Prd To Issues

Name: Prd To Issues
Author: mattpocock

mattpocock/ai-engineer-workshop-2026-project

78 installs
193 repo stars
Updated April 1, 2026
mattpocock/ai-engineer-workshop-2026-project

Turn an approved PRD into vertical-slice issue markdown files your agent (or you) can grab one at a time.

About

PRD to Issues is a workflow skill for solo builders and small teams who have a product requirements document but need a queue an AI agent can execute without losing end-to-end coherence. The process starts by locating and reading the PRD, optionally exploring the repo, then drafting thin vertical slices that each cut through every integration layer so a finished slice is demoable on its own. The skill enforces tracer-bullet rules over thick horizontal tickets, classifies work as human-in-the-loop versus autonomous, and presents the breakdown for your approval before materializing numbered issue files locally. That makes it a practical bridge between Validate-era scoping artifacts and Ship-ready incremental merges. Matt Pocock’s AI Engineer Workshop framing targets practitioners who treat the agent as a implementer once issues are crisp. After approval, you or follow-on coding skills can pick issues in dependency order without re-deriving architecture from a monolithic spec paragraph.

Splits PRDs into tracer-bullet vertical slices through schema, API, UI, and tests—not horizontal layers
Labels each slice HITL or AFK and prefers AFK where human gates are unnecessary
Writes each issue as local markdown under issues/ after quizzing you on the proposed breakdown
Optional codebase exploration step grounds slices in what is already shipped

Prd To Issues by the numbers

78 all-time installs (skills.sh)
+14 installs in the week ending Jun 21, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
Ranked #1,457 of 3,301 Productivity & Planning skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
Data as of Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)

npx skills add https://github.com/mattpocock/ai-engineer-workshop-2026-project --skill prd-to-issues

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Installs	78
repo stars	★ 193
Security audit	3 / 3 scanners passed
Last updated	April 1, 2026
Repository	mattpocock/ai-engineer-workshop-2026-project ↗

What it does

Turn an approved PRD into vertical-slice issue markdown files your agent (or you) can grab one at a time.

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

PRD to Issues

Break a PRD into independently-grabbable issues using vertical slices (tracer bullets), written as local markdown files.

Process

1. Locate the PRD

Ask the user for the PRD file path (e.g. issues/prd.md).

If the PRD is not already in your context window, read it from the file.

2. Explore the codebase (optional)

If you have not already explored the codebase, do so to understand the current state of the code.

3. Draft vertical slices

Break the PRD into tracer bullet issues. Each issue is a thin vertical slice that cuts through ALL integration layers end-to-end, NOT a horizontal slice of one layer.

Slices may be 'HITL' or 'AFK'. HITL slices require human interaction, such as an architectural decision or a design review. AFK slices can be implemented and merged without human interaction. Prefer AFK over HITL where possible.

<vertical-slice-rules>

Each slice delivers a narrow but COMPLETE path through every layer (schema, API, UI, tests)
A completed slice is demoable or verifiable on its own
Prefer many thin slices over few thick ones

</vertical-slice-rules>

4. Quiz the user

Present the proposed breakdown as a numbered list. For each slice, show:

Title: short descriptive name
Type: HITL / AFK
Blocked by: which other slices (if any) must complete first
User stories covered: which user stories from the PRD this addresses

Ask the user:

Does the granularity feel right? (too coarse / too fine)
Are the dependency relationships correct?
Should any slices be merged or split further?
Are the correct slices marked as HITL and AFK?

Iterate until the user approves the breakdown.

5. Create the issue files

For each approved slice, write a markdown file in issues/ using the naming pattern issues/NNN-short-title.md (e.g. issues/001-add-user-auth.md).

Number issues starting from the next available number (check what files already exist in issues/).

Create files in dependency order (blockers first) so you can reference real filenames in the "Blocked by" field.

Do NOT use gh issue create or any GitHub CLI commands. Do NOT reference GitHub issue numbers. Use local filenames for all cross-references.

<issue-template>

Parent PRD

issues/prd.md (or whichever PRD file was used)

What to build

A concise description of this vertical slice. Describe the end-to-end behavior, not layer-by-layer implementation. Reference specific sections of the parent PRD rather than duplicating content.