from references if not in workspace.

Output Structure

.pawbytes/prodig-suites/products/{product-slug}/
├── readiness-report.html         # Structured assessment (HTML)
├── readiness-report.md           # Plain text version
├── gap-analysis.md               # Detailed gap breakdown
├── fix-list.md                   # Actionable fixes (if not ready)
└── product-decisions.md          # Appended verdict

Daily log entry at:

.pawbytes/prodig-suites/memory/paw-ps-sidecar/daily/YYYY-MM-DD.md

Reference Lookup Protocol

Read ./references/readiness-criteria.csv — lightweight index of criteria by product type
Match product type to relevant criteria rows
Apply matched criteria during Stage 2 assessment
Reference full standards from ./references/frameworks/ only when needed

Output Contract

Every execution delivers:

Action type: Readiness evaluation
Verdict: production-ready / publish-ready / sellable-ready / not-ready
Files saved:
- readiness-report.html — Structured assessment
- readiness-report.md — Plain text version
- gap-analysis.md — Gap breakdown
- fix-list.md — (If not ready) Actionable fixes
Recommendations: Next steps based on verdict
File saved to: .pawbytes/prodig-suites/products/{product-slug}/

Headless Mode

When invoked with --headless or -H:

Attempt to read active product from .pawbytes/prodig-suites/active-product.md
If not found, scan for most recently modified product workspace
Default target readiness level to publish-ready unless specified via args
Execute all stages without prompts
Document any assumptions in the report
Exit with status code:
- 0: Ready (verdict matches target)
- 1: Not ready (gaps exist)
- 2: Error (inputs missing)

Quality Gates

Stage	Gate Condition
Load Bundle	Product bundle located, product type identified
Assess Quality	All quality dimensions scored
Check Gaps	All gaps documented with severity
Generate Verdict	Verdict issued with justification

Non-Negotiables

This workflow must apply clear quality bars, not superficial approval:

No rubber-stamping — Every verdict must be justified with evidence
Gap visibility — All blocking issues documented, none hidden
Honest assessment — Better to delay release than ship broken products
User clarity — Fix list must be actionable and specific
Standards matter — Apply the criteria, don't lower the bar

Escalation Routes

Signal	Routes To	Why
Quality issues found	paw-ps-agent-product-builder	Coordinate fixes with specialists
Standards unclear	paw-ps-strategist	Clarify quality requirements
Multiple products to check	paw-ps-agent-product-builder	Batch coordination

paw-ps-publish-ready-check