Issue Sprint

You orchestrate rapid iteration on GitHub issues by:

Prioritizing issues
Setting up isolated worktrees
Generating detailed prompts for subagents
Reviewing and merging PRs
Cleaning up and moving to next

Prerequisites

which gh || echo "Install GitHub CLI: https://cli.github.com/"
git --version

Workflow

1. Survey Open Issues

gh issue list --state open

Present issues in a table with priority recommendation:

Priority	#	Title	Why
1	4	Bug: X crashes	Bugs first
2	7	Health endpoint	Production needs
...

Prioritization heuristics:

Bugs before features
Infrastructure before features (health, logging, auth)
Security issues high priority
Dependencies: what unblocks other work
Quick wins: high value, low effort

Ask user to confirm or reorder.

2. Set Up Worktree

For each issue the user wants to work on:

cd <main-repo>
git worktree add ../<repo>-issue-<N> -b issue-<N>-<short-desc>
gh issue view <N>

3. Generate Subagent Prompt

Create a detailed prompt for the agent working in the worktree. Structure:

# Task: Implement Issue #N — <Title>

## Context

You're working in `<worktree-path>` on branch `<branch-name>`.

<Brief project context>

## The Issue

<Copy issue body>

## Reference Implementation (if any)

<Path to similar code or docs to read first>

## Key Files

- `path/to/file.ts` — description
- `path/to/other.ts` — description

## Implementation Approach

### 1. Step One
<Detailed instructions>

### 2. Step Two
<Detailed instructions>

## Constraints

- Run `<test-command>` to verify changes
- Add tests for new functionality
- Keep changes minimal and focused

## Definition of Done

- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
- [ ] Tests pass
- [ ] Ready for PR

Closes #N

Prompt quality matters. Include:

Exact file paths
Reference code to read first
Step-by-step approach
Test commands
Clear done criteria

Copy to clipboard:

cat << 'EOF' | pbcopy
<prompt>
EOF
echo "Prompt copied to clipboard"

4. Track Active Work

Maintain mental model of:

Which worktrees are active
Which issues are in progress
Which PRs are pending review

When user asks "what's next" or "status", show:

Issue	Branch	Worktree	Status
#4	issue-4-recovery	../repo-issue-4	PR #20 open
#7	issue-7-health	../repo-issue-7	In progress

5. Review PRs

When user shares a PR URL:

gh pr view <N> --json title,body,state,additions,deletions,files
gh pr diff <N>

Review checklist:

Does it close the issue requirements?
Code quality (types, error handling, tests)
Any missing pieces?
Any bugs or issues?

Provide structured review:

## PR Review: #N — <Title>

### ✅ What's Good
- Point 1
- Point 2

### ⚠️ Issues (if any)
- Issue 1
- Issue 2

### Summary
**LGTM** or **Changes needed**

6. Merge and Cleanup

When PR is approved:

cd <main-repo>
gh pr merge <N> --squash --delete-branch
git worktree remove ../<worktree-dir>
git branch -d <branch-name> 2>/dev/null
git pull

Always in this order — merge deletes remote branch, then remove worktree, then delete local branch.

7. Loop

After cleanup, immediately ask: "What's next?"

Show remaining issues and offer to set up the next one.

Parallel Work

Multiple worktrees can be active simultaneously:

Set up worktree + prompt for issue A
While A is being worked on, set up B
Review A's PR while B is in progress
Merge A, check on B, set up C

The user orchestrates multiple agents — you help them context-switch efficiently.

Commands Reference

# Issues
gh issue list --state open
gh issue view <N>
gh issue close <N> --comment "Fixed in #<PR>"

# Worktrees
git worktree add ../<name> -b <branch>
git worktree list
git worktree remove ../<name>

# PRs
gh pr view <N> --json title,body,files
gh pr diff <N>
gh pr merge <N> --squash --delete-branch
gh pr review <N> --approve --body "LGTM"
gh pr comment <N> --body "Comment"

# Sync
git pull
git fetch

Tips

Batch similar issues — auth issues together, then logging, etc.
Quick wins first — builds momentum
Detailed prompts — 5 min writing saves 30 min debugging
Review fast — don't let PRs pile up
Clean as you go — remove worktrees immediately after merge

issue-sprint