diff --git a/scripts/issue.sh b/scripts/issue.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c86e4f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/issue.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,313 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# The tracker, from the command line.
+#
+# Issues are this project's source of truth for what is wanted and what is
+# already being worked on, which means "search the tracker" runs at the top
+# of every task rather than occasionally.  Fifty-odd open issues make that a
+# real lookup, and a lookup nobody can remember the shape of is a lookup that
+# gets skipped — so it is one command here instead of a curl re-derived from
+# prose each time.  See CLAUDE.md, "Issues".
+#
+# **Text reaches the API as JSON, never as shell.**  An issue body is
+# arbitrary prose carrying backticks, quotes and `$`, so bodies are read from
+# a file or from stdin and encoded by python3, on the same reasoning that
+# keeps release notes out of `gitea-release.sh`'s argument list.  Only issue
+# numbers and label names cross as arguments, and the numbers are validated.
+#
+# **Claiming is an assignment, a label and a comment, together.**  Any one of
+# them alone is a claim somebody else has to go looking for: the assignee is
+# what shows in the issue list, `Status/In Progress` is what filters, and the
+# comment is what says which branch and what approach.  `claim` does all
+# three, and refuses outright if somebody else already holds it.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   scripts/issue.sh list [--state open|closed|all] [--label L] [--assignee U]
+#   scripts/issue.sh mine
+#   scripts/issue.sh search <text...>
+#   scripts/issue.sh show <n>
+#   scripts/issue.sh new --title <t> [--labels A,B] [--body-file F]
+#   scripts/issue.sh claim <n> [--branch <name>] [--body-file F]
+#   scripts/issue.sh unclaim <n>
+#   scripts/issue.sh comment <n> [--body-file F]
+#   scripts/issue.sh close <n> [--body-file F]
+#   scripts/issue.sh label <n> +Kind/Bug -Status/Blocked
+#   scripts/issue.sh depends <n> <blocker-n>
+#   scripts/issue.sh labels
+#
+# Where a body is taken and no --body-file is given, it is read from stdin.
+#
+# Environment:
+#   GITEA_TOKEN   a PAT with write:issue (plus write:repository and read:user,
+#                 which the rest of this repo's tooling reaches for)
+#   GITEA_URL     defaults to https://git.ljones.me
+#   GITEA_REPO    defaults to yonlu/yellowjacket
+set -euo pipefail
+
+server="${GITEA_URL:-https://git.ljones.me}"
+repo="${GITEA_REPO:-yonlu/yellowjacket}"
+api="$server/api/v1/repos/$repo"
+
+: "${GITEA_TOKEN:?issue.sh: GITEA_TOKEN is not set}"
+command -v python3 >/dev/null || { echo "issue.sh: python3 is required" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+py="$(dirname "$0")/issue_fmt.py"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- plumbing
+
+call() {
+	local method="$1" path="$2"
+	if [ "$method" = GET ]; then
+		curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" "$api$path"
+	else
+		curl -sS -X "$method" \
+			-H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" \
+			-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+			--data-binary @- "$api$path"
+	fi
+}
+
+num() {
+	printf '%s' "${1:-}" | grep -qE '^[0-9]+$' || {
+		echo "issue.sh: '${1:-}' is not an issue number" >&2
+		exit 1
+	}
+	printf '%s' "$1"
+}
+
+# Read a body from a file or stdin.  A file of "-" is stdin.
+read_body() {
+	local file="${1:--}"
+	if [ "$file" = "-" ]; then cat; else cat "$file"; fi
+}
+
+me() { curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" "$server/api/v1/user" | python3 "$py" login; }
+
+label_id() { call GET "/labels?limit=100" | python3 "$py" label-id "$1"; }
+
+# Labels are resolved to ids rather than posted as names: Gitea accepts a list
+# of unknown *names* with 200 and applies none of them, so a typo — or a label
+# somebody renamed — reports success and does nothing.
