Fold 11star

How to use

Step 1: Assess current state

Read the project's key artifacts — README, CLAUDE.md, TASKS.md, BRIEF docs, user-facing code. Then rate each dimension:

## 11-Star Assessment: [project name]

### Current rating: [N] star

### Dimensions

| Dimension | Stars | Evidence |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| **Setup** | ? | How hard is first-time setup? |
| **Core workflow** | ? | How smooth is the main use case? |
| **Error handling** | ? | What happens when things go wrong? |
| **Discovery** | ? | Can users find features without docs? |
| **Context** | ? | Does the tool know what you need? |
| **Cross-session** | ? | Does state persist intelligently? |
| **Multi-user/agent** | ? | Does it work for teams/multi-agent? |

Overall: [weighted average or gut feel — explain which]

Step 2: Identify the gap

For each dimension, describe what the next star level looks like:

### Gap: [dimension] — [current] → [target] star

**Current:** What it does now
**Next level:** What [target]-star would look like
**Smallest change:** The minimum work to get there
**Blocked by:** Any dependencies or prerequisites

Step 3: Prioritize

Not all dimensions matter equally. Prioritize by:

1. User pain — what frustrates people most?
2. Effort — what's cheapest to improve?
3. Leverage — what improvement unlocks others?

Output a ranked list of improvements, each as a potential mxit task.

Step 4: Plan the path

Write a concrete path from current to target star level:

## Path: [current] → [target] star

### Must-haves (to claim [target] star)
- [ ] Change 1 — why it matters
- [ ] Change 2 — why it matters

### Nice-to-haves (solidifies the rating)
- [ ] Change 3
- [ ] Change 4

### What NOT to build (belongs at a higher star level)
- Thing X — this is [higher] star territory, premature now

Rules

• Be honest about the current rating. "It works" is fine. Most things start at 1-3 star.
• Stars aren't linear. Going from 5→7 is harder than 1→5. Going from 7→9 is harder still. Each level requires a qualitative shift, not just more features.
• Agent UX counts. If the product is used by AI agents (MCP tools, APIs, CLIs), rate the agent experience separately. A 7-star human UX with a 3-star agent UX is a 3-star product for agent users.
• The dividing line matters. Some improvements belong in the product, some belong in the ecosystem around it. Identify which is which — don't build what other tools should handle.
• Don't over-scope. The goal is to reach the NEXT star level, not jump to 11. Each fold iteration should target +2 stars max.
• Evidence over opinion. Back ratings with concrete examples — "setup requires 4 manual steps" not "setup is hard."

Integration with fold

11star assessment is a natural input to the fold loop:

1. fold:11star rates the current state → produces gap analysis
2. fold:mxit turns gaps into tracked tasks
3. fold:playtest validates whether changes actually moved the needle
4. fold:11star re-rates → did we reach the target?

Run 11star at the start of an iteration (where are we?) and at the end (did we level up?).

Example: TigerFlare

TigerFlare used this framework to go from 5-star to 7-star:

• 5-star baseline: Spaces, sync, auth, MCP tools all worked. Useful but required setup.
• Gap identified: Auto-sync on start, MCP context on connect, session save skill, cross-project pointers.
• Path: Four modular features, each independently installable.
• Result: deno task start does everything. MCP provides context on connect. Save skill works cross-project. 7-star achieved.

See BRIEF-11STAR.md in TigerFlare for the full assessment.