name: next
description: >
Pick the next bead to work on. Shows ready tasks (no blockers), applies user
preferences for ordering (priority, type, recency), and helps select work.
allowed-tools: "Read,Bash(bd:*),AskUserQuestion"
version: "1.0.0"
author: "flurdy"

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 <bead-id>          # Start working on specific bead

What This Skill Does

1. Find Ready Work
2. Run bd ready to get unblocked tasks
3. Filter out beads that are blocked by others

4. Show current in-progress work if any

5. Rank by Suitability

6. Apply priority ranking algorithm (see below)
7. Bugs generally rank higher than features at same priority

8. Epics rank lower (they represent larger work)

9. Present Options

10. Show top 5 candidates with key details
11. Include: ID, title, priority, type, age

12. Ask user to pick or provide different criteria

13. Start Work

14. Mark selected bead as in_progress
15. Show full bead details
16. 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

# 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:
   bash bd list --status=open

2. Get ready (unblocked) beads:
   bash bd ready

3. Parse command argument:

4. (none): Show ranked list, ask user to pick
5. task: Auto-select top-ranked bead and start it
6. quick: Auto-select an easy win task and start it

7. <bead-id>: Start that specific bead

8. If specific bead ID provided:
   bash bd show <id> bd update <id> --status=in_progress

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

10. On selection:

11. Mark as in_progress
12. Show full details with bd show
13. If bead has description with steps, highlight first step

Handling Edge Cases

• No ready beads: Show blocked beads and what's blocking them
• All in progress: Warn about context switching, show current work
• 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):

Note: P4 items are backlog and not shown by default.

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"