---
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 to tickets research

## Question

What should the migrated local `implement` skill learn from Matt Pocock's `skills/engineering/to-tickets` ticket, blocker, frontier, and slicing model?

## Findings

Matt's `to-tickets` creates tracer-bullet vertical tickets with blocking edges and a frontier of tickets whose blockers are all done.
Each ticket should deliver a complete path through every required layer, be demoable or verifiable on its own, and fit in a single fresh context window.
The migrated `implement` skill should expect tickets to be coherent implementation slices, not arbitrary file-edit lists.
Source: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`.

Matt's skill includes a wide-refactor exception to strict vertical slicing.
For one mechanical change whose blast radius breaks too many call sites, it recommends expand-contract: add the new form, migrate batches, then delete the old form, with an integration branch only when batches cannot stay green alone.
The migrated `implement` skill needs special handling for task tickets that declare an integration-branch exception, because the old local rule of always branching from `main` may not fit that exceptional path.
Source: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`.

Matt's publishing model depends on an issue tracker, native blocking links where available, and a `ready-for-agent` label.
The local `slice` skill has already adapted this to Wayfinder Markdown task artifacts with `status`, `parent`, `blocked-by`, and Frontier semantics.
The migrated `implement` skill should consume the local Wayfinder representation rather than Matt's tracker labels.
Sources: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`, `/home/alexion/Documents/ai-artifacts/projects/skills/031-slice-skill-map.md`.

Compared with the packaged local `slice` skill, Matt's `to-tickets` sizes tickets to a fresh context window and publishes to a tracker, while `slice` sizes slices as coherent single commits and writes Wayfinder `ticket/task/afk` or `ticket/task/human` artifacts.
`slice` also has explicit review-before-write output shape, destination artifact rules, parent-vs-blocker distinction, and map Frontier repair.
`implement` should treat `slice` as the authoritative local producer contract and Matt's skill as upstream rationale for tracer bullets and wide-refactor handling.
Sources: `/home/alexion/wrk/skills/skills/slice/SKILL.md`, `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattpocock/skills/main/skills/engineering/to-tickets/SKILL.md`.

## Conclusion

Matt's `to-tickets` reinforces tracer-bullet, blocker, frontier, and wide-refactor concepts.
The migrated `implement` skill should preserve those concepts but reject tracker labels and issue-specific publication mechanics in favor of Wayfinder task metadata.
