Claude-Code-Game-Studios/.claude/skills/launch-checklist/SKILL.md

---
name: launch-checklist
description: "Launch readiness across every department: code, content, store, marketing, community, infrastructure, legal, go/no-go sign-offs."
argument-hint: "[launch-date or 'dry-run']"
user-invocable: true
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Write, AskUserQuestion, Bash(bash "*/.claude/skills/launch-checklist/../../hooks/yaml-helper.sh" resolve_config *)
model: sonnet
---
!`bash "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../hooks/yaml-helper.sh" resolve_config --keys rigor,workflow,project.stage,cert_tier,automation`

**Automation mode**: Resolve `modes.automation` (`project.local.yaml` →
`project.yaml` → default `collaborative`). Every `AskUserQuestion` call and
every file write follows `.claude/docs/automation-modes.md`
(collaborative asks always · guided major-only · autonomous logs and proceeds;
`automation_always_ask` categories always prompt).

Resolved above — use as-is. No block → defaults in `.claude/docs/config-resolution.md`.

# Launch Checklist

**Scope this checklist to the project.** Emitting every item for every platform
trains the reader to skip the list, which defeats the gate:

- **`project.stage`** — items for phases this project has not reached are out of
  scope; say so rather than listing them unchecked.
- **`modes.rigor`** — at `minimal`, drop items whose only justification is process
  weight this project has opted out of.
- **`platform.cert_tier`** — emit certification items **only** for the tier the
  project targets. If it is **unset**, **ask which platforms are in scope**
  rather than emitting all of them — an unset value is a question, not a licence
  to emit every certification track. The answer, mapped onto the four values
  below, is the tier for this run. If it cannot be determined, mark the section
  **`NOT ASSESSED — cert tier unknown`**. **Unset is not `none`:** `none` is a
  decision, unset is a missing one, and they must not produce the same output.
  Branch on the **four values this key takes** — `none | itch | steam | console` —
  and not on platform names. The full requirement table is the `## platform.cert_tier`
  section of `.claude/docs/effects-map.md` — read **only that section** (Grep its
  heading, then a bounded Read); the file as a whole is not a runtime input.
  - `none` — **emit no certification section at all.** Internal release, alpha or
    jam game. Say the section was omitted and why; do not leave it blank.
  - `itch` — itch.io upload requirements only: build size, page setup, age tags.
    **No console and no Steamworks items.**
  - `steam` — Steamworks: store page, depot build, achievements, system
    requirements, common content rules. **No console certification items.**
  - `console` — full platform certification (TRC / XR / Lotcheck), save-data
    rules, controller-mapping rules, age-rating boards. The heaviest tier.

  > **Branch on the `cert_tier` values above, not on platform names.** "Emit
  > console/mobile certification items only for the platforms the project targets"
  > is the wrong test: it treats an `itch` project and a `steam` project
  > identically, conflates `none` with unset, and keys on `mobile`, which is not a
  > `cert_tier` value at all. Use the vocabulary the config defines.

If an item cannot be scoped because the config is absent, mark it
**`NOT ASSESSED — platform/stage unknown`**. Do not silently include it: a
`rigor: standard`, single-platform project would otherwise receive a ~150-item
checklist demanding PC **and** console **and** mobile certification plus age
ratings, of which ~140 are unassessable.

---


> **Explicit invocation only**: This skill should only run when the user explicitly requests it with `/launch-checklist`. Do not auto-invoke based on context matching.

## Phase 1: Parse Arguments

Read the argument for the launch date or `dry-run` mode. Dry-run mode generates the checklist without creating sign-off entries or writing files. With no argument the run is a normal one with the target date unset (`Target Launch: not set`) — dry-run only when the argument says `dry-run`.

