Work on Ticket Skill

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Starting work on a Jira ticket
Creating a feature branch for a ticket
Fetching ticket details and acceptance criteria
Setting up workspace for new development work
Users mention ticket IDs like "PROJ-123" or "work on ticket"

Prerequisites

1. Jira API Authentication

This project is configured for https://ihkreddy.atlassian.net/

Edit work-on-ticket/.jira-config with your credentials:

[DEFAULT]
default_profile = ihkreddy

[ihkreddy]
url = https://ihkreddy.atlassian.net
email = your-email@example.com
token = your-api-token

To get your Jira API token:

Go to https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens
Click "Create API token"
Give it a name (e.g., "Agent Skills")
Copy the token and paste it in .jira-config

Security: This file is in .gitignore - never committed to git.

2. Git Configuration

Ensure git is configured:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your-email@example.com"

Workflow Process

1. Fetch Ticket Details

Use the script:

python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123

This retrieves:

Ticket summary and description
Status and priority
Assignee and reporter
Acceptance criteria
Related tickets
Comments and attachments

API call structure:

import requests
from requests.auth import HTTPBasicAuth

def fetch_ticket(ticket_id):
    url = f"{JIRA_URL}/rest/api/3/issue/{ticket_id}"
    
    auth = HTTPBasicAuth(JIRA_EMAIL, JIRA_API_TOKEN)
    
    response = requests.get(url, auth=auth)
    return response.json()

2. Create Feature Branch

Automatic branch creation:

python scripts/create-branch.py --ticket PROJ-123

This will:

Fetch the ticket details
Generate branch name following conventions
Create and checkout the branch
Optionally update ticket status to "In Progress"

Branch naming conventions:

Feature: feature/PROJ-123-short-description
Bug fix: bugfix/PROJ-123-short-description
Hotfix: hotfix/PROJ-123-short-description

Manual branch creation:

# Fetch ticket info first
python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123

# Create branch manually
git checkout -b feature/PROJ-123-add-user-authentication

3. Display Ticket Context

Get formatted ticket summary:

python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --format markdown

Output example:

# [PROJ-123] Add User Authentication

**Type:** Story
**Status:** To Do
**Priority:** High
**Assignee:** John Doe

## Description
Implement user authentication system with OAuth 2.0 support.

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Users can log in with email/password
- [ ] OAuth 2.0 integration with Google
- [ ] Session management implemented
- [ ] Password reset functionality

## Technical Notes
- Use JWT for tokens
- Store hashed passwords with bcrypt
- Rate limit login attempts

4. Update Ticket Status

Transition ticket to "In Progress":

python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --status "In Progress"

Add work log:

python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --log-work "2h" --comment "Set up authentication scaffolding"

5. Complete Workflow

Full workflow in one command:

python scripts/start-work.py --ticket PROJ-123

This will:

✅ Fetch ticket details
✅ Display summary and acceptance criteria
✅ Create feature branch with proper naming
✅ Transition ticket to "In Progress"
✅ Assign ticket to you (if not assigned)
✅ Add comment: "Started working on this ticket"

Script Reference

fetch-ticket.py

Retrieves complete ticket information from Jira.

Usage:

# Basic fetch
python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123

# With formatting
python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --format markdown

# Include comments
python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --include-comments

# Save to file
python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --output ticket-details.md

create-branch.py

Creates git branch based on ticket information.

Usage:

# Auto-generate branch name
python scripts/create-branch.py --ticket PROJ-123

# Custom branch name
python scripts/create-branch.py --ticket PROJ-123 --name "feature/custom-name"

# Specify branch type
python scripts/create-branch.py --ticket PROJ-123 --type bugfix

# Update ticket status
python scripts/create-branch.py --ticket PROJ-123 --update-status

update-ticket.py

Updates ticket status and adds information.

Usage:

# Change status
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --status "In Progress"

# Add comment
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --comment "Working on authentication module"

# Log work time
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --log-work "3h" --comment "Completed OAuth integration"

# Assign to user
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --assign "john.doe@example.com"

start-work.py

Complete workflow automation - fetches ticket, creates branch, updates status.

Usage:

# Full automated workflow
python scripts/start-work.py --ticket PROJ-123

# Custom branch type
python scripts/start-work.py --ticket PROJ-123 --branch-type bugfix

# Skip status update
python scripts/start-work.py --ticket PROJ-123 --no-status-update

Jira API Reference

See references/JIRA-API.md for detailed API documentation.

