---
status: resolved
parent: "[[040-implement-skill-matt-skills-discovery-research]]"
claimed-by: "019fbb66-80d0-7a01-8ac9-01255adfc7b2"
claimed-at: "2026-07-31T23:47:59-04:00"
blocked-by:
  - "[[040-implement-skill-matt-skills-discovery-research]]"
tags:
  - ticket/research
---

# Implement skill Matt Wayfinder research

## Question

What should the migrated local `implement` skill learn from Matt Pocock's `skills/engineering/wayfinder` workflow, and what tracker-specific assumptions should it reject?

## Findings

Matt's Wayfinder is planning by default and says the pull to do the work usually means the map has reached its edge and should hand off.
This matches the local Wayfinder contract and confirms that `implement` should be explicitly invoked as the executor rather than folded into Wayfinder's normal planning loop.
Sources: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/wayfinder/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/.pi/agent/skills/wayfinder/SKILL.md`.

Matt's Wayfinder stores maps and tickets as issue-tracker issues with labels, child issues, assignees as claims, native blocking relationships, and tracker frontier queries.
The local packaged Wayfinder stores them as AI-artifacts Markdown files with YAML `status`, `parent`, `blocked-by`, `claimed-by`, `claimed-at`, tags, and wikilinks.
The migrated `implement` skill should reject Matt's issue IDs, labels, assignees, and native tracker blocking as local storage assumptions.
Sources: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/wayfinder/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/wrk/skills/skills/wayfinder/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/.pi/agent/skills/wayfinder/ARTIFACTS.md`.

Compared with packaged local Wayfinder, Matt's version treats tasks as prerequisites that unblock decisions, while the local ecosystem also has `slice` creating implementation handoff task artifacts.
This means `implement` must not infer implementation intent from Matt-style Wayfinder task semantics alone.
It should require the local implementation-task producer contract, map Notes, or explicit user selection to distinguish implementation tasks from planning prerequisite tasks.
Sources: `/home/alexion/wrk/skills/skills/wayfinder/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/wrk/skills/skills/slice/SKILL.md`.

Matt's Wayfinder defines Research, Prototype, Grilling, and Task tickets, and says Task work earns its place by unblocking a decision rather than delivering the destination.
The local Wayfinder makes the same distinction but also has `slice` produce implementation task tickets as explicit destination-work handoff artifacts.
The migrated `implement` skill should distinguish planning tasks from implementation tasks by map Notes, ticket body, and producer convention instead of treating every `ticket/task/afk` as implementation work.
Sources: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/wayfinder/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/Documents/ai-artifacts/projects/skills/031-slice-skill-map.md`.

Matt's Wayfinder says HITL tickets only resolve through live exchange and the agent never speaks for the human's side.
The migrated `implement` skill should preserve this by refusing to execute HITL tickets as AFK implementation.
Source: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/wayfinder/SKILL.md`.

## Conclusion

Matt's Wayfinder reinforces the planning-versus-execution boundary, HITL protection, and frontier/claim concepts.
The migrated local `implement` skill should adapt only those concepts and reject tracker-specific labels, child-issue assumptions, assignee claims, issue IDs, and native blocking mechanics.
