Test Stair

Single-shot stair geometry math against IBC §1011 + 2010 ADA §504-§505 text the user has already in hand. The command bundles no values and recalls no values from training; every limit in the output is a verbatim quote from the user's pasted text or a live WebFetch with a SourceURL.

This command is the light-weight sibling of the design-stair skill. Use:

• design-stair (skill) when you want the multi-turn workflow: confirm edition / jurisdiction → ask geometry → "should I fetch §1011.5.2?" per topic → present table.
• /test-stair (this command) when you already have the § text pasted and the geometry pasted and want the comparison done in one shot.

If you don't have the § text and want it fetched: invoke the design-stair skill instead — it owns the fetch-confirmation pattern.

Why this pattern (read first)

IBC §1011 (Stairways) + §1014 (Handrails) and 2010 ADA §504-§505 dimensions are revised between IBC editions and re-numbered occasionally. Bundled transcriptions silently misquote when written from training-data recall (well-tracker + design-stair v0 incidents, 2026-05-09 / 2026-05-10). The command compares against text the user provides — pasted from their adopted edition — and labels every row with the source.

The user MUST paste the relevant § text, OR authorize a single live WebFetch. There is no offline fallback to bundled values — by design.

Authoritative sources used

If the user authorizes a fetch, the workflow uses these public URLs only:

Standard	Public source
IBC 2024	https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2024P1
IBC 2021	https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2021P2
IBC 2018	https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2018
2010 ADA Standards	https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/2010-stds/

Paste preferred. Fetch is single-shot per § the user nominates — for the full multi-turn fetch workflow use the design-stair skill.

Inputs the command needs

1. Stair geometry (each in inches; treat as missing if the user hasn't stated):

   • Width
   • Headroom clearance
   • Riser height (uniform value, or both max/min)
   • Tread depth (uniform value, or both max/min)
   • Nosing radius / projection / underside angle
   • Landing depth
   • Vertical rise between landings
   • Number of risers
   • Open risers? (yes/no)
   • Wet conditions? (yes/no)
   • Slip-resistant tread surface? (yes/no — only if wet)

2. Handrail geometry (skip if not on accessible route AND no IBC handrail concern):

   • Both sides? (yes/no)
   • Height above nosing
   • Wall clearance
   • Cross section: circular (give diameter) or non-circular (give perimeter + max cross-section)
   • Top extension beyond top riser
   • Bottom extension beyond bottom riser

3. Project context:

   • IBC edition adopted (2018 / 2021 / 2024)
   • Jurisdiction (for the report only — state amendments are out-of-scope)
   • Use group (B / A-3 / R-2 / etc. — affects §1011.5.2 exception applicability)
   • On accessible route? (yes/no)

4. Source text — for each topic the user wants math'd, one of:

   • Paste the verbatim § text (preferred for /test-stair — that's the scope).
   • Authorize one-shot fetch from the URL table above.
   • Defer to design-stair skill if the user wants the full multi-turn fetch workflow.

5. Out-of-scope check. If the stair is curved / spiral / alternating-tread / ship-ladder / IRC R311.7 dwelling / OSHA workplace / NFPA 101 governed: stop and refer to AOR / design-stair.

Required citations (verify exact § from source)

Topic-level mapping. The verbatim § number + dim comes from the user's pasted text or a live fetch.

Topic	IBC § (subject area)	2010 ADA §
Stair width	§1011.2	—
Headroom	§1011.3	—
Riser height + tread depth	§1011.5.2	§504.2
Riser/tread uniformity	§1011.5.4	§504.2
Nosing geometry	§1011.5.5	§504.5
Landing depth	§1011.6	—
Vertical rise between landings	§1011.8	—
Handrail height	§1014.2	§505.4
Handrail wall clearance	—	§505.5
Handrail cross-section	—	§505.7
Handrail extensions	§1014.6	§505.10
Open risers	—	§504.3
Both-sides handrails	—	§505.2
Wet conditions / slip resistance	—	§504.7

