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----
-name: Deterministic Spike Lifecycle Management
-test_plan: pending
----
-
-# Story 51: Deterministic Spike Lifecycle Management
-
-## User Story
-
-As a developer running autonomous agents, I want all spike file mutations to happen through server MCP/REST tools that auto-commit to master, so that spikes are tracked consistently alongside stories and bugs.
-
-## Prerequisites
-
-- Story 49 (Deterministic Bug Lifecycle Management)
-- Story 50 (Unified Current Work Directory)
-
-## Acceptance Criteria
-
-- [ ] New MCP tool `create_spike(name, description, goals)` creates a spike file in `.story_kit/spikes/` with a deterministic filename and auto-commits to master
-- [ ] New MCP tool `list_spikes()` returns all open spikes (files in `.story_kit/spikes/` excluding `archive/`)
-- [ ] New MCP tool `archive_spike(spike_id)` moves a spike from `.story_kit/spikes/` to `.story_kit/spikes/archive/` and auto-commits to master
-- [ ] `start_agent` moves spike files into `.story_kit/current/` and auto-commits
-- [ ] All auto-commits use deterministic commit messages (e.g. "story-kit: create spike spike-3-explore-foo", "story-kit: archive spike spike-3")
-- [ ] Agents never need to edit spike markdown files directly — all mutations go through server tools
-
-## Out of Scope
-
-- Spike-to-story conversion tooling
-- Time-boxing or expiry for spikes