+add_labels() {
+	local n="$1" ids
+	shift
+	ids="$(call GET "/labels?limit=100" | python3 "$py" label-ids "$(IFS=,; printf '%s' "$*")")"
+	python3 "$py" add-label-ids "$ids" | call POST "/issues/$n/labels" |
+		python3 "$py" check >/dev/null
+}
+
+drop_label() {
+	local n="$1" name="$2" id
+	id="$(label_id "$name" 2>/dev/null)" || return 0
+	curl -sS -o /dev/null -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" \
+		"$api/issues/$n/labels/$id"
+}
+
+post_comment() {
+	local n="$1" text
+	text="$(cat)"
+	# Checked here rather than left to the API, which answers an empty body
+	# with "[Body]: Required" and then this pipeline reports a second, more
+	# confusing error from the request that was built anyway.
+	if [ -z "${text//[[:space:]]/}" ]; then
+		echo "issue.sh: refusing to post an empty comment on #$n" >&2
+		exit 1
+	fi
+	printf '%s\n' "$text" | python3 "$py" wrap-body |
+		call POST "/issues/$n/comments" | python3 "$py" check >/dev/null
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- commands
+
+cmd_list() {
+	local state=open label="" assignee="" limit=100 q=""
+	while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+		case "$1" in
+		--state) state="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		--label) label="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		--assignee) assignee="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		--limit) limit="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		--q) q="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		*) echo "issue.sh list: unknown option $1" >&2; exit 1 ;;
+		esac
+	done
+
+	local path="/issues?type=issues&state=$state&limit=$limit"
+	[ -n "$label" ] && path="$path&labels=$(python3 "$py" urlquote "$label")"
+	[ -n "$assignee" ] && path="$path&assigned_by=$assignee"
+	[ -n "$q" ] && path="$path&q=$(python3 "$py" urlquote "$q")"
+
+	call GET "$path" | python3 "$py" list
+}
+
+cmd_mine() { cmd_list --assignee "$(me)" "$@"; }
+
+cmd_search() {
+	[ $# -gt 0 ] || { echo "usage: issue.sh search <text...>" >&2; exit 1; }
+	echo "-- open --"
+	cmd_list --state open --q "$*"
+	echo "-- closed --"
+	cmd_list --state closed --q "$*"
+}
+
+cmd_show() {
+	local n; n="$(num "${1:-}")"
+	call GET "/issues/$n" | python3 "$py" show
+	echo "-- depends on --"
+	call GET "/issues/$n/dependencies" | python3 "$py" deps
+	echo "-- comments --"
+	call GET "/issues/$n/comments" | python3 "$py" comments
+}
+
+cmd_new() {
+	local title="" labels="" file="-"
+	while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+		case "$1" in
+		--title) title="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		--labels) labels="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		--body-file) file="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		*) echo "issue.sh new: unknown option $1" >&2; exit 1 ;;
+		esac
+	done
+	[ -n "$title" ] || { echo "issue.sh new: --title is required" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+	# Label names are resolved to ids first, so a typo is an error here rather
+	# than an issue filed with a label silently absent.
+	local ids="[]"
+	if [ -n "$labels" ]; then
+		ids="$(call GET "/labels?limit=100" | python3 "$py" label-ids "$labels")"
+	fi
+
+	read_body "$file" | python3 "$py" new-issue "$title" "$ids" |
+		call POST "/issues" | python3 "$py" created
+}
+
+cmd_claim() {
+	local n; n="$(num "${1:-}")"; shift || true
+	local branch="" file=""
+	while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+		case "$1" in
+		--branch) branch="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		--body-file) file="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+		*) echo "issue.sh claim: unknown option $1" >&2; exit 1 ;;
+		esac
+	done
+
+	local who holder note
+	who="$(me)"
+	holder="$(call GET "/issues/$n" | python3 "$py" assignees)"
+
+	# The whole point of the workflow, so it is a hard failure.
+	if [ -n "$holder" ] && [ "$holder" != "$who" ]; then
+		echo "issue.sh: #$n is already claimed by $holder — talk to them before starting" >&2
+		exit 1
+	fi
+
+	# The comment is resolved *before* anything is mutated.  Reading it after
+	# the assignment is how a claim ends up half-made: the assignee and the
+	# label land, the comment is rejected as empty, and the issue says it is
+	# taken without saying by what work.
+	if [ -n "$file" ]; then
+		note="$(read_body "$file")"
+	elif [ ! -t 0 ]; then
+		note="$(read_body -)"
+	fi
+	if [ -z "${note//[[:space:]]/}" ]; then
+		note="Starting work on this${branch:+ on \`$branch\`}."
