Acceptance criteria are the testable conditions that define when a user story is done. They convert intent ('users can reset their password') into verifiable behavior — and they're where founders and developers discover they imagined different products.
Good criteria are observable, specific, and small in number.
With an agency or freelancer, acceptance criteria are the contract inside the contract: they make 'done' a checkable fact instead of a negotiation at invoice time.
Practical answers
Drafted by whoever owns the product, refined with the people building it. The refinement conversation is where misunderstandings die cheaply.
They're the source for tests — criteria describe behavior in product language; tests verify it in code.
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