---

## Phase 2: Gather Project Context

- Read `CLAUDE.md` for tech stack, target platforms, and team structure
- Read the latest milestone in `production/milestones/`
- Read any existing release checklist in `production/releases/`
- Read the content calendar in `design/live-ops/content-calendar.md` if it exists

---

## Phase 3: Scan Codebase Health

> **Every scan in this phase is a search for something bad, so a zero-hit result
> is ambiguous by construction: it means either "searched and found none" or
> "there was nothing to search". On a launch gate those are opposite findings,
> and a green checkbox renders them identically.**
>
> **Establish the denominator before every scan below, and report it.** Each line
> reads either `scanned [N] files, [M] hits` or
> `NOT ASSESSED — [code root unresolved | no source files | no asset folder | directory empty]`.
> Never a bare tick. The code root is `src/`, `Assets/` or `Source/` by engine
> (resolve per `.claude/docs/code-root-resolution.md`); assets live in
> `assets/`, `Assets/` or `Content/`.
>
> This is written once, over the whole phase, rather than under **one** of the
> four bullets. All four search the code root the same way — for placeholder assets,
> TODOs, debug output and hardcoded test values — so if only one carries the
> warning, an empty or absent code root returns zero
> hits three times and read as three clean results. With no `assets/` directory,
> for example, the placeholder scan returns zero hits, and "All placeholder art
> replaced" would be ticked green.

- Count `TODO`, `FIXME`, `HACK` comments and their locations
- Check for any `console.log`, `print()`, or debug output left in production code
- Check for placeholder assets (search for `placeholder`, `temp_`, `WIP_`)
- Check for hardcoded test/dev values (localhost, test credentials, debug flags)

**Carry the distinction into the checklist itself.** An item whose scan returned
`NOT ASSESSED` is written `- [?]`, not `- [ ]`. An unticked box says *work
remains*; a `[?]` says *nobody could check*, and only one of those is closed by
doing the work. Include the legend wherever a `[?]` appears:
`[?] = not assessed — the input to this check was absent`.