+	fi
+
+	python3 "$py" assign "$who" | call PATCH "/issues/$n" | python3 "$py" check >/dev/null
+	add_labels "$n" "Status/In Progress"
+	printf '%s\n' "$note" | post_comment "$n"
+
+	echo "claimed #$n as $who${branch:+ (branch $branch)}"
+}
+
+cmd_unclaim() {
+	local n; n="$(num "${1:-}")"
+	python3 "$py" assign | call PATCH "/issues/$n" | python3 "$py" check >/dev/null
+	drop_label "$n" "Status/In Progress"
+	echo "unclaimed #$n"
+}
+
+cmd_comment() {
+	local n; n="$(num "${1:-}")"; shift || true
+	local file="-"
+	[ "${1:-}" = "--body-file" ] && file="$2"
+	read_body "$file" | post_comment "$n"
+	echo "commented on #$n"
+}
+
+cmd_close() {
+	local n; n="$(num "${1:-}")"; shift || true
+	local file=""
+	[ "${1:-}" = "--body-file" ] && file="$2"
+	if [ -n "$file" ]; then
+		read_body "$file" | post_comment "$n"
+	elif [ ! -t 0 ]; then
+		read_body - | post_comment "$n"
+	fi
+	printf '{"state":"closed"}' | call PATCH "/issues/$n" | python3 "$py" check >/dev/null
+	# A claim outlives the work if nothing takes the label off.
+	drop_label "$n" "Status/In Progress"
+	echo "closed #$n"
+}
+
+# Hard blockers are real Gitea dependencies, which render on the issue itself
+# — see #73, whose graph is the reason this is not just prose in a comment.
+#
+# The endpoint takes a whole IssueMeta, not an index: a body of {"index": 88}
+# answers **404**, which reads exactly like a missing endpoint on a Gitea
+# build that does not have the feature.
+cmd_depends() {
+	local n blocker
+	n="$(num "${1:-}")"
+	blocker="$(num "${2:-}")"
+	python3 "$py" issue-meta "$repo" "$blocker" |
+		call POST "/issues/$n/dependencies" | python3 "$py" check >/dev/null
+	echo "#$n now depends on #$blocker"
+}
+
+cmd_label() {
+	local n; n="$(num "${1:-}")"; shift
+	local add=() del=()
+	for spec in "$@"; do
+		case "$spec" in
+		+*) add+=("${spec#+}") ;;
+		-*) del+=("${spec#-}") ;;
+		*) echo "issue.sh label: expected +Name or -Name, got '$spec'" >&2; exit 1 ;;
+		esac
+	done
+	if [ ${#add[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+		add_labels "$n" "${add[@]}"
+	fi
+	local name
+	for name in ${del[@]+"${del[@]}"}; do
+		drop_label "$n" "$name"
+	done
+	echo "relabelled #$n"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- dispatch
+
+sub="${1:-}"
+[ $# -gt 0 ] && shift
+
+case "$sub" in
+list) cmd_list "$@" ;;
+mine) cmd_mine "$@" ;;
+search) cmd_search "$@" ;;
+show) cmd_show "$@" ;;
+new) cmd_new "$@" ;;
+claim) cmd_claim "$@" ;;
+unclaim) cmd_unclaim "$@" ;;
+comment) cmd_comment "$@" ;;
+close) cmd_close "$@" ;;
+label) cmd_label "$@" ;;
+depends) cmd_depends "$@" ;;
+labels) call GET "/labels?limit=100" | python3 "$py" labels ;;
+*)
+	sed -n '/^# Usage:/,/^# Environment:/p' "$0" | sed 's/^# \{0,1\}//'
+	exit 1
+	;;
+esac
diff --git a/scripts/issue_fmt.py b/scripts/issue_fmt.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..106347b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/issue_fmt.py
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""JSON encoding and formatting for scripts/issue.sh.
+
+It is a separate file rather than a heredoc for one reason: an issue body is
+arbitrary prose, and every attempt to build that JSON inside the shell ends in
+nested quoting nobody can read or verify.  Here the shell passes only argv and
+stdin, and every string that reaches the API is encoded by json.dumps.
