Dispatch — PRD to Issues

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

CLI tools — special case. If the PRD describes a command-line tool, suggest running /agent-cli in design mode before issue creation. Locking flags, output formats, and error model up front prevents rework across the dependency-ordered slices.

Process

1. Locate the PRD

Ask the user for the PRD GitHub issue number (or URL).

If the PRD is not already in your context window, fetch it with gh issue view <number> (with comments).

2. Review existing context (optional)

If available, review ./plans/ for related plan files and any prior session decisions to ensure issues align with established architectural choices.

3. Draft vertical slices

Break the PRD 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. Follow the rules in vertical-slice-rules.md.

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.

Agent-loopable AC test — applied to every issue before creation:

Could an AFK agent picking up this issue tomorrow tell, by itself, whether the work is done — without asking anyone?

If the answer is no, the acceptance criteria are too weak. Sharpen them until each AC reduces to a test, an observable artifact, or a runnable command. AFK issues with vague ACs become HITL issues by accident — the agent stalls on "is this what you wanted?" and the parallelism collapses.

HITL issues are allowed subjective ACs, but the issue must be explicitly marked HITL and the subjective gate named ("design review by @owner before merge"). Don't ship a subjective AC under an AFK label.

Cut what wasn't asked. Every slice traces to a user story in the PRD. If a draft issue includes work outside the PRD ("also refactor X while we're here"), drop it or file it as a separate issue. The downstream /tdd agent will implement exactly what the issue says — including the unscoped extra.

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 from the PRD this addresses

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. Create the GitHub issues

For each approved slice, create a GitHub issue using gh issue create. Use the template in issue-template.md.

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

Do NOT close or modify the parent PRD issue.

Prerequisites

Before creating GitHub issues, verify:

1. gh CLI is installed and authenticated (gh auth status)
2. Current directory is a git repo with a GitHub remote
3. User has write access to the repository

If any check fails, inform the user and provide the fix command.