---

## Phase 4: Generate the Launch Checklist

```markdown
# Launch Checklist: [Game Title]
Target Launch: [Date or DRY RUN]
Generated: [Date]

---

## 1. Code Readiness

### Build Health
- [ ] Clean build on all target platforms
- [ ] Zero compiler warnings
- [ ] All unit tests passing
- [ ] All integration tests passing
- [ ] Performance benchmarks within targets
- [ ] No memory leaks (verified via extended soak test)
- [ ] Build size within platform limits
- [ ] Build version correctly set and tagged in source control

### Code Quality
- [ ] TODO count: [N] (zero required for launch, or documented exceptions)
- [ ] FIXME count: [N] (zero required)
- [ ] HACK count: [N] (each must have documented justification)
- [ ] No debug output in production code
- [ ] No hardcoded dev/test values
- [ ] All feature flags set to production values
- [ ] Error handling covers all critical paths
- [ ] Crash reporting integrated and verified

### Security
- [ ] No exposed API keys or credentials in source
- [ ] Save data encrypted
- [ ] Network communication secured (TLS/DTLS)
- [ ] Anti-cheat measures active (if multiplayer)
- [ ] Input validation on all server endpoints (if multiplayer)
- [ ] Privacy policy compliance verified

---

## 2. Content Readiness

### Assets
- [ ] All placeholder art replaced with final assets
- [ ] All placeholder audio replaced with final audio
- [ ] Audio mix finalized and approved by audio director
- [ ] All VFX polished and performance-verified
- [ ] No missing or broken asset references
- [ ] Asset naming conventions enforced

### Text and Localization
- [ ] All player-facing text proofread
- [ ] No hardcoded strings (all externalized for localization)
- [ ] All supported languages translated and verified
- [ ] Text fits UI in all languages (text fitting pass complete)
- [ ] Font coverage verified for all supported languages
- [ ] Credits complete, accurate, and up to date

### Game Content
- [ ] All levels/maps playable from start to finish
- [ ] Tutorial flow complete and tested with new players
- [ ] All achievements/trophies implemented and tested
- [ ] Save/load works correctly for all game states
- [ ] Difficulty settings balanced and tested
- [ ] End-game/credits sequence complete

---

## 3. Quality Assurance

### Testing
- [ ] Full regression test suite passed
- [ ] Zero S1 (Critical) bugs open
- [ ] Zero S2 (High) bugs open (or documented exceptions) — at `workflow: full` instead: zero S2 (High) and S3 (Medium) bugs open, no exceptions
- [ ] Soak test passed (the longest soak `/soak-test` runs, or longer by hand if a play session lasts longer)
- [ ] Multiplayer stress test passed (if applicable)
- [ ] All critical user paths tested on every platform
- [ ] Edge cases tested (full storage, no network, suspend/resume)

### Platform Certification

**Emit ONLY the block matching `platform.cert_tier`** (resolved in the resolved-config block at the top of this skill — see
the `platform.cert_tier` rule above). Do not emit this section's other blocks, and
do not fall back to emitting all of them.

**At `none`** — omit the section and say so in one line:
`Platform Certification: omitted — cert_tier is 'none' (internal/jam release).`

**At `itch`:**
- [ ] Build size within itch.io upload limits
- [ ] itch.io page complete (cover art, screenshots, description, tags)
- [ ] Age/content tags set honestly
- [ ] Downloadable vs browser build decided and tested

**At `steam`:**
- [ ] Steamworks SDK integrated and tested
- [ ] Store page complete (capsule art, trailer, description, system requirements)
- [ ] Depot build uploaded and installs cleanly from a fresh account
- [ ] Achievements functional
- [ ] Steam common content rules reviewed

**At `console`:**
- [ ] TRC/TCR/Lotcheck submission prepared
- [ ] Save-data rules compliant (corruption, full storage, user switching)
- [ ] Controller-mapping rules met, platform-correct button prompts
- [ ] Suspend/resume verified
- [ ] Age ratings obtained (ESRB, PEGI, regional)

**Every tier**, because these are not certification-gated:
- [ ] Accessibility: minimum standards met (remapping, text scaling, colorblind)

> **Keep this template gated by tier.** An ungated list — PC *and* Console *and*
> Mobile rows emitted at every tier — contradicts the `cert_tier` rule at the top
> of this skill, which says an `itch` project gets no console and no Steamworks
> items. When a rule and a template disagree, the template wins in practice,
> because a template is what gets copied.
>
> Changing the branching vocabulary is only half the job: the rows that branching
> governs have to move with it, or the rule describes behaviour nothing reaches.

### Performance
- [ ] Target FPS met on minimum spec hardware
- [ ] Load times within budget on all platforms
- [ ] Memory usage within budget on all platforms
- [ ] Network bandwidth within targets (if multiplayer)
- [ ] No frame hitches in critical gameplay moments

---

## 4. Store and Distribution

### Store Pages
- [ ] Store page copy finalized and proofread
- [ ] Screenshots current and per-platform resolution
- [ ] Trailers current and approved
- [ ] Key art and capsule images finalized
- [ ] System requirements accurate (PC)
- [ ] Pricing configured for all regions
- [ ] Pre-purchase/wishlist campaigns active (if applicable)

### Legal
- [ ] EULA finalized and approved by legal
- [ ] Privacy policy published and linked
- [ ] Third-party license attributions complete
- [ ] Music/audio licensing verified
- [ ] Trademark/IP clearance confirmed
- [ ] GDPR/CCPA compliance verified (data collection, consent, deletion)

---

## 5. Infrastructure

### Servers (if multiplayer/online)
- [ ] Production servers provisioned and load-tested
- [ ] Auto-scaling configured and tested
- [ ] Database backups configured
- [ ] CDN configured for content delivery
- [ ] DDoS protection active
- [ ] Monitoring and alerting configured

### Analytics and Monitoring
- [ ] Analytics pipeline verified and receiving data
- [ ] Crash reporting active and dashboard accessible
- [ ] Server monitoring dashboards live
- [ ] Key metrics tracked: DAU, session length, retention, crashes
- [ ] Alerts configured for critical thresholds

---

## 6. Community and Marketing

### Community Readiness
- [ ] Community guidelines published
- [ ] Moderation team briefed and tools ready
- [ ] Discord/forum/social channels set up
- [ ] FAQ and known issues page prepared
- [ ] Support email/ticketing system active

### Marketing
- [ ] Launch trailer published
- [ ] Press/influencer review keys distributed
- [ ] Social media launch posts scheduled
- [ ] Launch day blog post/dev update drafted
- [ ] Patch notes for launch version published

---

## 7. Operations

### Team Readiness
- [ ] On-call schedule set for first 72 hours post-launch
- [ ] Incident response playbook reviewed by team
- [ ] Rollback plan documented and tested
- [ ] Hotfix pipeline tested (can ship emergency fix within 4 hours)
- [ ] Communication plan for launch issues (who posts, where, how fast)

### Day-One Plan
- [ ] Day-one patch prepared (if needed)
- [ ] Server unlock/go-live procedure documented
- [ ] Launch monitoring dashboard bookmarked by all leads
- [ ] War room/channel established for launch day

---

## Go / No-Go Decision

**Overall Status**: [READY / CONDITIONAL / NOT ASSESSED / NOT READY]

First match wins: **NOT READY** if Blocking Items is not empty; else **NOT
ASSESSED** if any item is `- [?]`, any section came out `NOT ASSESSED`, or any
item is still unconfirmed — neither ticked on evidence or on a Phase 4b answer,
nor marked N/A, nor listed below (name each; group by section when there are
many); else **CONDITIONAL** if Conditional
Items is not empty; else **READY**. NOT ASSESSED outranks CONDITIONAL and READY —
an item nobody could check is not a passed one — and ranks below NOT READY, so a
known blocker is never buried behind it.

### Blocking Items
[Every FAIL or unresolved finding: a check that found a problem — FIXMEs, debug
output, placeholder assets, hardcoded dev values, an open S1 bug, a failing
build or test — with no documented workaround and no explicitly accepted risk]

### Conditional Items
[Every shortfall with a documented workaround or an explicitly accepted risk —
e.g. a HACK with its documented justification, an S2 with a documented
exception (below `workflow: full`, which allows none). Name the workaround, or
who accepted the risk]

### Sign-Offs Required
- [ ] Creative Director — Content and experience quality
- [ ] Technical Director — Technical health and stability
- [ ] QA Lead — Quality and test coverage
- [ ] Producer — Schedule and overall readiness
- [ ] Release Manager — Build and deployment readiness
```