Common endpoints:

Get issue: GET /rest/api/3/issue/{issueIdOrKey}
Update issue: PUT /rest/api/3/issue/{issueIdOrKey}
Transitions: POST /rest/api/3/issue/{issueIdOrKey}/transitions
Add comment: POST /rest/api/3/issue/{issueIdOrKey}/comment
Log work: POST /rest/api/3/issue/{issueIdOrKey}/worklog

Branch Naming Standards

Format:

<type>/<ticket-id>-<short-description>

Types:

feature/ - New features or enhancements
bugfix/ - Bug fixes
hotfix/ - Urgent production fixes
refactor/ - Code refactoring
docs/ - Documentation updates
test/ - Test additions or updates

Description rules:

Use lowercase
Separate words with hyphens
Max 50 characters
Be descriptive but concise

Examples:

feature/PROJ-123-user-authentication
bugfix/PROJ-456-fix-login-validation
hotfix/PROJ-789-patch-security-vulnerability
refactor/PROJ-234-optimize-database-queries

Best Practices

1. Always Fetch Before Creating Branch

# Good: Check ticket details first
python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123
python scripts/create-branch.py --ticket PROJ-123

# Better: Use automated workflow
python scripts/start-work.py --ticket PROJ-123

2. Keep Branches Up to Date

# Before starting work
git checkout main
git pull origin main
python scripts/create-branch.py --ticket PROJ-123

3. Link Commits to Tickets

# Include ticket ID in commit messages
git commit -m "PROJ-123: Implement OAuth authentication"
git commit -m "PROJ-123: Add login form validation"

4. Update Ticket Status Regularly

# When starting
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --status "In Progress"

# When ready for review
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --status "In Review"

# When completed
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --status "Done"

5. Log Your Time

# Log work with comments
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 \
  --log-work "2h 30m" \
  --comment "Implemented OAuth flow and tests"

Troubleshooting

Authentication Errors

Problem: 401 Unauthorized

Solution:

# Verify credentials
echo $JIRA_URL
echo $JIRA_EMAIL
# DON'T echo API token for security

# Re-generate API token if needed
# Visit: https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens

Ticket Not Found

Problem: 404 Not Found

Solution:

Verify ticket ID format (e.g., PROJ-123, not proj-123)
Check if ticket exists in your Jira instance
Ensure you have permission to view the ticket

Branch Creation Fails

Problem: Branch already exists

Solution:

# Check existing branches
git branch -a

# Delete local branch if needed
git branch -D feature/PROJ-123-description

# Force create new branch
git checkout -b feature/PROJ-123-new-description

Transition Errors

Problem: Cannot transition ticket status

Solution:

# Get available transitions
python scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --show-transitions

# Use exact transition name
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --status "In Progress"

Configuration

Custom Branch Prefixes

Edit scripts/config.py:

BRANCH_PREFIXES = {
    'Story': 'feature',
    'Bug': 'bugfix',
    'Task': 'task',
    'Epic': 'epic',
    'Subtask': 'feature'
}

Status Mappings

Configure status transitions:

STATUS_MAPPINGS = {
    'start': 'In Progress',
    'review': 'In Review',
    'done': 'Done',
    'blocked': 'Blocked'
}

Integration with Other Tools

VS Code Integration

Add to .vscode/tasks.json:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Start Work on Ticket",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "python scripts/start-work.py --ticket ${input:ticketId}",
      "problemMatcher": []
    }
  ],
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "ticketId",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Enter Jira ticket ID"
    }
  ]
}

Git Hooks

Add to .git/hooks/commit-msg:

#!/bin/bash
# Ensure commit messages include ticket ID

commit_msg=$(cat "$1")
if ! echo "$commit_msg" | grep -qE "^[A-Z]+-[0-9]+:"; then
    echo "Error: Commit message must start with ticket ID (e.g., PROJ-123:)"
    exit 1
fi

Example Workflow

# 1. Morning standup - pick up ticket
python scripts/start-work.py --ticket PROJ-123

# Output:
# ✓ Fetched ticket: [PROJ-123] Add User Authentication
# ✓ Created branch: feature/PROJ-123-add-user-authentication
# ✓ Updated status: In Progress
# ✓ Added comment: Started working on this ticket
# 
# Ready to code! 🚀

# 2. Work on feature
# ... code, code, code ...

# 3. Make commits with ticket ID
git add .
git commit -m "PROJ-123: Implement OAuth 2.0 flow"
git commit -m "PROJ-123: Add password hashing with bcrypt"

# 4. Log time periodically
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --log-work "3h"

# 5. Push and create PR
git push origin feature/PROJ-123-add-user-authentication

# 6. Update ticket for review
python scripts/update-ticket.py --ticket PROJ-123 --status "In Review"

Security Notes

⚠️ Never commit API tokens to version control
⚠️ Use environment variables for credentials
⚠️ Rotate API tokens regularly
⚠️ Use read-only tokens when possible
⚠️ Limit token scope to required permissions

Tips for Efficiency

Create aliases for common commands:

alias jira-fetch="python work-on-ticket/scripts/fetch-ticket.py --ticket"
alias jira-start="python work-on-ticket/scripts/start-work.py --ticket"

Use shell functions for quick access:

function start-ticket() {
    cd ~/Agents/AgentSkills
    python work-on-ticket/scripts/start-work.py --ticket $1
}

Bookmark Jira board for quick reference
Set up notifications for ticket updates

Use JQL filters for finding your tickets:

assignee = currentUser() AND status = "To Do" ORDER BY priority DESC