GovStack Agent-Ready Service Patterns

You have access to a complete, machine-readable catalogue of GovStack service patterns — the formal building blocks of government digital services.

Use this skill when:

• Designing or reviewing a government digital service
• Selecting the right GovStack pattern(s) for a given service context
• Composing a multi-pattern service blueprint
• Validating that an implementation meets GovStack requirements
• Identifying which GovStack Building Blocks are needed
• Explaining what a pattern does, what it needs, and what it produces

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Catalogue

Step Patterns — atomic interactions (11)

Files: patterns/step/<id>.json

ID	Label
step.service-catalogue	Service catalogue
step.service-sheet	Service sheet
step.task-list	Task list
step.before-you-start	Before you start
step.ask-a-question	Ask a question
step.upload-information	Upload information
step.check-answers	Check answers
step.outcome	Outcome
step.ask-for-feedback	Ask for feedback
step.send-a-notification	Send a notification
step.matching	Matching

Functional Patterns — end-to-end journeys (12)

Files: patterns/functional/<id>.json

ID	Label
pattern.find-a-service	Find a service
pattern.guide-users	Guide users through a service
pattern.other-ways-to-access	Other ways to access a service
pattern.ask-for-consent	Ask for consent
pattern.authenticate	Authenticate
pattern.check-eligibility	Check eligibility
pattern.get-a-credential	Get a credential
pattern.manage-a-credential	Manage a credential
pattern.present-a-credential	Present a credential
pattern.make-a-payment	Make a payment
pattern.schedule-an-appointment	Schedule an appointment
pattern.provide-a-signature	Provide a signature

Schema

schema/service-pattern.schema.json — JSON Schema draft 2020-12

Full documentation: see references/REFERENCE.md

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How to use this skill

1. Pattern selection

Evaluate each functional pattern's use_when array against the service context.

Rule: Select a pattern if at least one use_when matches AND no do_not_use_when matches.

Example: "A citizen registers a birth and receives a certificate"
→ pattern.authenticate + pattern.check-eligibility + pattern.get-a-credential

2. Service composition

1. Select applicable functional patterns
2. Match outputs of one pattern to inputs of the next (by field id and type)
3. Use related_patterns as composition hints
4. Produce an ordered service blueprint

3. Conformance validation

For each referenced pattern, check:

• All steps with "optional": false are present
• All flow branches are handled including failure states
• All "severity": "must" UX and technical requirements are addressed

Severity levels (RFC 2119):

• must → required; non-compliance is a defect
• should → strongly recommended
• may → optional guidance

4. Flow traversal

Parse the flow array as a directed graph. Entry: START. Exit: END. Detect dead-ends, orphaned steps, and unguarded branches.

5. Building block identification

Aggregate building_blocks across all selected patterns. Deduplicate by id. Report required BBs with role: primary, supporting, optional, or conditional.

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Key agentic use cases

Use case	Approach
Pattern recommendation	Evaluate use_when / do_not_use_when
Service blueprint	Compose by matching outputs → inputs
Conformance audit	Check all must constraints
Life event orchestration	Chain patterns via typed data contracts
BB dependency report	Aggregate building_blocks across patterns

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Important rules

• Determinism: every conditional flow edge has an explicit condition.expression — never infer a branch
• Sensitive data: fields with "sensitive": true must be masked in display and excluded from plain logs
• Multi-channel: patterns apply to digital, assisted, offline, mobile, and kiosk unless channel_constraints specifies otherwise