tools-only Work Backlog Item
Bridge a .claude/BACKLOG.md item into the SAM planning pipeline via /python3-development:add-new-feature, then record the resulting plan file back in BACKLOG.md.
Arguments
$ARGUMENTS — case-insensitive substring matching an H3 heading in BACKLOG.md.
/work-backlog-item Error Recovery
/work-backlog-item regex false positive
/work-backlog-item validate-task-file
Workflow
Step 1: Find the Backlog Item
Read .claude/BACKLOG.md. Search H3 headings (### ...) for case-insensitive match against $ARGUMENTS.
- Zero matches: report
No backlog item found matching: {$ARGUMENTS}and stop. - Multiple matches: list all matches and ask the user to pick one.
Record the priority section (P0, P1, P2, Ideas) the item belongs to.
Step 2: Extract Item Fields
Extract these fields (all use bold-key: value format on separate lines):
| Field | Key in BACKLOG.md | Required |
|---|---|---|
| title | H3 heading text | Yes |
| source | **Source**: |
No |
| added | **Added**: |
No |
| description | **Description**: |
Yes |
| research_first | **Research first**: |
No |
| suggested_location | **Suggested location**: |
No |
| plan | **Plan**: |
No |
If the item already has a **Plan**: field, report:
This item already has a plan at {path}. Use /python3-development:implement-feature {path} to execute it.
Then stop.
Step 3: Auto-Groom (if needed)
If no grooming context exists, invoke:
Skill(command: "groom-backlog-item", args: "{item title}")
Capture the grooming output: context manifest containing Related Research, Supporting Skills, Related Agents, Prior Work, Dependencies, Blockers, Suggested First Steps.
Step 4: RT-ICA Checkpoint
- Goal statement — What completing this item achieves.
- Reverse prerequisites — Conditions required for success (enumerate each).
- Availability check — For each condition: AVAILABLE / DERIVABLE / MISSING.
- Decision — APPROVED or BLOCKED.
If BLOCKED:
Present a structured summary to the user:
RT-ICA: BLOCKED
Missing inputs that prevent SAM planning:
- {missing condition 1}
- {missing condition 2}
Provide these inputs before proceeding. SAM planning will not be invoked with known gaps.
Wait for user response. Do not invoke Step 5 until BLOCKED is resolved.
If APPROVED:
Proceed to Step 5. Carry DERIVABLE items forward as "Assumptions to confirm" in the RT-ICA section of the feature request.
Step 5: Compose Feature Request
Build the $ARGUMENTS string for add-new-feature:
## Backlog Item: {title}
**Source**: {source}
**Priority**: {priority section — P0/P1/P2/Ideas}
**Added**: {added date}
### Description
{description text}
### Research Questions
{research_first text, or "None" if absent}
### Suggested Location
{suggested_location text, or "To be determined during architecture phase" if absent}
### RT-ICA Assessment
**Decision**: APPROVED
**Goal**: {goal statement}
**Verified conditions**: {list of AVAILABLE items}
**Assumptions to confirm**: {list of DERIVABLE items, or "None"}
### Grooming Context
{full context manifest from Step 3, if available}
Step 6: Invoke SAM Planning
Skill(command: "python3-development:add-new-feature", args: "{composed feature request}")
This runs the full SAM workflow: discovery, codebase analysis, architecture spec, task decomposition, validation, context manifest.
Step 7: Update Backlog with Plan Reference
After add-new-feature completes, derive the task file slug:
- slug = item title lowercased, spaces replaced with hyphens
Search for the generated plan file:
Glob(pattern="plan/tasks-*-{slug}*")
Add a **Plan**: field to the matched item in .claude/BACKLOG.md:
### SAM: {item title}
**Source**: {source}
**Added**: {added date}
**Plan**: plan/tasks-{N}-{slug}.md
**Description**: {description}
Update last-updated: in the BACKLOG.md YAML frontmatter to today's date.
Step 8: Report Next Steps
Backlog item "{title}" is now planned.
- Plan file: plan/tasks-{N}-{slug}.md (or plan/tasks-{N}-{slug}/ directory)
- To execute: /python3-development:implement-feature {slug}
- To check status: /python3-development:implementation-manager status . {slug}
Error Handling
| Condition | Action |
|---|---|
| Item not found | List available items from BACKLOG.md with priority sections |
| Multiple matches | Present numbered list, ask user to choose |
| Grooming fails | Proceed without grooming context; note the gap in the feature request |
| RT-ICA returns BLOCKED | Present missing inputs; wait for user; do not invoke add-new-feature |
add-new-feature fails |
Report the failure; do not update BACKLOG.md |
| Plan file not found after planning | Search plan/ directory broadly; ask user to confirm the path |
Example Session
> /work-backlog-item Error Recovery
Found: "SAM: Error Recovery / Rollback Procedures" (P1)
No grooming manifest found. Running groom-backlog-item first...
[grooming output]
RT-ICA: APPROVED — all conditions available.
Composing feature request...
Invoking /python3-development:add-new-feature...
[SAM phases run]
Updated BACKLOG.md with Plan: plan/tasks-2-error-recovery.md
Next steps:
- To execute: /python3-development:implement-feature error-recovery
- To check status: /python3-development:implementation-manager status . error-recovery