start-work

name	start-work
description	Begin or resume working on a Jira issue. Gets issue context, creates/checks out feature branch, shows MR feedback if exists, updates Jira status, searches related code, loads project gotchas. Use when user says "start work on AAP-X", "pick up issue", "begin work on AAP-12345". Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"dmzoneill"}

Start Work on Jira Issue

Inputs

Input	Type	Default	Purpose
issue_key	string	required	Jira issue key (e.g., AAP-12345)
repo	string	""	Repo path; if empty, resolved from issue key via config
repo_name	string	-	Config repo name (e.g., automation-analytics-backend)
auto_stash	bool	true	Stash uncommitted changes before checkout
slack_format	bool	false	Use Slack link format

Workflow

1. Bootstrap

• persona_load("developer")
• Resolve repo: use resolve_repo from scripts.common.repo_utils with issue_key, repo, repo_name
• check_known_issues("", issue_text) — proactive check for related patterns

2. Validate

• git_status(repo=resolved.path) — ensure valid git repo, no rebase/merge in progress
• Validate issue key format: AAP-XXXXX via scripts.common.parsers.validate_jira_key
• jira_view_issue(issue_key) — get issue; fail if not found

3. Knowledge & Search (optional, on_error: continue)

• code_search(query=issue_summary, project=resolved.name, limit=5)
• knowledge_query(project=resolved.name, section="gotchas")
• knowledge_query(project=resolved.name, section="architecture.overview")
• check_known_issues("", issue_text) — related error patterns

4. Branch & MR

• git_fetch(repo=resolved.path, prune=true)
• git_branch_list(repo=resolved.path, all_branches=true) — find branch matching issue key
• If branch exists:
  • gitlab_mr_list(project=resolved.gitlab) — find MR for branch
  • gitlab_mr_view, gitlab_mr_comments, gitlab_ci_status — feedback
  • jira_view_issue — recent Jira updates
• If no branch: generate AAP-XXXXX-slugified-summary

5. Stash & Checkout

• If auto_stash: git_stash(repo, action="push", message="Auto-stash before switching")
• If branch exists: git_checkout(repo, target=branch) then git_pull(repo, rebase=true)
• If new branch: git_checkout(repo, target="main") → git_pull → git_branch_create(repo, branch_name, checkout=true)

6. Jira & Hygiene (new work only)

• jira_transition(issue_key, "In Progress")
• jira_assign(issue_key, assignee="currentUser")
• skill_run("jira_hygiene", '{"issue_key": "...", "auto_fix": true}')

7. Memory & Notify

• memory_session_log("Started/Resumed work on AAP-X", "Branch: X, Repo: Y")
• If new work: skill_run("notify_team", '{"message": "🚀 Started work on AAP-X", "type": "info"}')
• memory_append("state/current_work", "active_issues", item) — key, summary, status, branch, repo, started
• memory_update("state/current_work", "last_updated", timestamp)

8. Failure Learning

• If "issue does not exist": learn_tool_fix("jira_view_issue", "issue does not exist", "Wrong key", "Verify AAP-XXXXX format")
• If "no such host": learn_tool_fix("gitlab_mr_list", "no such host", "VPN not connected", "Run vpn_connect()")

Key MCP Tools

• persona_load, jira_view_issue, jira_transition, jira_assign
• git_status, git_fetch, git_branch_list, git_checkout, git_pull, git_branch_create, git_stash
• gitlab_mr_list, gitlab_mr_view, gitlab_mr_comments, gitlab_ci_status
• code_search, knowledge_query, check_known_issues, learn_tool_fix
• memory_session_log, memory_append, memory_update, skill_run

Branch Naming

Branch MUST start with AAP-XXXXX per .gitlab-ci.yml validate-mr. Pattern: ^aap-[0-9]{3,6}.

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