| name | squad-pick |
| description | Atomically claim an item by ID. Verifies references, applies RED-first if AC names concrete failures. |
| argument-hint | <ITEM-ID> |
| allowed-tools | ["Bash","Read"] |
| paths | [".squad/items/**"] |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
You are claiming item $ARGS. Run:
squad claim $ARGS --intent "<one sentence describing what you intend to ship>"
If the command exits non-zero, the item is already claimed by someone else — pick another and tell the user.
If the claim succeeds:
- Read the item file end-to-end (
.squad/items/$ARGS-*.md). The ## Acceptance criteria section is the contract.
- Verify every
file:line reference in the item body against current code. Items rot — line numbers shift, files get renamed, constants change. Open each reference and confirm the described condition is still true. If the item is stale, correct the body before starting.
- If the AC names concrete failing scenarios ("returns wrong value for X", "breaks when Y happens"): invoke
squad-premise-validation and write the RED test FIRST against current code. If the test passes unmodified, the bug does not reproduce — stop and reclassify per the skill.
- Otherwise, invoke
squad-loop and proceed with TDD.
Announce the claim in one line: "Claimed $ARGS: . Starting with <plan>."