lttr To Tickets
Break a plan, spec, or conversation into a set of tickets — thin end-to-end vertical slices, each declaring the tickets that block it. Tickets are markdown files stored per the aiwork-protocol skill.
Process
1. Gather context
Work from whatever is already in the conversation context. If the user passes a reference (a spec path, an .aiwork/ folder) as an argument, read it fully.
2. Explore the codebase (optional)
If you have not already explored the codebase, do so to understand the current state of the code. Ticket titles and descriptions should use the project's domain glossary vocabulary, and respect ADRs in the area you're touching.
Look for opportunities to prefactor the code to make the implementation easier. "Make the change easy, then make the easy change."
3. Draft vertical slices
Break the work into vertical-slice tickets.
- Each slice cuts a narrow but COMPLETE path through every layer (schema, API, UI, tests) — vertical, NOT a horizontal slice of one layer
- A completed slice is demoable or verifiable on its own
- Each slice is sized to fit in a single fresh context window
- Any prefactoring should be done first
Give each ticket its blocking edges — the other tickets that must complete before it can start. A ticket with no blockers can start immediately.
Wide refactors are the exception to vertical slicing. A wide refactor is one mechanical change — rename a column, retype a shared symbol — whose blast radius fans across the whole codebase, so a single edit breaks thousands of call sites at once and no vertical slice can land green. Don't force it into a vertical slice; sequence it as expand–contract. First expand: add the new form beside the old so nothing breaks. Then migrate the call sites over in batches sized by blast radius (per package, per directory), each batch its own ticket blocked by the expand, keeping CI green batch to batch because the old form still exists. Finally contract: delete the old form once no caller remains, in a ticket blocked by every migrate batch. When even the batches can't stay green alone, keep the sequence but let them share an integration branch that all block a final integrate-and-verify ticket — green is promised only there.
4. Quiz the user
Present the proposed breakdown as a numbered list. For each ticket, show:
- Title: short descriptive name
- Blocked by: which other tickets (if any) must complete first
- What it delivers: the end-to-end behaviour this ticket makes work
Ask the user:
- Does the granularity feel right? (too coarse / too fine)
- Are the blocking edges correct — does each ticket only depend on tickets that genuinely gate it?
- Should any tickets be merged or split further?
Iterate until the user approves the breakdown.
5. Save the tickets
Load the aiwork-protocol skill (if not already loaded) and follow its folder and tickets/ conventions. Use the task's existing folder if one exists — one task, one folder.
Use the template below — one ticket per file, never a single combined file. Blocking edges and status live in frontmatter so they stay machine-scannable.
Do NOT modify the source spec or plan.
---
status: ready # ready | in-progress | done
blocked_by: [] # ticket file numbers, e.g. [01, 02]
references:
- "Spec: ../spec.md"
---
# <NN> — <Ticket title>
**What to build:** the end-to-end behaviour this ticket makes work, from the user's perspective — not a layer-by-layer implementation list.
## Acceptance criteria
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
Avoid specific file paths or code snippets — they go stale fast. Exception: if a prototype produced a snippet that encodes a decision more precisely than prose can (state machine, reducer, schema, type shape), inline it and note briefly that it came from a prototype. Trim to the decision-rich parts — not a working demo, just the important bits.
Working the tickets
Work the frontier: any ticket whose blockers are all done. For a purely linear chain that means top to bottom. Implement one ticket at a time in a fresh session, updating its status as you go, and clearing context between tickets.