Next - Pick Your Next Bead

Help select the next bead to work on based on readiness and user preferences.

When to Use

• Starting a new work session
• Finished a task and need to pick the next one
• Want to see what's available to work on
• Need help prioritizing between multiple options

Usage

/next                    # Show ready beads, ranked by suitability
/next task               # Auto-pick the next most suitable task and start it
/next quick              # Auto-pick an easy win task and start it
/next bug                # Auto-pick the next most important bug and fix it
/next <bead-id>          # Start working on specific bead

What This Skill Does

1. Find Ready Work

   • Run bd list --ready to get open, unblocked tasks
   • Excludes in_progress beads (another session may be working on them)
   • Show current in-progress work if any (for awareness, not selection)

2. Rank by Suitability

   • Apply priority ranking algorithm (see below)
   • Bugs generally rank higher than features at same priority
   • Epics rank lower (they represent larger work)

3. Present Options

   • Show top 5 candidates with key details
   • Include: ID, title, priority, type, age
   • Ask user to pick or provide different criteria

4. Start Work

   • Mark selected bead as in_progress
   • Show full bead details
   • Suggest first steps if description includes them

Examples

# Show ready work ranked by suitability
/next

# Auto-pick and start the next most suitable task
/next task

# Auto-pick an easy win (quick task)
/next quick

# Auto-pick the next most important bug and start fixing
/next bug

# Start a specific bead
/next gauge-abc

Output Format

## Ready to Work (5 of 12 open)

| # | ID        | Pri | Type    | Parent/Subs | Title                          |
|---|-----------|-----|---------|-------------|--------------------------------|
| 1 | gauge-abc | P1  | bug     | -           | Fix login timeout issue        |
| 2 | gauge-def | P2  | feature | 3 subtasks  | Add export to CSV              |
| 3 | gauge-ghi | P2  | task    | gauge-def   | Update dependencies            |
| 4 | gauge-jkl | P3  | feature | -           | Dark mode toggle               |
| 5 | gauge-mno | P3  | task    | 2 subtasks  | Refactor auth service          |

Currently in progress: gauge-xyz "Implement caching layer"

Which would you like to work on? (1-5, or specify ID, or "task" to auto-pick)

Implementation

When invoked:

1. Check for current open, not in-progress elsewhere, work:

   bd list --status=open
   

2. Get ready (unblocked) beads with open status only, excluding P4 backlog:

   bd list --ready --priority-max=3
   

   Important:

   • Use bd list --ready (not bd ready) to exclude in_progress beads
   • Use --priority-max=3 to exclude P4 backlog items (P4 = future/someday, never auto-pick)
   • Another session may be working on in_progress items - picking them up causes conflicts

3. Parse command argument:

   • (none): Show ranked list, ask user to pick
   • task: Auto-select top-ranked bead and start it
   • quick: Auto-select an easy win task and start it
   • bug: Auto-select top-ranked bug and start it (see Bug Mode below)
   • <bead-id>: Start that specific bead

4. If specific bead ID provided:

   bd show <id>
   bd update <id> --status=in_progress
   

5. Otherwise, present top 5 options and ask user to choose

6. On selection:

   • Mark as in_progress
   • Show full details with bd show
   • If bead has description with steps, highlight first step

Handling Edge Cases

• No ready beads (P0-P3): Show blocked beads and what's blocking them; mention P4 backlog exists if any, but don't auto-pick
• All open beads in progress: Warn that another session may be working on them; ask user if they want to see in_progress beads anyway (may cause conflicts)
• User picks in_progress bead: Warn that another session may be working on it; require explicit confirmation before starting
• Invalid ID: Show error and list valid options
• User says "skip": Show next 5 options

Priority Ranking Algorithm

Rank ready beads in this order (first match wins):

Important: P4 items are backlog/future work and must NEVER be auto-picked. Always use --priority-max=3 to exclude them. Only show P4 items if user explicitly requests them.

Quick Task Heuristics

When /next quick is used, prefer:

1. Type: task > bug > feature (tasks are usually smaller)
2. Priority: P3 > P2 > P1 (lower priority = less complex)
3. Exclude epics (too large for quick wins)
4. Title keywords: "fix", "update", "add" > "implement", "refactor", "redesign"

Bug Mode

When /next bug is used:

1. Filter to open bugs only (excluding P4 backlog):

   bd list --ready --type=bug --priority-max=3
   

2. Rank by priority: P0 > P1 > P2 > P3 (highest priority bug first, P4 excluded)

3. Auto-select and start the top-ranked bug

4. Continue fixing bugs if the completed bug was minor:

   • After completing a bug fix, assess if it was minor (small change, localized fix)
   • If minor AND there's remaining context (related code still fresh), auto-pick the next bug
   • Continue this loop until:
     • A bug requires significant work (not minor)
     • No more ready bugs remain
     • Context would be lost (unrelated area of codebase)

Minor Bug Criteria

A bug is considered minor if:

• Fix touches ≤ 3 files
• Change is ≤ 50 lines total
• No architectural changes required
• Fix is localized (single component/module)

Context Continuity

Continue to next bug automatically when:

• Next bug is in same or adjacent files
• Next bug is in same module/component
• Fix for previous bug provides context for next bug

Stop and ask user when:

• Next bug is in completely different area of codebase
• Next bug appears complex (P0/P1 with unclear scope)
• 3+ bugs have been fixed in sequence (natural checkpoint)