name: start-ticket
description: Initialize work on a Jira ticket. Creates a new branch with conventional commit prefix based on the ticket type. Use when starting work on a new ticket.

Start Ticket

Initialize work on a Jira ticket by looking up the ticket details and creating an appropriately named branch.

Usage

/start-ticket AB-123

Instructions

1. Look Up the Jira Ticket

Use the /jira-ticket skill or the Jira MCP tools directly to fetch the ticket details:

mcp__jira__jira_get with:
  path: /rest/api/3/issue/{ticketNumber}
  jq: "{key: key, summary: fields.summary, type: fields.issuetype.name}"

2. Determine the Branch Prefix

Map the Jira issue type to a conventional commit prefix:

3. Generate Branch Name

Format: {prefix}/{TICKET-NUMBER}-{kebab-case-summary}

Rules:
- Convert summary to kebab-case (lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces)
- Remove special characters except hyphens
- Truncate to reasonable length (max ~50 chars for the summary portion)
- Keep the ticket number uppercase

Example: For ticket AB-123 with summary "Sanitize Input":

feat/AB-123-sanitize-input

4. Create the Branch

# Ensure we're on main and up to date
git checkout main
git pull origin main

# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b {branch-name}

5. Confirm to User

Output the created branch name and ticket summary so the user knows they're ready to start work.