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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

   • Run bd ready to get unblocked tasks
   • Filter out beads that are blocked by others
   • Show current in-progress work if any

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

# 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:

   bd ready
   

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
   • <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: 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):

| Rank | Criteria | |------|---------------------------------| | 1 | Any P0 issue (any type) | | 2 | P1 bug | | 3 | P2 bug | | 4 | P1 feature or task | | 5 | P1 epic | | 6 | P2 feature or task | | 7 | P3 bug, feature, or task | | 8 | P2 epic | | 9 | P3 epic | | 10 | Any other non-P4 issue |

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"