To Issues

Break a plan into independently-grabbable issues using vertical slices (tracer bullets).

The issue tracker and triage label vocabulary should have been provided to you — run /setup-matt-pocock-skills if not.

Process

1. Gather context

Work from whatever is already in the conversation context. If the user passes an issue reference (issue number, URL, or path) as an argument, fetch it from the issue tracker and read its full body and comments.

2. Explore the codebase (optional)

If you have not already explored the codebase, do so to understand the current state of the code. Issue titles and descriptions should use the project's domain glossary vocabulary, and respect ADRs in the area you're touching.

3. Draft vertical slices

Break the plan into tracer bullet issues. Each issue is a thin vertical slice that cuts through ALL integration layers end-to-end, NOT a horizontal slice of one layer.

Slices may be 'HITL' or 'AFK'. HITL slices require human interaction, such as an architectural decision or a design review. AFK slices can be implemented and merged without human interaction. Prefer AFK over HITL where possible.

4. Quiz the user

Present the proposed breakdown as a numbered list. For each slice, show:

Title: short descriptive name
Type: HITL / AFK
Blocked by: which other slices (if any) must complete first
User stories covered: which user stories this addresses (if the source material has them)

Ask the user:

Does the granularity feel right? (too coarse / too fine)
Are the dependency relationships correct?
Should any slices be merged or split further?
Are the correct slices marked as HITL and AFK?

Iterate until the user approves the breakdown.

5. Publish the issues to the issue tracker

For each approved slice, publish a new issue to the issue tracker. Use the issue body template below. Apply the needs-triage triage label so each issue enters the normal triage flow.

Publish issues in dependency order (blockers first) so you can reference real issue identifiers in the "Blocked by" field.

A reference to the parent issue on the issue tracker (if the source was an existing issue, otherwise omit this section).

What to build

A concise description of this vertical slice. Describe the end-to-end behavior, not layer-by-layer implementation.

Acceptance criteria

Criterion 1
Criterion 2
Criterion 3

Blocked by

A reference to the blocking ticket (if any)

Or "None - can start immediately" if no blockers.

Do NOT close or modify any parent issue.

Files1

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Overall Score

82/100

Grade

B

Good

Safety

92

Quality

82

Clarity

88

Completeness

72

Summary

Converts plans, specifications, or PRDs into independently-grabbable issues on a project tracker using tracer-bullet vertical slices. The skill guides an agent to gather context, explore the codebase, draft thin end-to-end slices, validate with the user, and publish issues with clear dependencies and acceptance criteria.

Detected Capabilities

Read and fetch issues from issue trackerAnalyze codebase structure and ADRsDecompose plans into vertical slicesInteractive refinement with user feedbackCreate new issues with structured templatesApply triage labels to new issuesEstablish and reference issue dependencies

Trigger Keywords

Phrases that MCP clients use to match this skill to user intent.

break down specification into issuescreate implementation ticketsconvert plan to issuesvertical slice decompositionissue breakdown from PRD

Use Cases

Convert a product requirements document into implementation tickets
Break down a feature plan into vertical slice issues
Create granular work items from a high-level specification
Decompose an epic into independently-demoable slices
Structure work to minimize blocking dependencies

Quality Notes

Clear, well-structured instructions with numbered process steps
Explicit terminology (tracer bullets, vertical slices, HITL/AFK) is defined and used consistently
Vertical slice rules are captured in a dedicated section for easy reference
Issue template is concrete and includes all necessary fields (Parent, What to build, Acceptance criteria, Blocked by)
Instructions explicitly guide dependency ordering (blockers first) to enable forward references
User validation loop is built in (Step 4) before publishing, reducing wasted work
Guardrails present: 'Do NOT close or modify any parent issue' prevents accidental data loss
Scope is clearly bounded to issue creation and decomposition, not infrastructure or codebase modification
Edge case handling could be more explicit: e.g., what if source is ambiguous? What if no blockers exist but dependencies are unclear?
Assumes setup skill has been run (`/setup-matt-pocock-skills`) but does not explain failure mode if it has not

Model: claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Analyzed: May 2, 2026

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