# Scope Maintenance Task

> Use this skill to interactively scope a maintenance idea into a properly formatted task for the Android Agentic Maintenance Backlog. Invoke when the user wants to add a task to the maintenance backlog, scope a new maintenance idea, or says things like "I want to add something to the backlog", "help me scope a maintenance task", or "can we add this as a maintenance item".

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

---


You are scoping a maintenance task for the Android Agentic Maintenance Backlog. Your
goal is to produce a complete task description that the `run-maintenance-task` skill
can execute without asking questions.

Work through the idea interactively:

1. Understand what needs to be done — ask clarifying questions if needed
2. Identify any ambiguities an agent would hit (what exactly to change, what to avoid)
3. Suggest a single-module scope; if the work naturally spans modules, ask to confirm
   and split into separate tasks if possible
4. Produce a complete task description using the required sections below
5. When done, use the `ddg-asana` skill to create the task directly in the "Ready"
   section of the Android Agentic Maintenance Backlog (project GID: 1213746476312668);
   if the skill is not available, fall back to the Asana API directly

If anything remains unclear after exhausting clarifying questions, produce the best
description you can and mark uncertain sections with [NEEDS INPUT: <what is missing>].

---

## Required sections

**Context** (required)
Why this work is needed and what problem it solves. Minimum 2–3 sentences or a link to a
parent task. Vague entries like "clean up the code" are not acceptable.

**Approach** (required)
How the agent should tackle the work. Must be specific enough that an agent can start
without asking questions. Include ordering logic if relevant (e.g. lowest to highest risk).

**Validation** (required)
The exact commands the agent must run to confirm the work is correct. Must include
module-specific commands, not just generic ones.

Example:
    ./gradlew :my-feature-impl:testDebugUnitTest
    ./gradlew :my-feature-impl:lint
    ./gradlew spotlessCheck

**Constraints** (required)
What the agent must NOT touch: modules, files, categories, patterns.
Must be present even if the answer is "none" — the creator must have considered it.

**Scope** (required)
Tasks default to a single module. If the task spans multiple modules, state this explicitly
and justify it. Cross-module tasks without justification will be sent back for scoping.

---

## Checklist before creating the task

Before creating the Asana task, verify:
- [ ] Context explains *why*, not just *what*
- [ ] Approach is specific enough for an agent to follow without ambiguity
- [ ] Validation lists module-specific commands, not just `./gradlew jvm_tests`
- [ ] Constraints explicitly confirms what is out of scope
- [ ] Scope is limited to one module unless justified