---

## Phase 4b: Confirm What Only a Person Can

Most items above cannot be settled from the repository — the on-call schedule,
the EULA, press keys, pricing, a soak test someone ran. Left unasked, every one
of them stays unconfirmed and the Overall Status can only be NOT ASSESSED, so ask.

For each of the seven sections, collect the items no scan or file settled (the
Phase 3 counts and anything read in Phase 2 are not asked again) and ask **one
`AskUserQuestion` per section**, listing those items numbered. Each item's
answer is **yes / no / not yet / N/A**. Options: `Yes — all of them` /
`Not yet — none of them` / `N/A — this section does not apply` /
`Some differ — I'll answer per item` (the user then gives each numbered item its
answer). Skip a section with nothing left to ask.

- **yes** → ticked `- [x]`, marked `(confirmed by the user)`
- **no** or **not yet** → a failed item: under Blocking Items, or under
  Conditional Items when the user names a workaround or accepts the risk
- **N/A** → written `- N/A — [item]` and left out of the Overall Status
- an item left unanswered stays unconfirmed, and the status names it

These are questions of fact only the user can answer, so they are asked in
`collaborative` and `guided` alike and never answered on the user's behalf. In
`autonomous` mode and in `dry-run`, skip this phase and say so: the items it
would have asked stay unconfirmed, and the Overall Status is NOT ASSESSED.

Then fill in the Go / No-Go section from the answers.

---

## Phase 5: Save Checklist

Present the completed checklist and summary to the user (Overall Status, total items, blocking items count, conditional items count, not-assessed items count, departments with incomplete sections).

If not in dry-run mode, ask: "May I write this to `production/releases/launch-checklist-[date].md`?"

Create nothing before the answer — not even the `production/releases/` directory.
If yes, write the file; the write creates the directory with it.

---

## Phase 6: Next Steps

- If `project.stage` is not `Release` (`Polish`, an earlier stage, or unset), run `/gate-check release` first — it is the readiness gate before launch.
- Coordinate sign-offs and the deployment via `/team-release`.