---
status: resolved
parent: "[[031-slice-skill-map]]"
blocked-by: []
claimed-by: "019fbb2a-dbcd-79d2-ae72-c5bcdd1d714e"
claimed-at: "2026-07-31T22:58:13-04:00"
tags:
  - ticket/research
---

# Slice skill Matt to-tickets research

## Question

What behavior should `slice` preserve, adapt, or reject from Matt Pocock's `to-tickets` skill?

## Findings

Matt Pocock's skill is explicitly non-implicit.
Its frontmatter disables model invocation, and its OpenAI agent policy sets `allow_implicit_invocation: false`.
`slice` should likely preserve explicit invocation as a safety boundary because it writes multiple handoff artifacts and can shape future implementation work.
Sources: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/agents/openai.yaml`.

The input model is broader than a spec file.
`to-tickets` can break down a plan, spec, current conversation, issue number, or URL, and it fetches full issue bodies and comments for issue references.
`slice` should preserve broad source intake and avoid spec-only naming or behavior.
Sources: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/docs/engineering/to-tickets.md`.

The central output concept is a set of tracer-bullet vertical slices with blocking edges.
Each slice cuts through all relevant integration layers, avoids horizontal layer-only work, is demoable or verifiable on its own, and puts prefactoring first.
Matt's source skill sizes each slice for a single fresh context window, but `slice` should adapt sizing toward a coherent single commit instead of making context-window size the main boundary.
Source: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`.

Blocking edges are the main handoff contract.
Every ticket declares the tickets that block it, tickets with no blockers can start immediately, and the frontier is the set whose blockers are all done.
`slice` should preserve this model, but represent edges as Wayfinder `blocked-by` wikilinks and use Wayfinder ticket status to determine the frontier.
Sources: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/docs/engineering/to-tickets.md`.

The review loop is part of the source skill's safety model.
It presents title, blockers, and delivered behavior for each proposed ticket, then asks about granularity, blocking edges, and merge or split choices before publishing.
`slice` should preserve review-before-write by default because artifact creation fixes names, identifiers, and dependency structure.
Source: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`.

The local-file versus real-tracker split is source-specific.
Matt's skill publishes either `.scratch/<feature>/issues/<NN>-<slug>.md` local files or real tracker issues with native blocking links and `ready-for-agent` labels.
`slice` should reject that publishing abstraction and target Wayfinder artifacts only, because this skill's destination is the AI-artifacts project destination rather than an issue tracker.
Sources: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/docs/engineering/to-tickets.md`.

The issue templates overlap with Wayfinder metadata but still supply useful execution-body semantics.
Matt's template includes parent reference, end-to-end `What to build`, acceptance criteria, and `Blocked by`.
Wayfinder already owns parent and blocker representation through frontmatter, while `slice` should preserve `What to build` and `Acceptance criteria` as task body sections and optionally add `Implementation Notes` for handoff and execution details.
Source: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`.

The wide-refactor exception is important enough to preserve.
A wide mechanical refactor should not be forced into vertical slices when no slice can land green.
It should be sequenced as expand, migration batches, and contract, with an integration-branch and final integrate-and-verify step only when batches cannot stay green alone.
`slice` should include this exception so agents do not cargo-cult vertical slicing into unsuitable refactors.
Sources: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/docs/engineering/to-tickets.md`.

The documentation frames `to-tickets` as a step after an agreed plan or written spec, not as the planning skill itself.
It says to produce a spec first if the change has not been written up.
`slice` should preserve that boundary in Wayfinder terms: it should slice source material the caller treats as settled enough to implement, not resolve unresolved design fog.
Source: `/home/alexion/Downloads/skills/docs/engineering/to-tickets.md`.

## Conclusion

`slice` should preserve Matt Pocock's explicit invocation, broad source intake, tracer-bullet discipline, blocker/frontier model, review loop, useful issue-body semantics, and wide-refactor expand-contract exception.
It should adapt sizing toward coherent single-commit slices rather than emphasizing fresh-context-window limits.
It should reject the configured-tracker prerequisite, `.scratch` local-file output, real issue tracker publishing, `ready-for-agent` labels, platform-native blocker links, and tracker-specific parent issue behavior in favor of Wayfinder task-ticket artifacts.
