Agent skill

To Issues

by ayoubben18 in ayoubben18/ab-method

Break a plan, spec, or PRD into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using tracer-bullet vertical slices.

MITAuto-check passedProduct & Project Management

Install To Issues

skills CLI
$ npx skills add ayoubben18/ab-method --skill to-issues -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install ayoubben18/ab-method to-issues --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ayoubben18/ab-method.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/to-issues .claude/skills/to-issues && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
to-issues
GitHub stars
192
Token cost
~685 tokens
SKILL.md length
368 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
26
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Break a plan, spec, or PRD into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using tracer-bullet vertical slices.

  • Works in 5 steps: Gather context → Explore the codebase (optional) → Draft vertical slices → …
  • User wants to convert a plan into issues
  • SKILL.md covers Process, Parent, What to build and Acceptance criteria, plus 1 more section
  • Calls gh

What it does

To Issues is an agent skill from ayoubben18/ab-method. Break a plan, spec, or PRD into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using tracer-bullet vertical slices. Use when user wants to convert a plan into issues, create implementation tickets, or break down work into issues.

Its SKILL.md is about 690 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Product & Project Management, covering PRD writing. It works with GitHub. The repository describes itself as: A workflow system for Claude Code and Codex. It grills a problem into a domain-grounded plan, then either drives it through test-driven missions you review one at a time, or… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • User wants to convert a plan into issues
  • Create implementation tickets
  • Break down work into issues

Example prompts

  • “/to-issues”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Gather context
  2. Explore the codebase (optional)
  3. Draft vertical slices
  4. Quiz the user
  5. Create the GitHub issues

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 85946e3. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • gh

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

To Issues loads about 685 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 58 tokens; SKILL.md has 368 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~58
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~685

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from ayoubben18/ab-method at commit 85946e3, republished under its MIT licence (© ayoubben18). 368 words, ~685 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/to-issues/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
to-issues
description
Break a plan, spec, or PRD into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using tracer-bullet vertical slices. Use when user wants to convert a plan into issues, create implementation tickets, or break down work into issues.

To Issues

Break a plan into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using vertical slices (tracer bullets).

Process

1. Gather context

Work from whatever is already in the conversation context. If the user passes a GitHub issue number or URL as an argument, fetch it with gh issue view <number> (with comments).

2. Explore the codebase (optional)

If you have not already explored the codebase, do so to understand the current state of the code.

3. Draft vertical slices

Break the plan into tracer bullet issues. Each issue is a thin vertical slice that cuts through ALL integration layers end-to-end, NOT a horizontal slice of one layer.

Slices may be 'HITL' or 'AFK'. HITL slices require human interaction, such as an architectural decision or a design review. AFK slices can be implemented and merged without human interaction. Prefer AFK over HITL where possible.

<vertical-slice-rules>
- Each slice delivers a narrow but COMPLETE path through every layer (schema, API, UI, tests)
- A completed slice is demoable or verifiable on its own
- Prefer many thin slices over few thick ones
</vertical-slice-rules>
4. Quiz the user

Present the proposed breakdown as a numbered list. For each slice, show:

  • Title: short descriptive name
  • Type: HITL / AFK
  • Blocked by: which other slices (if any) must complete first
  • User stories covered: which user stories this addresses (if the source material has them)

Ask the user:

  • Does the granularity feel right? (too coarse / too fine)
  • Are the dependency relationships correct?
  • Should any slices be merged or split further?
  • Are the correct slices marked as HITL and AFK?

Iterate until the user approves the breakdown.

Show full SKILL.md (105 more words)Show less
5. Create the GitHub issues

For each approved slice, create a GitHub issue using gh issue create. Use the issue body template below.

Create issues in dependency order (blockers first) so you can reference real issue numbers in the "Blocked by" field.

<issue-template>
## Parent

#<parent-issue-number> (if the source was a GitHub issue, otherwise omit this section)

What to build

A concise description of this vertical slice. Describe the end-to-end behavior, not layer-by-layer implementation.

Acceptance criteria

  • Criterion 1
  • Criterion 2
  • Criterion 3

Blocked by

  • Blocked by #<issue-number> (if any)

Or "None - can start immediately" if no blockers.

</issue-template>

Do NOT close or modify any parent issue.

© ayoubben18, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/to-issues of ayoubben18/ab-method.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 85946e3

Compare with similar skills

To Issues next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

To Issues compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
To Issues this skillayoubben18/ab-method192—~685Automated safety check: PassMIT
CCPM Project Managementautomazeio/ccpm8.4k—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Ouroboros PM InterviewQ00/ouroboros6.2k1 repos~5.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
To Issuessmallnest/pigo475—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Write A Prdbestofjs/bestofjs3.1k1 repos~722Automated safety check: PassMIT
Write Update Tidb Docspingcap/docs616—~2.3kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence

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Works with

Questions about To Issues

What does To Issues do?

Break a plan, spec, or PRD into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using tracer-bullet vertical slices. To Issues is an agent skill from ayoubben18/ab-method. Break a plan, spec, or PRD into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using tracer-bullet vertical slices.

When should I use To Issues?

To Issues fits situations like: user wants to convert a plan into issues; create implementation tickets; break down work into issues.

How do I install To Issues in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add ayoubben18/ab-method --skill to-issues -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/to-issues in ayoubben18/ab-method) into .claude/skills/to-issues in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install To Issues in Codex?

Run `npx skills add ayoubben18/ab-method --skill to-issues -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/to-issues in ayoubben18/ab-method) into .agents/skills/to-issues in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use To Issues in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add ayoubben18/ab-method --skill to-issues -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/to-issues, .gemini/skills/to-issues, .github/skills/to-issues and .opencode/skills/to-issues in your project.

What does To Issues need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, To Issues needs the command-line tools its instructions call (gh).

Does To Issues access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is To Issues safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does To Issues use?

To Issues is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does To Issues use?

About 685 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to To Issues?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with To Issues: CCPM Project Management (automazeio/ccpm, 8.4k stars), Ouroboros PM Interview (Q00/ouroboros, 6.2k stars), To Issues (smallnest/pigo, 475 stars) and Write A Prd (bestofjs/bestofjs, 3.1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains To Issues?

ayoubben18 (a GitHub user) maintains it in ayoubben18/ab-method, which has 192 GitHub stars. The repository holds 26 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 1, 2026.

Source: ayoubben18/ab-method on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.