teamcraft:pick-next-issue

---
name: teamcraft:pick-next-issue
description: Show the highest-priority work items from the backlog and help the developer pick one to work on next. Use when the user says 'pick next issue', 'what should I work on next from the backlog', 'show me the backlog', 'what's highest priority in the backlog', or 'pick an issue for me'.
argument-hint: "(no arguments)"
disable-model-invocation: false
user-invocable: true
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Glob
  - AskUserQuestion
---

## Goal

Help the developer pick their next piece of work from the backlog. Read the work item index, show what's available, and let them choose.

## What to Do

**1. Read the backlog.** Read `.teamcraft/work/INDEX.md` to see all work items and their current status. If the index doesn't exist or is empty, tell the developer there are no work items tracked yet and point them to `/create-issue`.

**2. Read individual work item files to resolve blockers.** For items in `backlog` or `ready` status, also read the work item file to extract any `relationships.blocked_by`. An item is "blocked" when any of its blockers is still in an active status (`backlog`, `ready`, `in-progress`, `in-review`) — not yet `done`. Picking blocked work is almost always wrong, so this is worth the extra reads.

**3. Show available items.** Present work items that are in `backlog` or `ready` status, ordered by priority (critical > high > medium > low). For each item, show the ID, priority, effort (if set), and the one-line summary. Separate them into two groups:

- **Ready to pick** — items with no open blockers.
- **Blocked** — items with at least one blocker still open. Show the blocker IDs and their current status, so the developer knows what's holding each up. Don't hide them entirely — sometimes the developer realizes the blocker is wrong, or wants to pick up the blocker itself first.

If there are items in `in-progress` status, mention them — the developer may have forgotten about work already started.

**4. Let the developer choose.** The developer picks one (or decides none of the current items are right). If they pick a blocked item, gently note that it's blocked and ask if they want to proceed anyway, pick the blocker first, or pick something else. Don't refuse — the developer may have context you don't. If they pick an unblocked item, point them to `/plan-and-implement-issue <id>` to start working on it.

## Constraints

- This skill is read-only. It does not change work item status — that's `plan-and-implement-issue`'s job when work actually starts.
- If the developer wants more detail about a specific item before choosing, read the full work item file from `.teamcraft/work/<id>.md` and present it.
- Don't recommend or pressure. Present the options and let the developer decide. They know their context better than you do.
- Resolve blockers by reading each referenced ID's file and checking its `status`. If a referenced ID doesn't exist on disk, treat it as an open blocker but flag it as a probable stale reference — the developer should clean up the relationship.