Library / Working with a coding agent / Acceptance criteria
No. 088·noun·also called definition of done, success criteria, requirements checklist

Acceptance criteria

A short checklist of conditions that must be true for a feature to count as finished.

SPECIMEN · DIAGRAM · LAYERS
✓ Downloads a dated CSVmet
✓ Respects current filtersmet
✓ Correct columnsmet
✗ Empty export shows messagenot yet
Definition

What it is

Acceptance criteria spell out exactly what "done" means for a feature, as testable statements: "A user can export invoices as CSV", "The export includes date, customer, and total", "Empty exports show a message instead of a blank file".

They turn a vague request into something both you and the coding agent can check. If every item is true, it's done; if not, you know precisely what's missing.

A common format is "Given… when… then…", but plain bullet points work fine.

Say it like a builder

How to ask for it

Vague

“Add exporting.”

Precise

“Add CSV export of invoices. Acceptance criteria: the Export button downloads a file named invoices-YYYY-MM-DD.csv; it respects the current filters; columns are date, customer, amount, status; with no matching invoices, it shows a message instead of downloading.”

Why it works

"Add exporting" can be done a dozen ways; acceptance criteria define the exact result to verify.

In the wild

You've seen this in

  • JJira and Linear tickets
  • CClient sign-off checklists
  • QQA test plans
Usage note

Often confused with

User storyA user story says who needs what and why; acceptance criteria say how you'll know it's done.SpecA spec covers the whole app; acceptance criteria cover one feature.