picking-up-task

Bootstrap a new task: fetch the ticket (if remote) and set up a clean branch — so you can jump straight into planning.

Next step: once the branch is ready, run planning-from-spec on the ticket file.

Where You Sit in the Pipeline

[1] picking-up-task     ← YOU ARE HERE
[2] planning-from-spec
[3] generating-tasks
[4] reviewing-plan
[5] implementing-tasks
[6] reviewing-code
[7] crafting-commits

Input Detection

Accepts one required argument. Detect the source type:

When input is unrecognized, say exactly this and do nothing else:

"I need a Jira ticket URL, Jira key (e.g. PROJ-42), or a local ticket file path to start a task. For work without a ticket, use /planning-from-spec directly with a spec file."

Do not:

• Accept ad-hoc descriptions, even under time pressure
• Create a Jira ticket on the developer's behalf
• Find a creative workaround to proceed

The rejection is not negotiable. A branch without a ticket has no anchor for planning.

Fetching the Ticket

When input is a Jira URL or key:

REQUIRED: Invoke the fetching-tickets skill. Do not call Jira APIs directly (no MCP calls, no curl). fetching-tickets owns all Jira fetch logic — custom field discovery, image download, self-review. Do not re-implement it here.

Once fetching-tickets completes, the ticket is at $ARTIFACTS_ROOT/PROJ-42/PROJ-42.md.

Workspace Setup

After the ticket is on disk (fetched or read from local file), set up the branch. This is required — do not skip it, do not hand off to planning-from-spec before completing it.

0. Resolve artifacts root

Check for .agentic-sdlc/config.md in the project root:

cat .agentic-sdlc/config.md 2>/dev/null

• If the file exists: read artifacts-root: value. Use it as ARTIFACTS_ROOT.

• If absent, but .claude/artifacts-root exists (migration): read its value, write .agentic-sdlc/config.md:

  mkdir -p .agentic-sdlc
  echo "artifacts-root: $(cat .claude/artifacts-root)" > .agentic-sdlc/config.md

  Print migration notice:

  "Migrated artifacts-root from .claude/artifacts-root → .agentic-sdlc/config.md. You can delete .claude/artifacts-root."

• If neither exists: ask the developer:

  "Where should ticket and plan files go? Press Enter for the default. Default: local-dev/tickets"

  Write their answer (or the default) to .agentic-sdlc/config.md:

  mkdir -p .agentic-sdlc
  echo "artifacts-root: local-dev/tickets" > .agentic-sdlc/config.md

Gitignore (one-time): Ensure .agentic-sdlc/ is excluded from git:

grep -q '\.agentic-sdlc' .gitignore 2>/dev/null \
  || echo '.agentic-sdlc/' >> .gitignore

Global gitignore for local-dev/ (unchanged — keep existing logic):

GITIGNORE_FILE="$(git config --global core.excludesfile 2>/dev/null || echo ~/.gitignore_global)"
grep -q 'local-dev' "$GITIGNORE_FILE" 2>/dev/null \
  && echo "already excluded" \
  || echo "local-dev/" >> "$GITIGNORE_FILE"

1. Detect base branch

git remote show origin | grep 'HEAD branch' | awk '{print $NF}'

Show the result and ask the developer to confirm:

"Base branch detected as develop. Branch off this, or a different one?"

Wait for confirmation. Do not assume.

2. Check for dirty working tree

git status --porcelain

If output is non-empty, stop and ask:

"You have uncommitted changes on <branch>. Should I stash them, or would you prefer to handle this first?"

Do not proceed until the developer explicitly says to continue. Do not reassure them that worktrees are isolated and proceed anyway — get explicit confirmation.

3. Sync

git fetch origin
git checkout <base-branch>
git pull origin <base-branch>

4. Construct branch name

Pattern: {type}/{ticket-key}/{slug}

Examples: feat/PROJ-42/add-user-auth, fix/PROJ-55/null-pointer-payment

Derive type from Jira issue type:

Derive slug: 2–4 word kebab-case from ticket title. Drop articles, prepositions, helper verbs. Keep core action and object. Only [a-z0-9-] characters.

Confirm before creating:

"I'll create branch feat/PROJ-42/add-user-auth based off develop — sound good?"

Wait for confirmation.

5. Create branch (default)

git checkout -b feat/PROJ-42/add-user-auth

No push. Branch stays local. superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch handles push and PR.

--worktree flag

When --worktree is passed:

/picking-up-task PROJ-42 --worktree

After confirming the branch name, invoke superpowers:using-git-worktrees instead of git checkout -b. Pass the constructed branch name to it. All worktree logic is owned by that skill.

Use --worktree when you have in-flight work on another branch, are dispatching an agent to implement in parallel, or need full isolation between concurrent tasks.

Handoff

Once the branch (or worktree) is ready, print the ticket summary and open the Review Gate.

Review Gate

Present to the developer:

Branch `feat/PROJ-42/add-user-auth` ready (based off `develop`).
Ticket saved to `$ARTIFACTS_ROOT/PROJ-42/PROJ-42.md`.

Review the ticket file above to confirm its content is correct before planning starts.
Type `approve` to stamp it and proceed, or describe what needs fixing.

Collaborative mode (default): Wait for the developer to type approve. Any other response is a change request — address it and re-present. On approve:

1. Write (or upsert) this line in $ARTIFACTS_ROOT/PROJ-42/REVIEW-LOG.md (create the file if absent, overwrite any existing picking-up-task line if present):

   > **Human Review:** APPROVED — YYYY-MM-DD — picking-up-task

2. Write .agentic-sdlc/active/PROJ-42.md (create or overwrite):

   key: PROJ-42
   step: planning-from-spec
   task:
   branch: feat/PROJ-42/add-dark-mode
   ticket: $ARTIFACTS_ROOT/PROJ-42/PROJ-42.md
   plan:

   Replace PROJ-42 with the actual ticket key and feat/PROJ-42/add-dark-mode with the actual branch name.

3. Ask:

   Ready to proceed? /planning-from-spec $ARTIFACTS_ROOT/PROJ-42/PROJ-42.md (yes/no)

   On yes, invoke /planning-from-spec <ticket-file>.

Auto mode: Write the stamp automatically with AUTO:

> **Human Review:** AUTO — YYYY-MM-DD — picking-up-task

Then invoke /planning-from-spec <ticket-file> automatically.

No push commands. No extra guidance beyond the next-step prompt.

You Must NOT

• Skip branch creation. Fetching the ticket and handing off to planning-from-spec without creating a branch is wrong. Branch creation is part of this skill's job.
• Accept ad-hoc descriptions. Not even under time pressure. Not even if the developer says "just figure it out." Reject and redirect.
• Create a Jira ticket. That is not in scope. The developer must provide an existing ticket or file.
• Call Jira APIs directly. Delegate to fetching-tickets. No MCP Atlassian calls, no curl to Jira REST.
• Proceed past a dirty working tree without explicit confirmation. Informing the developer that worktrees are isolated is not the same as getting confirmation — ask and wait.
• Push the branch. That is superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch's job.
• Trigger automatically. This skill is opt-in only.

Common Mistakes