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to-tickets

Breaks plans and specs into tracer-bullet tickets with declared blocking dependencies.

Updated Nov 10, 2013
Search Tags:#project planning#issue tracker#github issues#dependency graph#vertical slice#tracer bullet#ticket breakdown
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/bnferguson/dotfiles --skill to-tickets-bnferguson
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: to-tickets
Source: https://github.com/bnferguson/dotfiles/tree/main/.agents/skills/to-tickets
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/bnferguson/dotfiles --skill to-tickets-bnferguson

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Turning a plan, spec, or long conversation into actionable work items is error-prone: tickets end up as horizontal layer slices, dependencies go undeclared, and nothing is sized to fit a single working session. This Skill decomposes work into vertical tracer-bullet tickets, each with explicit blocking edges, and publishes them to a local file structure or a real issue tracker. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Vertical slice decomposition: Splits work into narrow but complete slices cutting through schema, API, UI, and tests, each demoable on its own and sized for one fresh context window. - Dependency graph declaration: Every ticket declares which other tickets block it, published as text edges in local files or native blocking links on GitHub, Linear, or similar trackers. - Wide refactor handling: Sequences large mechanical refactors as expand-migrate-contract ticket chains so CI stays green between batches. - Use Case: After drafting a feature spec, ask the agent to break it into tickets; it proposes a numbered breakdown with blocking edges, iterates with you on granularity, then publishes one issue per ticket in dependency order with a ready-for-agent label. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to break the current plan or a referenced spec into tracer-bullet tickets with blocking dependencies and publish them to the configured tracker.

Frequently Asked Questions about to-tickets

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I break a feature spec into tickets for AI agents?▼

Provide the spec or plan in conversation and invoke the ticket breakdown workflow. It drafts vertical tracer-bullet slices, each with blocking edges and acceptance criteria, quizzes you on granularity, then publishes one issue per ticket in dependency order.

What is a tracer-bullet or vertical slice ticket?▼

A vertical slice ticket cuts a narrow but complete path through every layer, including schema, API, UI, and tests, rather than covering one horizontal layer. Each completed slice is demoable or verifiable on its own and sized to fit a single fresh context window.

Can I publish tickets to GitHub or Linear instead of local files?▼

Yes, the tracker is configured by the setup-matt-pocock-skills step. With a real tracker it creates one issue per ticket using native blocking or sub-issue relationships; without one it writes numbered markdown files under .scratch with text-based blocking edges.

How are large refactors handled when vertical slicing is impossible?▼

Wide refactors whose blast radius spans the codebase are sequenced as expand-contract: add the new form beside the old, migrate call sites in batches that keep CI green, then delete the old form in a final ticket blocked by every migration batch.

Why does the skill say the issue tracker is not configured?▼

The tracker and triage label vocabulary must be provided beforehand by running /setup-matt-pocock-skills. Without that configuration the skill cannot know where to publish tickets or which labels to apply, so it asks you to run setup first.

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