to-tickets Skill for Claude Code: Break a Plan Into Tracer-Bullet Tickets

Splits a plan, spec or conversation into small end-to-end tickets that each say what blocks them, then publishes them to your tracker.

Installs: 750K; on skills.sh
Stars: 309.2K; on GitHub
Files: 1; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Nov 2026; last repo commit

to-tickets cuts work into "tracer bullet" slices. Each slice goes through every layer, can be demoed on its own, and fits in one fresh context. Each ticket lists the tickets that must finish first. It drafts the list, quizzes you on the size and the blocking links, and iterates until you approve.

Then it publishes. On a real tracker the blocking links are native. Locally, they are text in one file per ticket. It reads your tracker settings from /setup-matt-pocock-skills, so run that first. It tells the agent to treat wide mechanical refactors as the exception to vertical slicing.

Good for

Developers turning a spec into work agents can pick up one at a time
Teams who track dependencies between tickets
Anyone who wants a plan chopped into reviewable pieces

Install to-tickets

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the to-tickets 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 whole set with the plugin route. to-tickets tells you to run /setup-matt-pocock-skills, a skill in the same repo, so it knows your issue tracker. The README asks you to run it once per repo. Pick one route per agent, or you get every skill twice. Claude Code names plugin skills /plugin-name:skill-name, so the full name is /mattpocock-skills:to-tickets if /to-tickets is not found.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Break a plan, spec, or the current conversation into a set of tracer-bullet tickets, each declaring its blocking edges, published to the configured tracker (edges as text in one file per ticket locally, or native blocking links on a real tracker).

Sections in SKILL.md

Process
1. Gather context
2. Explore the codebase (optional)
3. Draft vertical slices
4. Quiz the user
5. Publish the tickets to the configured tracker
Parent
What to build
Acceptance criteria
Blocked by

Key facts

Author: Matt Pocock
Repo: mattpocock/skills
Installs on skills.sh: 749,990 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 309,237 (Nov 2, 2026)
License: MIT
Last repo commit: Nov 1, 2026
Files next to SKILL.md: 1 files
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk warn
Needs: An issue tracker configured by the setup-matt-pocock-skills skill

What it includes

Uses the conversation, or a spec path or issue number you pass
Network · Gather context
Optional read of the code so tickets use your glossary and respect ADRs
Read · Explore the codebase
Splits the work into end-to-end tickets with blocking edges
Draft vertical slices
Shows title, blocked-by and deliverable for each, and asks about size and links
Quiz the user
Creates the tickets on your tracker, or one file per ticket locally
Write · Publish

From the official docs

Permissions

Low risk

What it can do

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

Watch out for

It creates several issues on your tracker
It shows the list and asks for approval first. Confirm the target project before you say yes. github.com
skills.sh shows a Snyk warning for this skill
Read the SKILL.md before you install if you must pass a security review. skills.sh

Technical details

Talks to	Your issue tracker
Scopes	Your repo and conversation Your issue tracker

Questions

What does to-tickets do?

It breaks a plan into small end-to-end tickets, each with its blocking tickets, and publishes them after you approve the list.

How do I install to-tickets?

Use the install box at the top and install the whole set. It relies on the tracker settings from the setup skill.

Do tickets have to be vertical slices?

Yes by default. The one exception is a wide mechanical refactor, such as renaming a column, where one change breaks thousands of call sites and no slice can land green.

Where do the tickets go?

To the tracker the setup skill configured. On a real tracker the blocking links are native. For local files, the links are text inside one file per ticket.

How is it different from to-spec?

to-spec writes one spec from the conversation. to-tickets splits a spec or plan into many small tickets.

Is it safe?

It creates issues under your account only after you approve the list. Check the tracker target first. Skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk warn.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: mattpocock/skills
Folder: skills/engineering/to-tickets

mattpocock/skills skills.sh

Sources

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

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