Execute

Execute Workflow

CRITICAL: This is the EXECUTE skill. Only use this after /plan has completed and task files exist in .tasker/tasks/. If no tasks exist, tell the user to run /tasker:plan first.

IMPORTANT: All tasker working files are in $TARGET_DIR/.tasker/. Do NOT create or use any other directories like project-planning/, planning/, or schemas/ at the target project root. The .tasker/ directory is the ONLY location for tasker artifacts (including .tasker/schemas/ for JSON schemas).

Execute a task DAG via isolated subagents. This is Phase 3 of the tasker workflow:

/specify → /plan → /execute

Input Requirements

• Task DAG from /plan: .tasker/tasks/T001.json, T002.json, etc.
• State file: .tasker/state.json with phase = "ready" or "executing"

Output

• Working implementation in target directory
• Task results: .tasker/bundles/T001-result.json, etc.
• Evaluation report: .tasker/reports/evaluation-report.txt

MANDATORY FIRST STEP: Ask for Target Project Directory

ALWAYS ask for target_dir FIRST before anything else. No guessing, no inference from CWD.

Use AskUserQuestion to ask:

What is the target project directory?

Free-form text input. User must provide an absolute or relative path.

After target_dir is confirmed:

TARGET_DIR="<user-provided-path>"
# Convert to absolute path
TARGET_DIR=$(cd "$TARGET_DIR" 2>/dev/null && pwd)

TASKER_DIR="$TARGET_DIR/.tasker"

# Verify .tasker/ exists and has state
if [ ! -f "$TASKER_DIR/state.json" ]; then
    echo "Error: No tasker session found at $TASKER_DIR"
    echo "Run /plan first to create a task plan."
    exit 1
fi

Execute Prerequisites

# Verify planning is complete
tasker state status
# Phase must be: ready, executing, or have tasks

Git Repository Initialization (MANDATORY)

Before any implementation begins, check if the target repository has git initialized. If not, initialize it:

./scripts/ensure-git.sh "$TARGET_DIR"

Why this is required:

• Enables automatic commit hooks to track changes per task
• Provides audit trail of all implementation changes
• Required for the post-task-commit hook to function

Recovery on Start (CRITICAL)

Before starting the execute loop, always check for and recover from a previous crash:

# Check for existing checkpoint from previous run
tasker state checkpoint status

# If checkpoint exists and is active, recover
tasker state checkpoint recover

# This will:
# 1. Find tasks that completed (have result files) but weren't acknowledged
# 2. Identify orphaned tasks (still "running" with no result file)
# 3. Update checkpoint state accordingly

If orphaned tasks are found, ask user:

Found 3 orphaned tasks from previous run:
- T019, T011, T006

Options:
1. Retry orphaned tasks (reset to pending)
2. Skip orphaned tasks (mark failed)
3. Abort and investigate

To retry orphaned tasks:

tasker state task retry T019
tasker state task retry T011
tasker state task retry T006
tasker state checkpoint clear

Execute Loop

CRITICAL CONSTRAINTS:

• Max 3 parallel executors - More causes orchestrator context exhaustion
• Task-executors are self-completing - They update state and write results directly
• Checkpoint before spawning - Track batch for crash recovery
• Minimal returns - Executors return only T001: SUCCESS or T001: FAILED - reason

Loop Steps

Repeat until no more tasks or halt requested:

Step 0: Check for Halt

• Use Bash: tasker state check-halt
• If exit code is non-zero, halt was requested:
  • Run tasker state checkpoint complete
  • Generate and display evaluation report (see "Evaluation Report" section)
  • Run tasker state confirm-halt
  • Exit loop

Step 1: Get Ready Tasks

• Use Bash: tasker state ready
• If no ready tasks:
  • Run tasker state advance
  • If successful: all tasks complete! Clear checkpoint, generate and display evaluation report, exit loop
  • If no progress: check for blockers with tasker state status, exit loop

Step 2: Select Batch

• Take up to 3 task IDs from ready tasks

Step 3: Generate and Validate Bundles For each task in batch:

• Use Bash: tasker bundle generate {TASK_ID}
• Use Bash: tasker bundle validate-integrity {TASK_ID}
• If integrity fails (exit code 1): fail the task with tasker state task fail {TASK_ID} "Bundle integrity validation failed" --category dependency
• If integrity warns (exit code 2): regenerate bundle

Step 4: Create Checkpoint

• Use Bash: tasker state checkpoint create {TASK_IDs...}

Step 5: Mark Tasks Started For each valid task:

