---

name: start-ticket description: Start work on a Jira ticket by fetching details, creating a branch, and entering planning mode.

Start Ticket

Instructions

When this skill is invoked with a Jira ticket ID (e.g., /start-ticket UP-1600), help the user start work on that ticket.

Steps

1. Parse Arguments:

   • Extract the Jira ticket ID from the command arguments
   • The ticket ID should match the pattern {JIRA_PROJECT_KEY}-[0-9]+ (e.g., UP-1600)
   • If no ticket ID is provided, ask the user to provide one

2. Validate Environment:

   • Check that the following environment variables are set:
     • JIRA_EMAIL - User's Jira email for authentication
     • JIRA_API_TOKEN - API token for Jira authentication
     • JIRA_BASE_URL - Base URL of the Jira instance
   • If any are missing, inform the user which variables need to be configured

3. Fetch Ticket Details:

   • Use curl to fetch the issue from the Jira REST API:

     Copycurl -s -X GET \
       -H "Accept: application/json" \
       -u "${JIRA_EMAIL}:${JIRA_API_TOKEN}" \
       "${JIRA_BASE_URL}/rest/api/3/issue/{TICKET_ID}"
     

   • Parse the JSON response to extract:
     • Summary (title)
     • Description
     • Status
     • Priority
     • Assignee
     • Any acceptance criteria or subtasks
   • If the API call fails, display the error and stop

4. Check for Existing Branches:

   • Search for branches that already contain this ticket ID:

     Copygit branch -a | grep -i {TICKET_ID}
     

   • If existing branch(es) are found:
     • Use the AskUserQuestion tool to ask the user whether to:
       • Switch to one of the existing branches (list them as options)
       • Create a new branch
     • If user chooses an existing branch, skip to step 6 (switch to that branch)

5. Generate Branch Name (only if creating a new branch):

   • Extract the ticket summary from the fetched ticket data
   • Convert the summary to a kebab-case slug:
     • Convert to lowercase
     • Replace spaces and special characters with hyphens
     • Remove consecutive hyphens
     • Truncate to a reasonable length (max ~50 characters for the description part)
   • Format: {TICKET_ID}-{slug} (e.g., UP-1600-create-jira-skill)

6. Create or Switch Branch:

   • If switching to an existing branch:

     Copygit checkout {existing-branch}
     

   • If creating a new branch:

     Copygit checkout -b {branch-name}
     

7. Enter Planning Mode:

   • Enter planning mode by running /plan

8. Present Context:

   • Display the ticket details in a clear format:
     • Ticket ID and Summary as heading
     • Status, Priority, Assignee
     • Full description
     • Acceptance criteria (if any)
   • Check with user
     • Ask if there is any specific guidance that should be considered while planning
   • Then begin creating an implementation plan based on:
     • The ticket requirements
     • The project's Documentation Driven Development workflow (see CLAUDE.md)
     • Relevant code patterns in the codebase

9. Update Ticket Status (After Plan Accepted):

   • Once the user has approved the plan and you're ready to begin implementation:
   • Check the ticket's current status from the fetched data (step 3)
   • If the status is "Open", transition it to "In Progress":
     • First, get available transitions for the issue:

       Copycurl -s -X GET \
         -H "Accept: application/json" \
         -u "${JIRA_EMAIL}:${JIRA_API_TOKEN}" \
         "${JIRA_BASE_URL}/rest/api/3/issue/{TICKET_ID}/transitions"
       

     • Find the transition ID for "In Progress" from the response
     • Execute the transition:

       Copycurl -s -X POST \
         -H "Accept: application/json" \
         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         -u "${JIRA_EMAIL}:${JIRA_API_TOKEN}" \
         -d '{"transition": {"id": "{TRANSITION_ID}"}}' \
         "${JIRA_BASE_URL}/rest/api/3/issue/{TICKET_ID}/transitions"
       

   • If the status is not "Open", skip this step (do not change the status)
   • Inform the user of the status update (or that it was skipped)

10. Begin Implementation:

    • Proceed with implementing the plan