Task Workflow

Task Workflow

Manage the full lifecycle of tasks using Taskwarrior — from capture through completion. This skill defines the canonical workflow AI agents MUST follow when touching the task ledger. Taskwarrior stores data in ~/.task/ by default; run all task commands via Bash.

Core Lifecycle: Add → Start → Update → Close

Every unit of work follows this four-stage lifecycle. Never skip stages silently.

Stage 1: Add (Capture)

Capture tasks immediately when work is identified. A task not in the ledger doesn't exist.

# Minimal capture — always include project
task add "Description of work" project:ProjectName

# Full capture with all known attributes
task add "Description of work" \
  project:ProjectName.SubProject \
  priority:H \
  due:tomorrow \
  +tag1 +tag2

# Record the new task ID from output for subsequent commands

Capture rules:

• Always assign a project — unowned tasks decay
• Use project:Parent.Child for sub-projects (e.g., project:Work.API)
• Set priority:H/M/L only when it reflects real urgency — do not default to H
• Add due: only when there is a real deadline
• Add + tags for cross-cutting concerns (+blocked, +waiting, +review)
• Translate natural language dates: "next Friday" → due:friday, "end of month" → due:eom

Stage 2: Start (Activate)

Before executing any work, mark the task active. This creates an audit trail and exposes blockers before time is spent.

# Read full task record — annotations are context pointers
task <id> info

# Open any annotation URLs or file paths before acting:
# obsidian:// links → open the note
# https://github.com/... → read the issue/PR
# ~/path/to/file → read the file

# Mark active
task <id> start

Start rules:

• Always run task <id> info before starting — annotations contain the full context
• Open every annotation that is a URL or file path before proceeding
• Only start one task at a time when possible (task +ACTIVE list to check)

Stage 3: Update (Progress)

Log progress incrementally. Do not batch updates at the end — if execution is interrupted, the ledger must reflect current state.

# Annotate progress — one annotation per meaningful event
task <id> annotate "Progress: implemented X, pending Y"

# Annotate a blocker
task <id> annotate "Blocked: waiting for API key from team"
task <id> modify +blocked

# Link a new resource discovered during work
task <id> annotate "https://github.com/user/repo/issues/42"
task <id> annotate "~/code/project/src/module.py"

# Annotate an Obsidian note
task <id> annotate "obsidian://open?vault=<vault>&file=Projects/<slug>/notes.md"

# Update due date if timeline changed
task <id> modify due:eow

# Remove a tag when state resolves
task <id> modify -blocked

Update rules:

• One annotation per resource or event — keeps each item individually removable
• Never batch multiple updates into one annotation
• If blocked mid-work: annotate the reason + add +blocked before stopping
• If context becomes available (URL, file, note), annotate immediately
• See references/obsidian-vault.md for Obsidian URI format

Stage 4: Close (Complete)

Close tasks immediately when work is done. Never leave a finished task pending.

# Mark done — mandatory after any completed work
task <id> done

# If a GitHub/GitLab issue was linked, close or comment after marking done
# (retrieve annotation first: task <id> info)

# Partial completion — stop and annotate remaining work
task <id> stop
task <id> annotate "Partial: completed X. Remaining: Y"

Close rules:

• Call task <id> done — this is non-negotiable; the task is not done until the ledger reflects it
• If completion is partial: stop the active timer, annotate remaining work, do NOT mark done
• After closing, show a brief summary of remaining tasks in the same project

Notes and Annotations

Annotations are the primary mechanism for attaching context — notes, URLs, file paths, Obsidian links, GitHub issues. A task can carry unlimited annotations.

# Plain note
task 42 annotate "Spoke with vendor, waiting for quote"

# Obsidian note (see references/obsidian-vault.md for vault config)
task 42 annotate "obsidian://open?vault=<vault>&file=Projects/<slug>/meeting.md"

# Web URL
task 42 annotate "https://github.com/user/repo/issues/87"

# Local file
task 42 annotate "~/code/src/validator.rs"

# View all annotations
task 42 info

# Remove a specific annotation (matches by substring)
task 42 denotate "validator.rs"

For multiline notes and extended task descriptions, see references/examples.md.

Viewing Tasks

# Daily planning view (urgency-sorted)
task next

# Full pending list
task list

# Task with all annotations and metadata
task <id> info

# Overdue
task +OVERDUE list

# Due today
task +TODAY list

# Active (started) tasks
task +ACTIVE list

# By project
task project:Work list

# Quick summary across all projects
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/task-workflow/scripts/tw-summary.sh

Mandatory State Updates for AI Agents

Every time an AI agent completes, stalls, or is blocked on work, it MUST update Taskwarrior before considering the turn done.

Picking Up Existing Work

# See what is active
task +ACTIVE list

# Read full record before acting
task <id> info

# Open all annotation pointers — obsidian://, https://, ~/path
# Then continue from where work left off

Modifying Tasks

# Change priority
task <id> modify priority:H

# Change project
task <id> modify project:Work.Q4

# Set due date
task <id> modify due:tomorrow

# Add/remove tags
task <id> modify +important -waiting

# Add dependency (task <id> cannot start until task <dep> is done)
task <id> modify depends:<dep>

# Change description
task <id> modify "Updated description"

Calendar Integration

To schedule work blocks or check availability before setting due:, use the task-calendar skill. It bridges tasks with Google Calendar without modifying this workflow.

Additional Resources

• references/best-practices.md — Taskwarrior best practices: project hierarchy, tagging, urgency, capture habits
• references/examples.md — Multiline tasks, notes patterns, complex real-world examples
• references/filters.md — Full filter syntax: operators, date math, virtual tags
• references/advanced.md — Urgency tuning, UDAs, hook scripts, custom reports
• references/obsidian-vault.md — Vault name, base path, PARA URI patterns
• scripts/tw-summary.sh — Quick summary by project, overdue, and active tasks