epic-start

Epic Start

Launch parallel agents to work on epic tasks in a shared branch.

Usage

/pm:epic-start <epic_name>

Quick Check

1. Verify epic exists:

   test -f .claude/epics/$ARGUMENTS/epic.md || echo "❌ Epic not found. Run: /pm:prd-parse $ARGUMENTS"
   

2. Check GitHub sync: Look for github: field in epic frontmatter. If missing: "❌ Epic not synced. Run: /pm:epic-sync $ARGUMENTS first"

3. Check for branch:

   git branch -a | grep "epic/$ARGUMENTS"
   

4. Check for uncommitted changes:

   git status --porcelain
   

   If output is not empty: "❌ You have uncommitted changes. Please commit or stash them before starting an epic"

Instructions

1. Create or Enter Branch

Follow /rules/branch-operations.md:

# Check for uncommitted changes
if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
  echo "❌ You have uncommitted changes. Please commit or stash them before starting an epic."
  exit 1
fi

# If branch doesn't exist, create it
if ! git branch -a | grep -q "epic/$ARGUMENTS"; then
  git checkout main
  git pull origin main
  git checkout -b epic/$ARGUMENTS
  git push -u origin epic/$ARGUMENTS
  echo "✅ Created branch: epic/$ARGUMENTS"
else
  git checkout epic/$ARGUMENTS
  git pull origin epic/$ARGUMENTS
  echo "✅ Using existing branch: epic/$ARGUMENTS"
fi

2. Identify Ready Issues

Read all task files in .claude/epics/$ARGUMENTS/:

• Parse frontmatter for status, depends_on, parallel fields
• Check GitHub issue status if needed
• Build dependency graph

Categorize issues:

• Ready: No unmet dependencies, not started
• Blocked: Has unmet dependencies
• In Progress: Already being worked on
• Complete: Finished

3. Analyze Ready Issues

For each ready issue without analysis:

# Check for analysis
if ! test -f .claude/epics/$ARGUMENTS/{issue}-analysis.md; then
  echo "Analyzing issue #{issue}..."
  # Run analysis (inline or via Task tool)
fi