to-issues

Convert a plan, PRD, or feature brief into small, independently executable Beads tasks.

When to use

• User asks to break work into tickets/issues.
• You have a PRD/plan and need execution-ready slices.

Process

1) Gather source context

Use available material first:

• Conversation context
• PRD/plan text
• Existing bead (bd show <id>)
• Relevant codebase context

If user provides an external issue/URL, map it into local context before decomposition.

2) Draft tracer-bullet vertical slices

Each slice must be an end-to-end path through relevant layers (contract, logic, integration, verification), not a single-layer chunk.

Rules:

• Demoable/verifiable on its own
• Prefer many thin slices over few large slices
• Minimize cross-slice coupling
• Mark slices as:
  • AFK: can execute without user intervention
  • HITL: requires human decision/review checkpoint

3) Review slice plan with user

Present a numbered list with:

• Title
• Type (AFK/HITL)
• Blocked by (if any)
• User stories covered (if source has stories)

Refine until approved.

4) Create Beads issues

Create issues in dependency order so blockers exist first.

Use this issue body format:

<issue-template> ## What to build Concise vertical-slice behavior description.

Acceptance criteria

• Criterion 1
• Criterion 2
• Criterion 3

Blocked by

• None - can start immediately or
• <bead-id>

Notes

• Type: AFK/HITL
• Risks or assumptions</issue-template>

Commands:

bd create --type task --title "<slice title>" --description "<template markdown>" --priority 2 --repo .
bd dep add <blocked-id> <slice-id>   # the blocked issue first: it depends on the slice that blocks it

If slices derive from a parent PRD/feature, attach children:

bd create --type task --parent <parent-id> --title "<slice title>" --description "<template markdown>" --priority 2 --repo .

5) Validate and report

• Verify dependency graph (bd children <parent-id> and/or bd graph)
• Confirm no orphaned critical-path work
• Add worklog: comment to parent summarizing decomposition decisions