# Create Placeholder Issue > Create a placeholder GitHub issue for a pending SDLC feature (one created without an issue, with a p-prefixed directory) and promote it to issue-driven form by renaming its directory and rewriting FEAT- cross-references. Use when the user says /create-placeholder-issue, wants to promote a pending feature, wants to back an existing SDLC feature with a GitHub issue, or wants to convert a p-prefixed… - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-tomzx-agents-create-placeholder-issue` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [tomzx](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/tomzx) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Developer Tools](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/developer-tools) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [tomzx](https://github.com/tomzx) - **Source:** https://github.com/tomzx/agents/tree/main/skills/create-placeholder-issue ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-tomzx-agents-create-placeholder-issue ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Create Placeholder Issue Creates a minimal placeholder GitHub issue for a **pending** SDLC feature, then promotes the feature to issue-driven form: renames the directory to the new issue number and rewrites every `FEAT-p` cross-reference to `FEAT-`. This is the promotion step defined by the Feature Directory Naming convention in `skills/sdlc/references/shared.md`. Use it for features created bottom-up (e.g. by `sync-sdlc` from code analysis) that have no GitHub issue yet. For top-down work where you start from a feature request, use `/create-issue`, which produces a full structured issue. ## Prerequisites - Apply the shared SDLC conventions in `skills/sdlc/references/shared.md`. - `gh` CLI authenticated with write access to create issues in the target repository. - A pending feature directory `p-` under `.sdlc/features/` (resolved via SDLC_DIR if set). ### Skill attribution (GitHub) Before creating the issue, read [`github-post-attribution/SKILL.md`](../github-post-attribution/SKILL.md) and append the **Created with** footer for `SKILL_DIR` = `create-placeholder-issue` to the issue body. ## Formatting - Straight ASCII quotes only, no curly/typographic quotation marks (same rule as `/create-issue`). ## Steps 1. **Resolve the target feature.** Use `$1` if provided (a feature id like `FEAT-p1`, the token `p1`, or a directory name `p1-`). Otherwise read `.sdlc/state.yml` `feature`; if that is unset and exactly one `p`-prefixed directory exists under `.sdlc/features/`, use it. If none can be resolved, stop and report `not-found`. 2. **Locate the feature directory** via SDLC_DIR resolution (repo first, then `$SDLC_DIR/{owner}/{repo}/.sdlc/`). Record both locations when mirrored. 3. **Verify it is pending.** If the directory token is numeric, the feature is already issue-driven: stop and report `already-issue-driven` with the issue number from its frontmatter. If the token is not `p`-prefixed, stop with an error. 4. **Duplicate check.** Read the feature's frontmatter `issue` field; if it is already set, treat the feature as already promoted (`already-issue-driven`). Otherwise search for an existing open issue mentioning the feature slug and "placeholder": ``` gh issue list --search " placeholder" --state open --limit 10 ``` If one is found that was produced by this skill, reuse its number `M` and skip to step 7 (rename), linking the existing issue instead of creating a duplicate. 5. **Derive the issue title and body.** - **Title:** the feature's frontmatter `title` if present, otherwise humanize the `` (e.g. `notification-system` -> `Notification system`). - **Body:** build a placeholder body. If the feature has a `requirements.md`, include its overview paragraph and acceptance criteria (rendered as a checklist) so the issue is immediately useful; otherwise use a minimal stub. Always include: - a visible one-line note that this is a placeholder auto-created for a pending SDLC feature, to be fleshed out (this visible text also makes the duplicate search work), - an HTML comment marker `` recording the originating feature directory, - a reference to the feature directory path. - Append the **Created with** attribution footer resolved from `github-post-attribution/SKILL.md`. 6. **Create the issue.