Complete Task

Complete Task

Mark a task as completed and archive it to the Done folder.

Before Implementation

Gather context to ensure successful completion:

Required Clarifications

1. Which task to complete? (if user provides ambiguous identifier)
   • Check Needs_Action/ and Plans/ directories
   • Present numbered list of matching tasks if multiple found

Optional Clarifications

2. Complete anyway? (only if verification shows incomplete steps)
   • Ask: "This task has X remaining steps. Complete anyway?"
   • If no: abort and report remaining steps
   • If yes: proceed with completion

Instructions

1. Identify Task to Complete

User will provide either:

• Full filename (e.g., FILE_20260110_142301_invoice.md)
• Partial identifier (e.g., "invoice task")
• Task number from Dashboard listing

Search in these locations:

• AI_Employee_Vault/Needs_Action/ (in-progress tasks)
• AI_Employee_Vault/Plans/ (active plans)

2. Verify Completion Eligibility

• Read the task file

• Check if all required steps are completed:

  • For action files: verify all suggested actions are done
  • For plans: verify all checkboxes are checked

• If not all steps are complete:

  • Ask user if they want to complete anyway
  • If no, abort and report remaining steps

3. Update Task File

Add completion metadata to frontmatter:

status: completed
completed_at: [ISO timestamp]
completed_by: ai_employee

Add completion summary at end of file:

## Completion Summary
- Completed: [ISO timestamp]
- Duration: [time from detection to completion]
- Outcome: [brief description of result]

4. Move to Done Folder

• Move the updated file to AI_Employee_Vault/Done/

• Maintain original filename for traceability

• If related plan exists in /Plans:

  • Move plan to /Done as well
  • Link them in completion notes

5. Update Dashboard

• Increment completion counter
• Add to "Recent Activity" section
• Remove from "Pending Actions" list
• Update "Completed This Week" stat

Must Avoid

• Completing without verification: Never complete a task without checking completion eligibility
• Moving without updating: Never move files to Done/ without updating Dashboard
• Losing traceability: Always maintain original filenames for audit trail
• Missing metadata: Never archive without adding completion metadata to frontmatter
• Orphaning related files: If a plan exists, move it to Done/ along with the task file
• Incomplete logging: Always create log entries with all required fields

6. Log Completion

Append to today's log file and include:

• Task identifier
• Completion timestamp
• Brief outcome description
• Files moved

Validation Checklist

Before marking completion as done, verify:

• Task file contains all required completion metadata (status, completed_at, completed_by)
• Original filename maintained (no renaming during move)
• File successfully moved to Done/ folder
• Dashboard updated (completion counter, recent activity, pending actions removed)
• Log entry created with all required fields
• Related files (plans) also archived if applicable
• Completion summary added to end of task file

Completion Summary Template

Add this to the end of completed task files:

---

## Completion Summary
- Completed: [ISO timestamp]
- Duration: [X hours/days from detection]
- Outcome: [What was accomplished]
- Related Files:
  - Original: [Inbox/filename if applicable]
  - Plan: [Plans/plan_filename.md if applicable]
  - Archive: Done/[this file]

## Performance Metrics
- Response Time: [time from detection to first action]
- Total Time: [time from detection to completion]
- Priority: [original priority level]

*Task completed by AI Employee v0.1*

Success Criteria

• Task file updated with completion metadata
• File moved to Done folder
• Dashboard updated with completion
• Log entry created
• Related files also archived

Error Handling

If task cannot be found:

Error: Could not find task matching "invoice_client_a"

Available tasks in Needs_Action:
1. FILE_20260110_140512_message_from_client.md
2. FILE_20260110_135021_project_proposal.md

Please specify the full filename or select a number.

Related Skills

• Use process-needs-action to create tasks from inbox items
• Use update-dashboard to refresh the dashboard after completion