ticket

name	ticket
description	Create and manage in-repo backlog tickets (.TerMinal/backlog/NNNN-slug.md in v2, backlog/NNNN-slug.md in legacy v1); atomic ids, list/update/close. Portable. Use on /ticket, 'file/list/close a ticket', or describing work to track.

/ticket — In-repo backlog tickets

In-repo markdown tickets at .TerMinal/backlog/NNNN-slug.md in v2 repos (legacy v1: backlog/NNNN-slug.md) — versioned with the code, no external service.

Fast path: TerMinal MCP tools (skip the rest if available)

When the terminal-harness MCP server is registered (ships with TerMinal, installs via Settings), use these instead of reading sections below:

• file_ticket({repo, title, body?, type?, priority?, status?, source?}) — allocates next id, writes frontmatter, returns {slug, id, path}.
• update_ticket({slug, status?, priority?, appendPrUrl?, removePrUrl?}) — whitelisted mutation, auto-bumps updated:.
• list_tickets({repo?, status?, type?}) / get_ticket({slug}).
• set_run_outcome({runId: $TERMINAL_RUN_ID, outcome: 'ticket-filed'}) — call after filing when running as a scheduled / /bg agent (skip when interactive — no TERMINAL_RUN_ID).

Saves ~7k tokens vs reading SKILL.md + EXAMPLE.md. The thinker work (when to file, type/priority judgment, drafting ACs) still belongs to you. Shell-helper path below is the fallback when MCP isn't installed.

---

Where tickets live

<repo-root>/.TerMinal/backlog/NNNN-kebab-slug.md in v2 repos. Schema: EXAMPLE.md. Counter at .TerMinal/backlog/.next-id. Legacy v1 repos that already have backlog/ continue to use backlog/.next-id.

Helper scripts (carried by this skill)

ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
SKILL="$ROOT/.claude/skills/ticket"
BACKLOG_DIR=$([ -d "$ROOT/backlog" ] && [ ! -f "$ROOT/.TerMinal/template.json" ] && echo "$ROOT/backlog" || echo "$ROOT/.TerMinal/backlog")

"$SKILL/bin/next-ticket-id"      # atomically allocate next id
"$SKILL/bin/tickets"             # list all
"$SKILL/bin/tickets open"        # by status
"$SKILL/bin/tickets open high"   # status + priority
"$SKILL/bin/tickets future"      # by horizon

next-ticket-id uses an mkdir lock (parallel-safe, no flock) and bootstraps the active backlog directory if missing. Both must be executable.

Routing

• Create ("file a ticket", "/ticket ") → §Create
• List ("what's open", "future ideas") → bin/tickets [status] [priority] [horizon]
• Update / close ("close #42", "link the MR") → §Update

---

Create a ticket

1. Gather the facts

Infer from context; ask once only if genuinely unclear.

• Title — short, action-oriented ("Add rate limit to signaling join").
• Type — bug | feature | security | docs | dx | testing | ux | performance.
• Priority — critical | high | medium | low. medium is a fine default; say so.
• Horizon — now | next | future. Scope/timeline, orthogonal to priority. Default now. /code-review and /session-end follow-ups are usually future or next.
• Source — manual, audit, feedback, agent name (code-review), or a ref.
• Refs (optional) — plan unit IDs (U10), ADRs (ADR-0002), doc paths.

2. Allocate an id

id=$("$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.claude/skills/ticket/bin/next-ticket-id")

Never hand-edit .next-id — use the script.

3. Write the file

Path: $BACKLOG_DIR/<id>-<kebab-slug>.md (slug ≤ 6 words).

---
id: <int, matches filename prefix>
title: "<title>"
status: open
priority: <critical|high|medium|low>
horizon: <now|next|future>
hitl: <true|false>
type: <bug|feature|security|docs|dx|testing|ux|performance>
source: <where it came from>
created: <YYYY-MM-DD>
updated: <YYYY-MM-DD>
prs: []
refs: []
---

Body (prose goes after the closing ---):

## Description
<2–4 sentences: what's the problem/feature, why it matters.>

## Acceptance criteria
- <Concrete, testable bullet>

## Design notes
<Optional: approach, constraints, gotchas.>

## Repro
<Bugs only.>

4. If it needs a human, raise a HITL item separately

Tickets track work; HITL is for human-only blockers (decisions, approvals, creds, OAuth/browser flows). Raise to the global inbox (CLAUDE.md [4.2]):

.claude/bin/hitl "<title>" "<exact action + any url/options>"

Lead with the action; include the url. The HITL helper is append-only from the agent side: it files the Inbox item, emits activity, and pings Telegram. Do not edit ~/.config/TerMinal/hitl.json directly, and do not resolve your own HITL item. If waiting on the human, query the Inbox/list status or periodically re-check the original blocker; continue when it no longer blocks. Reserve HITL for true human-needs — not review feedback or test fails inside a workflow (those iterate).

If the blocker clears after a ticket was marked stuck, update the ticket status immediately: use open when returning it to the queue, or in-progress when actively resuming it. Stale stuck status is drift.

5. Confirm and stop

Show the path. Don't auto-start the work unless asked.

---

Update / close

Edit the file directly:

• Change status: (open → in-progress → closed; or stuck / icebox).
• When unblocked, change stuck → open or in-progress immediately.
• Bump updated: to today.
• On MR/PR open: add the url to prs:. On merge: status: closed.
• Prose strictly after the closing ---.

bin/tickets [status] to verify.

---

Quality bar

• Testable acceptance criteria. "POST /join returns 429 after 100 req/min", not "looks good".
• One ticket = one piece of work. Two unrelated things → two tickets.
• No speculative tickets. "Maybe we should..." → doc/learning, not a ticket.

Porting to a new repo

If bootstrapped from the workflow template, bootstrap.sh already installed it — skip. Standalone:

1. Copy .claude/skills/ticket/ into the target repo.
2. chmod +x .claude/skills/ticket/bin/*.
3. Add .TerMinal/backlog/.next-id.lock (or legacy backlog/.next-id.lock) to .gitignore.

First call bootstraps the backlog directory + .next-id. Commit the backlog directory so the tracker travels with the code.

Activity

.claude/bin/activity ticket-filed "Ticket filed · #<id>" "<title>" --ticket <id>
.claude/bin/hitl "<title>" "<action needed>"  # only for human-only blockers
.claude/bin/activity ticket-closed "Ticket closed · #<id>" "<title>" --ticket <id>