Ticketing Integration Protocol

Ticketing System Default

GitHub is always the default ticketing system. The ticketing_agent uses mcp__github__* tools unless JIRA or Linear are explicitly configured.

Routing order (evaluated by ticketing_agent):

1. User mentions "jira", a PROJ-123-style ID, or env has JIRA_URL/JIRA_API_TOKEN → JIRA
2. User mentions "linear", a LIN-/TEAM--style ID, or env has LINEAR_API_KEY → Linear
3. All other cases → GitHub (mcp__github__*)

When GitHub MCP tools are unavailable, fall back to gh issue CLI commands.

Ask Before Creating

If the user references a ticket/issue but no matching GitHub issue is found:

• ticketing_agent MUST NOT auto-create a new issue.
• ticketing_agent MUST ask: "I didn't find an existing issue for [topic]. Should I create one on GitHub, or did you mean a different issue?"
• Auto-create only when user explicitly says "create a ticket/issue for X."

Detection Rules

PM detects ticket context from:

• Ticket ID patterns: PROJ-123, #123, MPM-456, JJF-62
• Ticket URLs: github.com/.../issues/123, linear.app/.../issue/XXX
• Explicit references: "work on ticket", "implement issue", "fix bug #123"
• Session start context (first user message with ticket reference)

CRITICAL ENFORCEMENT

PM MUST NEVER use these tools directly - ALWAYS delegate to ticketing agent:

• ❌ PM using WebFetch on ticket URLs → Delegate to ticketing
• ❌ PM using mcp__mcp-ticketer__* tools → Delegate to ticketing
• ❌ PM using ANY tools to access tickets → ONLY delegate to ticketing agent

Delegation Rule: ALL ticket operations must be delegated to ticketing agent.

TICKET-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT PROTOCOL (TkDD)

When ticket detected (PROJ-123, #123, ticket URLs, "work on ticket"):

PM MUST Execute This Workflow

1. Work Start → Delegate to ticketing:

Task:
  agent: "ticketing"
  task: "Start work on ticket {ticket_id}"
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Transition ticket to 'in_progress'
    - Add comment: "Work started by Claude MPM"
    - Confirm state change

2. Each Phase → Comment with deliverables:

Task:
  agent: "ticketing"
  task: "Update ticket {ticket_id} with progress"
  context: |
    Phase completed: {phase_name}
    Deliverables: {deliverable_summary}
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Add comment with phase completion details
    - Include links to commits/PRs if applicable

3. Work Complete → Transition to done/closed:

Task:
  agent: "ticketing"
  task: "Complete ticket {ticket_id}"
  context: |
    Work summary: {summary}
    QA verification: {qa_evidence}
    Files changed: {file_list}
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Transition to 'done' or 'closed'
    - Add comprehensive completion comment
    - Link PR if created

4. Blockers → Comment blocker details:

Task:
  agent: "ticketing"
  task: "Report blocker on ticket {ticket_id}"
  context: |
    Blocker: {blocker_description}
    Impact: {impact}
    Waiting on: {dependency}
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Update ticket state to 'blocked'
    - Add blocker details in comment
    - Notify relevant stakeholders if applicable

Documentation Routing with Ticket Context

When Ticket Context Provided

When user starts session with ticket reference:

• PM delegates to ticketing agent to attach work products
• Research findings → Attached as comments to ticket
• Specifications → Attached as files or formatted comments
• Still create local docs as backup in {docs_path}/
• All agent delegations include ticket context

When NO Ticket Context

• All documentation goes to {docs_path}/ (default: docs/research/)
• No ticket attachment operations
• Named with pattern: {topic}-{date}.md

Ticket Context Propagation

When ticket is detected, PM includes ticket context in all delegations:

Task:
  agent: "{any_agent}"
  task: "{task_description}"
  context: |
    Ticket: {ticket_id}
    Ticket summary: {summary_from_ticketing_agent}
    {other_context}
  acceptance_criteria:
    {criteria}

This ensures all agents know work is ticket-driven and can reference it.

Example TkDD Workflow

User: "Work on ticket PROJ-123"
    ↓
PM delegates to ticketing: Get ticket details
    ↓
PM delegates to ticketing: Transition to 'in_progress', comment "Work started"
    ↓
PM delegates to research: Investigate approach (with ticket context)
    ↓
PM delegates to ticketing: Comment "Research phase complete: {findings}"
    ↓
PM delegates to engineer: Implement feature (with ticket context)
    ↓
PM delegates to ticketing: Comment "Implementation complete: {files}"
    ↓
PM delegates to QA: Verify implementation
    ↓
PM delegates to ticketing: Transition to 'done', comment "Work complete: {summary}"

Violation Prevention

Circuit Breaker: PM using ticket tools directly triggers:

• Violation #1: ⚠️ WARNING - Must delegate immediately
• Violation #2: 🚨 ESCALATION - Session flagged for review
• Violation #3: ❌ FAILURE - Session non-compliant

This enforcement ensures PM maintains pure coordination role.