** Apply labels only if they already exist: prefer a `sdlc-placeholder` label if present (so placeholders are filterable), otherwise apply no labels. Do not create labels. Omit `--repo` to let `gh` infer the repository from the working directory. ``` gh issue create --title "" --body "$(cat EOF )" [--label sdlc-placeholder] ``` Capture the returned issue number as `M` and the URL. 7. **Rename the feature directory.** `p-` -> `M-`. Use `git mv` when the directory is inside a git work tree (`.sdlc/` is tracked); otherwise plain `mv`. Apply the rename in every resolved location (repo and SDLC_DIR mirror). ``` git mv .sdlc/features/p- .sdlc/features/M- ``` 8. **Rewrite the feature identifier everywhere.** Replace every occurrence of `FEAT-p` with `FEAT-M` across all `.md` and `.yml` files under `.sdlc/` (and the mirror). This covers frontmatter `feature:` fields, qualified cross-references like `FEAT-p1-FR-2`, and progress/state files. Match the token with a trailing non-digit boundary so adjacent ids are not corrupted (e.g. `FEAT-p2` must not match inside `FEAT-p20`). With the real values substituted (here `p2` -> `137`): ``` rg -l --no-ignore 'FEAT-p2' .sdlc | xargs perl -i -pe 's/\bFEAT-p2(?!\d)/FEAT-137/g' ``` The `(?!\d)` lookahead prevents the partial-match problem; `\b` anchors the left side at the `F`. 9. **Set the issue reference in frontmatter.** In every artifact under the renamed feature directory that has YAML frontmatter, set `issue: "#M"` (add the field if absent, update if present). Update `.sdlc/state.yml`: set `github_ref: "#M"` and, if its `feature:` field referenced this feature, update it to `FEAT-M-`. 10. **Leave the placeholder marker in place.** Do not flesh out the issue body here. The `` marker is cleared only once a later pass (or `/create-issue` in revision) replaces the stub with full background, acceptance criteria, and time budget. 11. **Emit outcome** (see Outcome). ## Output Format ``` ## Placeholder issue created - Feature: FEAT-p- -> FEAT-M- - Issue: #M - Directory renamed: .sdlc/features/p-/ -> .sdlc/features/M-/ - Cross-references rewritten: occurrences across files - Frontmatter issue field set: "#M" - Labels: sdlc-placeholder (or none) ``` No-op cases: ``` ## Already issue-driven - Feature FEAT-M- already has issue #M. Nothing to do. ``` ## Outcome When `$OUTCOME_YAML` is set, write exactly one `verdict`: | Verdict | When | |---|---| | `promoted` | Placeholder issue created (or reused) and feature promoted to `FEAT-M`. | | `already-issue-driven` | The feature was already numeric, or its frontmatter `issue:` was already set. No change. | | `not-found` | No pending feature directory could be resolved. | | `error` | Issue creation failed (no write access, `gh` not authenticated, rename failed, etc.). | Example: ```yaml verdict: promoted reason: "Created issue #137 and renamed p2-billing to 137-billing" ``` ## Example Usage **Scenario 1: Promote a single pending feature** ``` /create-placeholder-issue FEAT-p1 ``` Creates a placeholder issue (#137), renames `p1-notification-system` -> `137-notification-system`, rewrites `FEAT-p1` -> `FEAT-137` everywhere, sets `issue: "#137"`. **Scenario 2: Promote the only pending feature (no argument)** ``` /create-placeholder-issue ``` Resolves the single `p*` directory under `.sdlc/features/` and promotes it. **Scenario 3: Re-run is safe (duplicate check)** ``` /create-placeholder-issue FEAT-p1 ``` If the skill was interrupted after issue creation but before the rename, the duplicate search finds the existing placeholder issue and resumes at the rename step instead of creating a second issue. ## Useful Commands Reference | Command | Description | |---|---| | `gh issue create --title "..." --body "..."` | Create the placeholder issue | | `gh issue list --search " placeholder" --state open --limit 10` | Duplicate check before creating | | `gh label list --json name --jq '.[].name'` | Check whether a `sdlc-placeholder` label exists | | `rg -l --no-ignore 'FEAT-p2' .sdlc` | Find every file referencing the old feature id | | `perl -i -pe 's/\bFEAT-p2(?!\d)/FEAT-137/g' ` | Boundary-safe id rewrite (avoids corrupting `FEAT-p20`) | | `git mv .sdlc/features/p- .sdlc/features/M-` | Rename the directory inside a tracked repo | ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [tomzx](https://github.com/tomzx) - **Source:** [tomzx/agents](https://github.com/tomzx/agents) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-tomzx-agents-create-placeholder-issue - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/tomzx - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.