Spec Kit Tasks

Spec Kit Tasks

Generate an implementation-ready tasks.md from Spec Kit design artifacts.

When to Use

• plan.md and spec.md exist and you need executable tasks for implementation.
• tasks.md is missing, stale, or not aligned with current plan/spec artifacts (including post-spec-kit-reconcile updates).
• You need user-story-scoped task phases with clear dependency and parallelization signals.

When Not to Use

• The feature spec is missing (spec-kit-specify first).
• High-impact ambiguity still blocks design decisions (spec-kit-clarify first).
• Technical design artifacts are not finalized (spec-kit-plan first).
• You are executing tasks rather than generating them (spec-kit-implement).

Router Fit

• Primary route from spec-kit after spec-kit-plan.
• Must complete before spec-kit-implement.
• Supports spec-kit-analyze and spec-kit-reconcile by producing structured implementation intent.

Preconditions

• Run from repository root (or a subdirectory inside it).
• Active feature context resolves to one specs/<feature>/ directory.
• plan.md exists and reflects the latest approved design.

Workflow

1. Resolve feature paths and prerequisite gate:

   • Run scripts/check-prerequisites.sh --json exactly once.
   • Parse FEATURE_DIR and AVAILABLE_DOCS.
   • Derive:
     • FEATURE_SPEC = FEATURE_DIR/spec.md
     • IMPL_PLAN = FEATURE_DIR/plan.md
     • TASKS = FEATURE_DIR/tasks.md
   • If spec.md is missing, stop and route to spec-kit-specify then spec-kit-plan.

2. Load generation inputs:

   • Required: plan.md, spec.md.
   • Optional (when present): research.md, data-model.md, contracts/, quickstart.md.
   • Template preference:
     • {REPO_ROOT}/templates/tasks-template.md
     • {REPO_ROOT}/.specify/templates/tasks-template.md
     • fallback: assets/tasks-template.md

3. Extract planning context:

   • From plan.md: stack, architecture, constraints, project structure.
   • From spec.md: prioritized user stories, acceptance criteria, independent test intent.
   • From optional docs: shared entities, external interfaces, and setup decisions.

4. Build task phases:

   • Phase 1: Setup.
   • Phase 2: Foundational prerequisites blocking all stories.
   • Phase 3+: one phase per user story in priority order.
   • Final phase: Polish/cross-cutting concerns.

5. Generate tasks in strict checklist format:

   • Required pattern: - [ ] T### [P?] [US#?] Action with file path.
   • Include [US#] only for user-story phases.
   • Include [P] only when tasks can run safely in parallel.
   • Include exact file paths in every implementation/test task description.
   • Add test tasks only when explicitly requested by spec/user.

6. Validate coverage and ordering before writing:

   • Every user story has independently testable tasks.
   • Dependencies are explicit and respect phase order.
   • Every task matches format requirements (checkbox, ID, labels, file path).
   • No orphaned entities/contracts without mapped tasks.

7. Write tasks.md:

   • Preserve heading order from the selected template.
   • Replace template placeholders and sample content with concrete feature tasks.

8. Report completion:

   • Absolute tasks.md path.
   • Total task count and per-story counts.
   • Parallel opportunities.
   • Suggested MVP slice (typically first priority story).
   • Readiness handoff for spec-kit-implement.

Task Format Guidance

Format Components

1. Checkbox: ALWAYS start with - [ ] (markdown checkbox).
2. Task ID: Sequential number (T001, T002, T003, ...) in execution order.
3. [P] marker: Include ONLY if the task is parallelizable (different files, no dependencies on incomplete tasks).
4. [Story] label: REQUIRED for user story phase tasks only.
   • Format: [US1], [US2], [US3], etc. (maps to user stories from spec.md)
   • Setup phase: no story label
   • Foundational phase: no story label
   • User story phases: MUST have story label
   • Polish phase: no story label
5. Description: Clear action with exact file path.

Examples

• CORRECT: - [ ] T001 Create project structure per implementation plan
• CORRECT: - [ ] T005 [P] Implement authentication middleware in src/middleware/auth.py
• CORRECT: - [ ] T012 [P] [US1] Create User model in src/models/user.py
• CORRECT: - [ ] T014 [US1] Implement UserService in src/services/user_service.py
• WRONG: - [ ] Create User model (missing Task ID and Story label)
• WRONG: T001 [US1] Create model (missing checkbox)
• WRONG: - [ ] [US1] Create User model (missing Task ID)
• WRONG: - [ ] T001 [US1] Create model (missing file path)

Output

• tasks.md under the active feature directory with dependency-ordered, story-scoped tasks.
• Completion summary with task counts, dependency highlights, and MVP recommendation.

Key Rules

• Organize tasks by user story so each story can be implemented and validated independently.
• Keep task granularity implementation-ready: no vague one-liners and no giant umbrella tasks.
• Preserve execution truth in IDs and dependency order (T001, T002, ...).
• Treat foundational work as blocking unless it is explicitly independent and parallel-safe.
• Never invent tests by default; include test work only when requested.

Common Mistakes

• Generating tasks from spec.md alone without using plan.md constraints.
• Copying sample tasks from the template instead of replacing them.
• Missing file paths or story labels in user-story phases.
• Marking conflicting tasks as [P] even though they touch the same files/dependencies.
• Producing tasks that cannot satisfy each story's independent test criteria.

References

• references/spec-kit-workflow.dot for where task generation fits in the full Spec Kit sequence.
• scripts/check-prerequisites.sh
• assets/tasks-template.md
• https://github.com/github/spec-kit/blob/9111699cd27879e3e6301651a03e502ecb6dd65d/templates/commands/tasks.md