+
+A Gitea error is a JSON object with "message", and it arrives with HTTP 200 in
+enough cases that printing it as data is how a wrong token scope reads as an
+empty tracker.  check() is what turns it into a non-zero exit instead.
+"""
+
+import json
+import sys
+import urllib.parse
+
+
+def die(msg):
+    sys.exit("issue.sh: " + msg)
+
+
+def load():
+    raw = sys.stdin.read()
+    if not raw.strip():
+        die("empty response from the API")
+    try:
+        return json.loads(raw)
+    except json.JSONDecodeError:
+        die("unreadable response: " + raw[:200])
+
+
+def check(d):
+    if isinstance(d, dict) and "message" in d and "number" not in d:
+        die(d["message"])
+    return d
+
+
+def emit(d):
+    json.dump(d, sys.stdout)
+
+
+def names(items, key="name"):
+    return ", ".join(i[key] for i in items) or "-"
+
+
+def main(argv):
+    cmd = argv[1] if len(argv) > 1 else ""
+    args = argv[2:]
+
+    if cmd == "check":
+        emit(check(load()))
+
+    elif cmd == "urlquote":
+        print(urllib.parse.quote(args[0]))
+
+    elif cmd == "login":
+        print(check(load())["login"])
+
+    elif cmd == "list":
+        for i in check(load()):
+            labels = ",".join(x["name"] for x in i["labels"])
+            who = ",".join(a["login"] for a in (i.get("assignees") or [])) or "-"
+            title = i["title"][:62]
+            print("#%-4d %-6s %-8s %-62s [%s]" % (i["number"], i["state"], who, title, labels))
+
+    elif cmd == "show":
+        d = check(load())
+        print("#%d  %s" % (d["number"], d["title"]))
+        print("state:     " + d["state"])
+        print("labels:    " + names(d["labels"]))
+        print("assignees: " + names(d.get("assignees") or [], "login"))
+        print("url:       " + d["html_url"])
+        print()
+        print(d.get("body") or "(no body)")
+        print()
+
+    elif cmd == "deps":
+        d = check(load())
+        if not d:
+            print("  (none)")
+        for i in d:
+            print("  #%d [%s] %s" % (i["number"], i["state"], i["title"][:70]))
+
+    elif cmd == "comments":
+        d = check(load())
+        if not d:
+            print("  (none)")
+        for c in d:
+            print("  %s (%s): %s" % (c["user"]["login"], c["created_at"][:10], c["body"][:600]))
+
+    elif cmd == "labels":
+        for label in check(load()):
+            print("%-24s %s" % (label["name"], (label.get("description") or "")[:60]))
+
+    elif cmd == "label-id":
+        have = {label["name"]: label["id"] for label in check(load())}
+        if args[0] not in have:
+            die("no such label: " + args[0])
+        print(have[args[0]])
+
+    elif cmd == "label-ids":
+        want = [s.strip() for s in args[0].split(",") if s.strip()]
+        have = {label["name"]: label["id"] for label in check(load())}
+        missing = [w for w in want if w not in have]
+        if missing:
+            die("no such label(s): " + ", ".join(missing))
+        emit([have[w] for w in want])
+
+    elif cmd == "wrap-body":
+        body = sys.stdin.read().strip()
+        if not body:
+            die("refusing to post an empty comment")
+        emit({"body": body})
+
+    elif cmd == "new-issue":
+        title, ids = args[0], json.loads(args[1])
+        body = sys.stdin.read().strip()
+        if not body:
+            die("an issue needs a body — the tracker is the record, not the title")
+        emit({"title": title, "body": body, "labels": ids})
+
+    elif cmd == "created":
+        d = check(load())
+        print("created #%d  %s" % (d["number"], d["html_url"]))
+
+    elif cmd == "assignees":
+        print(",".join(a["login"] for a in (check(load()).get("assignees") or [])))
+
+    elif cmd == "assign":
+        emit({"assignees": list(args)})
+
+    elif cmd == "add-label-ids":
+        emit({"labels": json.loads(args[0])})
+
+    elif cmd == "issue-meta":
+        owner, _, name = args[0].partition("/")
+        emit({"owner": owner, "repo": name, "index": int(args[1])})
+
+    else:
+        die("unknown formatter command: " + cmd)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main(sys.argv)