# Next Task

> Get the next recommended task to work on. Use when the user asks what to work on next or needs a task assignment.

- Skill: `driangle/next-task-2` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add driangle/next-task-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/driangle/next-task-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: driangle (https://skillmd.com/u/driangle)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/driangle/next-task-2

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# Next Task

Find the next recommended task using priority ranking — no CLI required.

## Instructions

The user may provide optional filters in `$ARGUMENTS` (e.g. `--tag mvp`, `--group cli`).

1. **Find the task directory**:
   - Read `.taskmd.yaml` if it exists to check for a custom `dir` field
   - Default to `tasks` if not configured

2. **Scan all task files**: Use `Glob` with `<task-dir>/**/*.md`
   - Exclude `.worklogs/` directories

3. **Read frontmatter** of each task file and collect: id, title, status, priority, effort, dependencies, tags, group, created, owner

4. **Filter candidates**:
   - Include only tasks with `status: pending` (or no status field)
   - Exclude tasks whose dependencies include any task that is NOT `completed`
   - Apply any user filters from `$ARGUMENTS` (e.g. `--tag`, `--group`, `--owner`)

5. **Rank candidates** using this priority order:
   1. **Priority** (descending): critical > high > medium > low > unset
   2. **Effort** (ascending): small > medium > large > unset (prefer smaller tasks as tiebreaker)
   3. **Created date** (ascending): older tasks first

6. **Present the top recommendation**:
   - Read the full task file of the #1 ranked task
   - Show: ID, title, priority, effort, tags, and the full description
   - Optionally mention the next 2-3 runner-up tasks

See `SPEC_REFERENCE.md` (in the plugin root) for valid field values and ranking logic.