• Use Bash: tasker state task start {TASK_ID}

Step 6: Spawn Executors in Parallel Use the Task tool to spawn task-executor subagents for ALL valid tasks in a SINGLE message (parallel execution):

Execute task {TASK_ID}

TASKER_DIR: {absolute path to .tasker directory}
Bundle: {TASKER_DIR}/bundles/{TASK_ID}-bundle.json

Wait for all executors to return. Each returns only: {TASK_ID}: SUCCESS or {TASK_ID}: FAILED - reason

Step 7: Update Checkpoint For each task in batch:

• Use Bash: tasker state checkpoint update {TASK_ID} {status}

Step 8: Complete Checkpoint

• Use Bash: tasker state checkpoint complete

Step 9: Check for Halt After Batch

• Use Bash: tasker state check-halt
• If halted: generate and display evaluation report, confirm halt, exit loop

Step 10: Continue to Next Batch

Post-Execution Commit (Defense in Depth)

Task file commits are handled automatically by a Claude Code hook, ensuring commits happen regardless of executor behavior.

Hook Configuration

Configured in .claude/settings.local.json:

"PostToolUse": [
  {
    "matcher": "Task",
    "hooks": [
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": ".claude/hooks/post-task-commit.sh",
        "timeout": 30
      }
    ]
  }
]

Subagent Spawn Template

Spawn task-executor with self-contained bundle. Executors are self-completing - they update state and write results directly, returning only a minimal status line.

Execute task [TASK_ID]

## Logging (MANDATORY)

```bash
./scripts/log-activity.sh INFO task-executor start "Executing task [TASK_ID]"
./scripts/log-activity.sh INFO task-executor decision "What decision and why"
./scripts/log-activity.sh INFO task-executor complete "Outcome description"

TASKER_DIR: {absolute path to .tasker directory} Bundle: {TASKER_DIR}/bundles/[TASK_ID]-bundle.json

The bundle contains everything you need:

• Task definition and acceptance criteria
• Expanded behavior details (what to implement)
• File paths and purposes
• Target directory
• Constraints and patterns to follow
• Dependencies (files from prior tasks)

Self-Completion Protocol (CRITICAL)

You are responsible for updating state and persisting results. Do NOT rely on the orchestrator.

On Success:

1. Track all files you created/modified
2. Call: tasker state task complete [TASK_ID] --created file1 file2 --modified file3
3. Write result file: {TASKER_DIR}/bundles/[TASK_ID]-result.json
4. Return ONLY this line: [TASK_ID]: SUCCESS

On Failure:

1. Call: tasker state task fail [TASK_ID] "error message" --category <cat> --retryable
2. Write result file with error details
3. Return ONLY this line: [TASK_ID]: FAILED - <one-line reason>

Result File Schema

Write to {TASKER_DIR}/bundles/[TASK_ID]-result.json:

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "task_id": "[TASK_ID]",
  "name": "Task name from bundle",
  "status": "success|failed",
  "started_at": "ISO timestamp",
  "completed_at": "ISO timestamp",
  "files": {
    "created": ["path1", "path2"],
    "modified": ["path3"]
  },
  "verification": {
    "verdict": "PASS|FAIL",
    "criteria": [
      {"name": "criterion", "status": "PASS|FAIL", "evidence": "..."}
    ]
  },
  "error": {
    "category": "dependency|compilation|test|validation|runtime",
    "message": "...",
    "retryable": true
  },
  "notes": "Any decisions or observations"
}

Workflow Summary

1. Read the bundle file - it has ALL context
2. Implement behaviors in specified files
3. Run acceptance criteria verification
4. Call tasker state to update task status
5. Write detailed result to bundles/[TASK_ID]-result.json
6. Return ONE LINE status to orchestrator

IMPORTANT: Use the TASKER_DIR absolute path provided. Do NOT use relative paths.

---

## Bundle Contents

The bundle (`{TASKER_DIR}/bundles/T001-bundle.json`) includes:

| Field | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| `task_id`, `name` | Task identification |
| `target_dir` | Where to write code |
| `behaviors` | Expanded behavior details (not just IDs) |
| `files` | Paths, actions, purposes, layers |
| `acceptance_criteria` | Verification commands |
| `constraints` | Tech stack, patterns, testing |
| `dependencies.files` | Files from prior tasks to read |
| `context` | Domain, capability, spec reference |
| `state_machine` | FSM context for adherence verification (if present) |

Generate bundles with:
```bash
tasker bundle generate T001       # Single task
tasker bundle generate-ready      # All ready tasks

