Taskwarrior Initialization
Set up Taskwarrior for use with this plugin. Run these steps in order. Taskwarrior must
be installed and accessible as the task command before proceeding.
Step 1: Verify Installation
task --version
If missing, install:
- macOS:
brew install task - Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt install taskwarrior - Arch:
sudo pacman -S task - Windows:
winget install GnuPG.GnuPG && scoop install task
Step 2: Verify Data Directory
task config data.location
# Default: ~/.task — acceptable for most setups
Step 3: Configure Core Defaults
Apply these settings to reduce friction during daily use:
# Disable interactive confirmation prompts for scripting
task config confirmation off
# Show task IDs and affected counts in output
task config verbose label,new-id,affected,edit,special,project,sync,filter,footnote,recur,unwait
# Default priority when none specified
task config default.priority M
# Enable urgency inheritance — blocked tasks adopt blocker urgency
task config urgency.inherit 1
# Boost urgency for the +next tag
task config urgency.user.tag.next.coefficient 15.0
# Boost urgency for +urgent tag
task config urgency.user.tag.urgent.coefficient 10.0
Step 4: Configure Project Contexts (Optional)
Define contexts to focus the task view by project area:
# Work context — shows only work tasks
task context define work "project:Work or +work"
# Home context — shows only personal tasks
task context define home "project:Home or +home"
# List defined contexts
task context list
# Switch context (or disable)
task context work
task context none
Adapt context names and filters to the user's project structure.
Step 5: Configure an Initial Project
If the user provided a project name via argument, create a starter task:
# Create a kickoff task for the project
task add "Project setup complete" project:<ProjectName> priority:L
task <new-id> done
This seeds the project in Taskwarrior's project list.
Step 6: Configure Obsidian Vault (Optional)
If the user uses Obsidian for notes, configure the vault reference file so that annotation URIs work correctly:
- Find the vault name: check
~/.config/obsidian/or theOPENCLAW_NOTES_DIRenv var - Edit
skills/task-workflow/references/obsidian-vault.mdwith:- Vault name
- Base path on disk
- Any PARA structure patterns for this project
Step 7: Verify Setup
Run the summary script to confirm everything is working:
bash $CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/task-workflow/scripts/tw-summary.sh
Expected output: summary header with sections for overdue, today, active, and next.
If task errors, check task config data.location and re-run Step 2.
Step 8: Show Quick Reference
After initialization completes, display this reference to the user:
Taskwarrior initialized. Core workflow:
Add: task add "description" project:Name
Start: task <id> start
Note: task <id> annotate "note or URL"
Done: task <id> done
View: task next
Contexts: task context work / task context none
Summary: task next | task +OVERDUE list | task +TODAY list
Common Post-Setup Tasks
# Check what's pending
task next
# Add first real task
task add "First task" project:MyProject priority:M
# Verify urgency ordering makes sense
task list
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
task: command not found |
Install via package manager (Step 1) |
No matches on any filter |
No tasks exist yet — add one (Step 5) |
Permission error on ~/.task |
mkdir -p ~/.task && chmod 700 ~/.task |
| Confirmations blocking scripts | task config confirmation off (Step 3) |
| Context filters too narrow | task context none to disable temporarily |