Workflow

Step 1 — Confirm scope

"This command does single-shot stair geometry math against IBC §1011 + 2010 ADA §504-§505. State amendments (NYC LL141, CA Title 24, ICC A117.1, MA 780 CMR), IRC R311.7 dwellings, curved/spiral/winder stairs, OSHA, and NFPA 101 are NOT covered. To proceed I need:

1. Stair geometry (width, headroom, riser, tread, nosing, landing, vertical rise, number of risers, open-riser y/n, wet y/n).
2. Handrail geometry (skip if not on accessible route).
3. IBC edition + jurisdiction + use group + accessible-route y/n.
4. Source: paste each § text, OR authorize one-shot fetch (for multi-turn fetch use the design-stair skill).

Continue?"

If curved / spiral / winder / IRC / OSHA / NFPA 101: stop and refer to AOR / design-stair.

Step 2 — Compare inline against source text

For each topic with both source text AND geometry provided:

• Quote the limit from the source (verbatim, blockquoted).
• Compare to user's geometry.
• Label pass / fail / input missing / out-of-scope.

Present as a markdown table:

Item	Required	Actual	Status	CitedSection	SourceURL	FetchedAt	Confidence	Remarks

Schema same as /test-ada Step 4. For pasted source: SourceURL = pasted by user, FetchedAt = paste timestamp.

Step 3 — Optional persistence

After the inline table, ask:

"Save this as a file? (a) markdown, (b) CSV, (c) both, (d) inline only. Path?"

Default suggested path docs/stairs/<stair-id>-stair-check.{csv|md} if save chosen.

Step 4 — Report

After the table:

• Counts: total / pass / fail / input missing / out-of-scope.
• Fail rows with Required / Actual + cited § + SourceURL.
• Input-missing rows naming what to provide for a re-run.
• Out-of-scope reminders: state amendments, ICC A117.1, IRC, curved/spiral/winder, OSHA, NFPA 101 — user verifies separately.
• AOR / SE confirms structural adequacy; AHJ confirms compliance with adopted local amendments (NOT checked here).
• If many topics need fetch: recommend design-stair skill instead for the multi-turn fetch workflow.

NA AEC conventions (enforce)

• English only.
• Imperial-first: in, ft, °F, lb force. Metric only if the source uses it.
• IBC § format: IBC 2024 §1011.5.2. ADA §: 2010 ADA §505.10.
• AHJs named specifically: NYC DOB, LADBS, DSA, CA HCAI, Boston ISD, Toronto Building, GSA, USACE.
• Roles: Architect of Record (AOR), Structural Engineer of Record (SEOR), Code Consultant.

Constraints

• Never recall IBC / ADA stair values from training. For every dim, the comparison must reference user-pasted text or live WebFetch with the SourceURL captured.
• Never paraphrase the source. "Riser shall be 4 in min, 7 in max" must appear verbatim, not as "4-7 in".
• Source URL or 'pasted by user' is mandatory in every output row.
• For curved / spiral / winder / IRC / OSHA / NFPA 101 stairs: stop at Step 1. This command does not check those.
• Caveat block always present.
• Fetch only after explicit user authorization (single-shot per topic).
• Multi-turn fetch is design-stair skill territory. Don't reproduce that workflow here — defer.

Anti-patterns

• Filling a Required cell from training-data recall instead of a paste / fetch quote.
• Re-introducing a check_stair.py with hardcoded riser/tread/headroom/handrail constants — design-stair skill v0 had this and it was removed for this exact reason.
• Re-introducing a references/ibc-1011.md of transcribed code text — deliberately none.
• Auto-converting source units (4-7" → 100-178 mm) — quote the source as-is.
• Skipping the jurisdiction / edition confirmation in Step 1.
• Treating IRC R311.7 dwellings the same as IBC commercial — different limits, refer to AOR.
• "Riser is fine" / "looks compliant" — verdicts are binary against quoted source: PASS / FAIL / MARGINAL.
• Doing multi-turn per-topic fetch confirmation — that's design-stair skill scope; this command is single-shot.

Resources

None. This command is intentionally body-only. For the full multi-turn workflow with per-topic fetch confirmation, use the design-stair skill.