Execute Options

Graceful Halt and Resume

The executor supports graceful halt via two mechanisms:

1. STOP File (Recommended for External Control)

Create a STOP file in the .tasker/ directory:

touch .tasker/STOP

The executor checks for this file before starting each new task and after completing each task. When detected:

1. Current task (if running) completes normally
2. No new tasks are started
3. State is saved with halt information
4. Clean exit with instructions to resume

2. User Message (For Interactive Sessions)

If a user sends "STOP" during an interactive /execute session, the orchestrator should:

1. Call tasker state halt user_message
2. Allow current task to complete
3. Exit gracefully

Resuming Execution

To resume after a halt:

# Check current halt status
tasker state halt-status

# Clear halt and resume
tasker state resume

# Then run /execute again

FSM Coverage Report (After Execution Completes)

After all tasks complete, generate the execution coverage report:

tasker fsm validate execute-coverage-report \
    {TASKER_DIR}/artifacts/fsm/index.json \
    {TASKER_DIR}/bundles \
    --output {TASKER_DIR}/artifacts/fsm-coverage.execute.json

This report includes:

• Which transitions were verified during execution
• Evidence type for each transition (test, runtime_assertion, manual)
• Which invariants were enforced
• Pointers to tasks and acceptance criteria that provide evidence

Evaluation Report (After Completion)

MANDATORY: After all tasks complete (or execution halts), generate AND DISPLAY the evaluation report.

Step 1: Generate the report

Use Bash tool:

• tasker evaluate --output {TASKER_DIR}/reports/evaluation-report.txt
• tasker evaluate --format json --output {TASKER_DIR}/reports/evaluation-report.json

Step 2: Read and display the report

CRITICAL: Use the Read tool to read {TASKER_DIR}/reports/evaluation-report.txt and display its full contents to the user. Do NOT just say "report generated" - show the actual report.

The report includes:

• Planning Quality - plan verdict and issues at planning time
• Execution Summary - completed/failed/blocked/skipped counts
• First-Attempt Success Rate - measures spec quality
• Verification Breakdown - criteria pass/partial/fail, code quality scores
• Cost Analysis - total tokens, total cost, per-task cost
• Failure Analysis - which tasks failed and why (if any)
• Improvement Patterns - common issues for process improvement

Step 3: Summarize key outcomes

After displaying the report, provide a brief summary:

• Total tasks completed vs failed
• Any notable failures or issues requiring attention
• Suggested next steps (e.g., "run tests", "review changes", "check logs")

Archive Execution Artifacts (After Completion)

After execution completes (all tasks done or halted), archive execution artifacts:

tasker archive execution {project_name}

This creates:

archive/{project_name}/execution/{timestamp}/
├── bundles/        # Task bundles and result files
├── logs/           # Activity logs
├── state.json      # State snapshot
└── archive-manifest.json

State Commands Reference

# Execution
tasker state ready               # List ready tasks
tasker state task start <id>     # Mark running
tasker state task complete <id>  # Mark done
tasker state task fail <id> <e>  # Mark failed
tasker state load-tasks          # Reload from files

# Halt / Resume
tasker state halt [reason]       # Request graceful halt
tasker state check-halt          # Check if halted (exit 1 = halted)
tasker state confirm-halt        # Confirm halt completed
tasker state halt-status         # Show halt status
tasker state resume              # Clear halt, resume execution

# Checkpoint (Crash Recovery)
tasker state checkpoint create <t1> [t2 ...]  # Create batch checkpoint
tasker state checkpoint update <id> <status>  # Update task
tasker state checkpoint complete              # Mark batch done
tasker state checkpoint status                # Show current checkpoint
tasker state checkpoint recover               # Recover orphaned tasks
tasker state checkpoint clear                 # Remove checkpoint

# Bundles
tasker bundle generate <id>      # Generate bundle for task
tasker bundle generate-ready     # Generate all ready bundles
tasker bundle validate <id>      # Validate bundle against schema
tasker bundle validate-integrity <id>  # Check deps + checksums
tasker bundle list               # List existing bundles
tasker bundle clean              # Remove all bundles

Error Recovery

If task fails:

1. tasker state task fail marks it failed
2. Rollback triggered (created files deleted, modified files restored)
3. Dependent tasks auto-blocked
4. Other ready tasks can continue
5. User can retry later: fix issue, then tasker state task retry again