Make GitHub Issues The Method Work Tracker

[flyingrobots]

Hill

As an OSS contributor and agent collaborator, I can discover, start, track, and close Method work through GitHub Issues while Method design docs, witnesses, playbacks, and retros remain durable repo evidence.

Sponsored perspectives

Human: OSS contributor and Method maintainer
Agent: Workflow automation agent

Context

Method currently treats filesystem backlog files as the live work tracker and mirrors them to GitHub Issues. That makes the project less familiar to contributors and creates repo cruft in docs/method/backlog and docs/method/graveyard.

The new doctrine is: GitHub Issues are the live work tracker; repository files are the evidence ledger.

Scope

• Define canonical Method issue labels for lanes, status, legends, priority, and type.
• Add GitHub issue templates for work items, bugs, and spikes.
• Add a PR template that links GitHub issue tracking to Method evidence.
• Update Method doctrine so GitHub Issues are primary for tracking and repo files remain evidence artifacts.
• Document branch naming as the issue title slug.
• Identify legacy filesystem-backlog commands/sync behavior as migration or compatibility surfaces.
• Preserve design docs, playback witnesses, retros, release evidence, and signposts.

Out of scope

• Bulk migrating Echo backlog items.
• Replacing all Method CLI backlog commands in one pass.
• Deleting historical graveyard material before a migration policy exists.
• Adding GitHub Projects.

Acceptance criteria

• GitHub labels for the Method issue taxonomy exist in flyingrobots/method.
• GitHub issue templates exist for work items, bugs, and spikes.
• A PR template links issues to Method evidence.
• README and PROCESS state that GitHub Issues are the live tracker.
• CONTRIBUTING starts from GitHub Issues, not local backlog files.
• Branch naming doctrine uses issue-title slugs.
• Existing filesystem-backlog GitHub sync behavior is documented as migration/legacy behavior.
• The current Method backlog migration path is documented before Echo migration starts.

Witness plan

Expected evidence:

• Docs cite the new authority split.
• Templates exist under .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/.
• PR template exists under .github/.
• The branch name matches this issue title slug: make-github-issues-the-method-work-tracker.

Method artifacts

Design: TBD
Witness: TBD
Retro: TBD
PR: TBD

[coderabbitai]

🔗 Related PRs

#1 - [codex] refresh METHOD signposts and legend structure [merged]
#6 - Automated Witness Capture (Cycle 0020) [merged]
#18 - Land 0030-0033 repo-truth and MCP debt fixes [merged]
#20 - Add backlog notes for agent-first planning and review workflow [merged]
#21 - Align test taxonomy fixtures with live legends [merged]

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📝 Issue Planner

_{Check the box below or use the @coderabbitai plan command to generate an implementation plan and prompts that you can use with your favorite coding assistant.}

• Create Plan

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🧪 Issue enrichment is currently in open beta.

You can configure auto-planning by selecting labels in the issue_enrichment configuration.

To disable automatic issue enrichment, add the following to your .coderabbit.yaml:

issue_enrichment:
  auto_enrich:
    enabled: false

💬 Have feedback or questions? Drop into our discord!

[flyingrobots]

Design packet started on branch make-github-issues-the-method-work-tracker: docs/design/PROCESS_make-github-issues-the-method-work-tracker.md.

[flyingrobots]

Migration follow-through update:

• Added npm run migrate via scripts/migrate-backlog-to-github-issues.mjs.
• Ran the migration against flyingrobots/method; backlog-lane cards became issues Reserve graveyard and enforce disposition-bearing retirement #28 through Sync Vision Command #63.
• Opened draft PR Make GitHub Issues the Method work tracker #64 for the Method tracker transition branch.
• Reframed stale migrated cards GitHub Issue Query Surface #33, GitHub Issue Summary Signpost Section #34, Filesystem abstraction for local Method evidence artifacts #41, Milestones as release buckets, labels as Method lanes #44, Legend label audit and assignment #47, Maintenance track for sub-cycle issue work #48, and Next Work Menu from Method-labeled GitHub Issues #50 around the GitHub-Issues-backed model.
• Closed Remote Issue Deletion Sync #52 as obsolete because remote deletion sync belonged to the old local-mirror model.