implement-spec Skill for Claude: Build a Whole Spec From Its Tickets

implement-spec makes your agent build a whole spec from its tickets, using one fresh subagent per ticket and one integration branch.

Installs: 318.4K; on skills.sh
Stars: 309.2K; on GitHub
Files: 1; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Nov 2026; last repo commit

implement-spec takes a spec and its tickets and builds all of it on a single integration branch. It treats the tickets as a task graph with blocking links, starts a fresh implementer subagent for each ready ticket in its own worktree, merges finished work with a merger subagent, and keeps starting newly unblocked tickets. At the end it runs code-review and fixes the findings.

It runs only when you call it, because the skill is set to disable automatic invocation. It needs a spec, tickets and an issue tracker already set up with /setup-matt-pocock-skills. It calls the tdd and code-review skills, so install the whole mattpocock set.

Good for

Developers who already turned a plan into a spec and tickets with /to-spec and /to-tickets
Teams that want tickets built in parallel by separate subagents in their own worktrees
Anyone who wants the finished work merged on one branch and reviewed at the end

Install implement-spec

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the implement-spec skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

claude plugin install mattpocock-skills@claude-plugins-official

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Install the plugin so the skills this one calls come along. The README asks you to run /setup-matt-pocock-skills once per repo, and says to pick the plugin or the skills CLI, not both, or you get every skill twice. This skill is set to run only when you call it, so type its name; with a plugin install Claude Code may show it as /mattpocock-skills:implement-spec.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Implement the result of /to-spec and /to-tickets in code.

Sections in SKILL.md

Steps

Key facts

Author: mattpocock (Matt Pocock, owner of the mattpocock/skills repo)
License: MIT
Installs on skills.sh: 318,403 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars: 309,237 for the whole mattpocock/skills repo
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk warn
What is inside: 1 files besides SKILL.md (1 in agents/)
Needs: A spec and tickets (from /to-spec and /to-tickets); an issue tracker set up with /setup-matt-pocock-skills; the tdd and code-review skills; an agent that supports subagents and git worktrees
Part of plugin: mattpocock-skills
Last commit to the repo: 2026-11-01

What it includes

Spec and tickets, with blocking links
Tickets are a graph with a frontier of ready tickets, not a list of steps. The agent finds the issue tracker or tells you to run /setup-matt-pocock-skills.
Try: “/implement-spec”
Read · Read the task graph
Saves research notes outside the repo
Gathers codebase and docs context once so implementers can focus on code.
Write · Exploration subagent (optional)
One branch for the whole spec
Opens a draft PR after the first merge if your tracker closes work through PRs, or if you ask.
Runs code · Integration branch
Fresh subagent, own worktree, own branch
Each one confirms its worktree is based on the integration branch, builds the ticket by calling the tdd skill, and merges the integration branch tip into its own branch before reporting done.
Runs code · Implementer per ticket
Merges each finished ticket to the integration branch
Newly unblocked tickets then start, for maximum concurrency.
Runs code · Merger subagent
Runs code-review on the integration branch
All findings are fixed in one fresh implementer subagent.
Read · Code review
Marks the draft PR ready or closes tickets as your tracker does
Reports the integration branch.
Write · Finish
Removes the implementer worktrees
Deletes the temporary worktrees it created.
Delete · Clean up

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

The agent creates branches and worktrees, merges work and may open a draft PR. Start from a clean repo state and review the result.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It starts many subagents at once
SKILL.md runs implementer subagents in the background for maximum concurrency. Check how many tickets are ready before you start.
It merges and opens PRs for you
It merges ticket branches into an integration branch and may open a draft PR. Start from a clean repo state and review the PR.
It deletes the worktrees it made
The last step cleans up implementer worktrees. Do not keep unsaved work in them.

Technical details

Talks to	Your issue tracker or Git host, for the PR and ticket status
Scopes	Creates git branches and worktrees and merges between them Starts many subagents in parallel Can open a draft pull request and mark it ready for review Deletes the worktrees it created

Questions

What does implement-spec do?

It implements a finished spec and its tickets in code. Each ticket goes to a fresh subagent in its own worktree, the work merges onto one integration branch, and a code review runs at the end.

How do I install it?

Use the install box at the top of this page, which has tabs for Claude Code, the Claude app and Codex. The install box uses the whole mattpocock plugin, since this skill calls others from the set.

What do I need before running it?

A spec with tickets, usually from /to-spec and /to-tickets, and an issue tracker configured with /setup-matt-pocock-skills. If the tracker is missing, the skill tells you to run that setup.

Does it run automatically?

No. SKILL.md turns off automatic invocation, so you start it yourself.

Which other skills does it use?

It calls tdd for each ticket and code-review at the end. Those come with the mattpocock set.

Does it work in the Claude app or Codex?

It depends on subagents, git worktrees and the Skill tool, so use it in a coding agent such as Claude Code. SKILL.md does not list supported apps.

Is it safe?

It creates branches and worktrees, runs many subagents at once, can open a draft PR and removes the worktrees it made. Run it on a repo with a clean state. See the audit results under key facts.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: mattpocock/skills
Folder: skills/engineering/implement-spec

mattpocock/skills skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 3

mattpocock/skills README · github.com
implement-spec SKILL.md · github.com
skills.sh listing and audits · skills.sh