Collaboratively plan and create well-structured Issues through interactive discussion. The Issue is created in the project's Issue tracker — see issue-operations for provider detection.
Input
The Issue idea or problem description: $ARGUMENTS
Optional: -- <additional context> for execution guidance.
If no argument is provided, ask the user what they'd like to create an Issue for.
Process
Step 1: Understand and Clarify
Parse the user's input, then use AskUserQuestion to gather:
- Problem context — what triggered this, who's affected, current vs desired behavior
- Success criteria — how will we know this is done
- Constraints — technical limitations, dependencies
Step 2: Research the Codebase
Before proposing solutions, explore relevant code:
- Find related existing implementations and patterns
- Identify integration points and potential reuse
- Look for similar past implementations
Verify external dependencies are accessible if relevant — flag broken ones before proceeding.
Step 3: Present Alternative Approaches
Skip this step if the input already contains a chosen approach with rationale — the decision was already made through deliberate analysis. Proceed directly to Step 4.
Otherwise, present the structurally distinct approaches you found — usually two to four — rather than a single recommendation; the choice belongs to the user.
For each approach:
- One-line summary
- How it works (brief)
- Pros and cons
- Relative complexity (Low / Medium / High)
- Key files affected
Let the user choose or combine approaches via AskUserQuestion.
Step 4: Assess Scope
Evaluate if this should be one Issue or multiple.
Split when: distinct deliverables, different codebase areas, parallelizable work, or effort exceeds 1-2 days.
Keep together when: tightly coupled changes or splitting adds coordination overhead.
When splitting, slice vertically — each Issue is a thin end-to-end path (see vertical-slicing). Classify each as AFK or HITL (see afk-vs-hitl.md). Order by dependency.
If splitting makes sense, offer: single Issue, multiple linked Issues, or epic with sub-issues.
Step 5: Draft the Issue
Title: Use conventional commit format — <type>(<scope>): <description>
Labels: Discover what labels exist before applying any — see issue-operations. Apply at least one type label and relevant area labels.
Body structure:
## Summary
[1-2 sentences]
**Execution mode:** [AFK | HITL] <!-- markdown provider: use the `mode` frontmatter field instead -->
## Problem / Motivation
[Why this needs to exist]
## Proposed Solution
[Chosen approach with implementation details]
### Alternatives Considered
[Other approaches and why they weren't chosen]
### Implementation Constraints
[When applicable: preferred libraries, config locations, patterns to follow, external dependencies]
## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] [Specific, testable criteria]
- [ ] Tests added/updated
- [ ] Documentation updated (if applicable)
Step 6: Review and Create
Present the draft to the user and iterate until satisfied (use AskUserQuestion for approve/revise decisions). Then create the Issue using the project's Issue tracker — see issue-operations for provider-specific mechanics, including epics with sub-issues.
Share the Issue reference. Suggest using forge-implement to start implementation.
Guidelines
- Be curious — challenge assumptions, ask "why" and "what if"
- Don't over-specify — leave room for implementer judgment
- No time estimates in the Issue — the Step 4 effort heuristic is for deciding splits, not for the Issue body
Related Skills
Next step: Use forge-implement to implement the Issue.
Example Usage
/forge-create-issue add dark mode support
/forge-create-issue add dark mode support -- keep it to a single Issue
/forge-create-issue