Syntax
Description
Theready command identifies issues that are ready for immediate work. These are issues that:
- Have status
open(not already in progress or closed) - Are not archived
- Have no active blocking relationships (or all blockers are closed)
- Finding next work to start
- Agent task selection
- Daily planning and prioritization
- Identifying available work for team members
“Ready” means the issue has no dependencies blocking it. Use this to find work you can start immediately without waiting for other issues.
How “Ready” is Determined
An issue is considered ready when:Status is open
The issue must have
status = 'open'Issues that are in_progress, needs_review, or closed are excluded.Ready Issues View
The command queries theready_issues database view:
Examples
Find Ready Issues
List all issues ready to work on:Expected output
Expected output
No Ready Issues
When all issues are blocked or completed:Expected output
Expected output
JSON Output
Get machine-readable output for scripting:JSON output
JSON output
Output Format
Ready issues are displayed with:- Issue ID (cyan) - The unique identifier
- Title - Issue description
- Assignee (gray) - If assigned, shown as @username
- Priority - Lower number = higher priority (0 is highest)
- Priority (descending) - Highest priority first
- Created date (descending) - Older issues first within same priority
Common Workflows
Daily Work Selection
Agent Workflow
Automated agent claiming work:Filter by Priority
Find only high-priority ready work:Check for Specific Assignee
See what’s ready for a specific person:Understanding Blockers
Why an Issue Might Not Be Ready
Blocked by another issue
Blocked by another issue
Scenario: ISSUE-010 has Look for “Incoming Relationships” with type “blocks”
blocks relationship to ISSUE-005Result: ISSUE-005 won’t appear in ready list until ISSUE-010 is closedCheck blockers:Status is not open
Status is not open
Scenario: Issue is
in_progress or closedResult: Only open issues appear in ready listCheck status:Issue is archived
Issue is archived
Scenario: Issue was archivedResult: Archived issues are excluded from ready listCheck archive status:Look for
archived: trueBlocker was completed recently
Blocker was completed recently
Scenario: Blocker was just closed but database not syncedResult: May not appear in ready list yetSolution:
Making Issues Ready
To make a blocked issue ready:Related Commands Comparison
ready
Find available work
- Shows open issues only
- No active blockers
- Sorted by priority
- Ready to start immediately
blocked
Find blocked work
- Shows blocked issues
- Lists what blocks them
- Identifies bottlenecks
- Cannot start yet
issue list --status open
All open issues
- Shows ALL open issues
- Includes blocked ones
- More filtering options
- General issue browsing
status
Project overview
- Shows ready count
- Shows blocked count
- Project-wide statistics
- Quick health check
Scripting Examples
Auto-assign Ready Work
Automatically assign ready issues to agents:Ready Work Digest
Generate a daily ready work report:Monitor Ready Work
Check if ready work becomes available:Common Questions
Why doesn't my issue appear in ready list?
Why doesn't my issue appear in ready list?
Check these conditions:
- Status must be
open - Must not be archived
- No open/in_progress blockers
Can I filter ready issues by assignee?
Can I filter ready issues by assignee?
Not directly, but use JSON output with jq:
What if ready shows issues I can't work on?
What if ready shows issues I can't work on?
Some ready issues may require specific skills or context. Consider:
- Adding assignee field to track who should work on it
- Using priority to indicate difficulty
- Adding tags for skill requirements
How do I prioritize within ready list?
How do I prioritize within ready list?
The list is already sorted by priority (highest first), then by creation date (oldest first). To change priority:
Can agents automatically claim ready work?
Can agents automatically claim ready work?
Yes, use the JSON output to build automation:
What's the difference between ready and issue list --status open?
What's the difference between ready and issue list --status open?
- ready: Only shows open issues with NO blockers
- issue list —status open: Shows ALL open issues, including blocked ones
ready when you want to find work you can start immediately.Troubleshooting
Ready list is empty but I know there are open issues
Ready list is empty but I know there are open issues
Cause: All open issues are blockedSolution:
Check blocked issues:Complete blocker issues to make them ready.
Issue appears ready but shows as blocked in issue show
Issue appears ready but shows as blocked in issue show
Cause: Database may be out of syncSolution:
Run sync:
Just closed a blocker but dependent issue not showing as ready
Just closed a blocker but dependent issue not showing as ready
Cause: Database view not refreshedSolution:
Views should update automatically. If not:
Too many ready issues, hard to choose
Too many ready issues, hard to choose
Cause: Need better prioritizationSolution:
Use priority field:
Related Commands
blocked
Find blocked issues
status
Project status overview
issue list
List all issues with filters
issue show
View issue details
issue update
Update issue status
Next Steps
Issues Concept Guide
Learn more about issue lifecycle and workflows

