Design Task

Design Task

Overview

Create one or two linked planning artifacts from a rough idea:

• an RFC-style design doc for durable product/architecture intent
• a .code-task.md for implementation execution

Default output locations:

• Design doc: docs/rfcs/<slug>.md
• Code task: .agents/tasks/<project-name>/<slug>.code-task.md

This skill is for ideas that are important enough to preserve as both:

• a decision/design artifact
• an implementation-ready task

Use the smallest artifact set that fits:

• create both when the idea needs design reasoning and execution guidance
• create design only when the direction is still being shaped
• create task only when design is already settled

Parameters

• input (required): Rough idea, design notes, conversation summary, or path to a source doc.
• mode (optional, default: both): One of both, design, or task.
• title (optional): Human-readable document/task title. If omitted, derive from the input.
• slug (optional): Kebab-case artifact slug. If omitted, derive from the title.
• design_dir (optional, default: docs/rfcs): Directory for the RFC-style doc.
• task_dir (optional, default: .agents/tasks/<project-name>): Directory for the code task.
• project_name (optional): Project name used for the task directory. If omitted, infer from the repo/cwd name.
• references (optional): Extra repo files, docs, or notes that should be linked as references.
• implementation_scope (optional): Extra guidance about how much implementation detail the code task should contain.

Steps

1. Gather inputs and determine artifact scope

Constraints:

• You MUST gather all missing required inputs up front rather than one-by-one.
• You MUST determine whether the request should produce both, design, or task output.
• You MUST infer title, slug, and project_name when they are not provided.
• You MUST normalize slug to kebab-case.
• You MUST prefer the default output locations unless the user explicitly asks for different ones.
• If the input is a file path, you MUST read it before drafting artifacts.

2. Inspect repo conventions before drafting

Constraints:

• You MUST inspect existing repo patterns before writing files.
• You MUST look for existing .code-task.md files to match task tone and structure.
• You MUST look for existing docs/ conventions before choosing the exact RFC-style doc shape.
• You MUST keep artifacts git-friendly, explicit, and inspectable.
• You MUST avoid creating a new planning system when an existing directory convention already exists.

3. Draft the RFC-style design doc when requested

Constraints:

• When mode is both or design, you MUST create a design doc at <design_dir>/<slug>.md.
• The design doc MUST be concise by default.
• The design doc SHOULD include these sections when relevant:
  1. # <Title>
  2. ## Summary
  3. ## Problem
  4. ## Goals
  5. ## Non-goals
  6. ## Proposed Design
  7. ## UX / File Layout / CLI (when relevant)
  8. ## Alternatives Considered
  9. ## Open Questions
  10. ## Implementation Notes
• The design doc MUST explain tradeoffs and boundaries, not just restate requirements.
• When a code task is also generated, the design doc MUST include an explicit cross-link line in ## Implementation Notes using this wording: Code task: \``.
• The design doc MUST avoid excessive ceremony; prefer a lightweight RFC style over heavyweight process language.

4. Draft the code task when requested

Constraints:

• When mode is both or task, you MUST create a code task at <task_dir>/<slug>.code-task.md.
• The code task MUST follow the repo's established .code-task.md structure if one exists.
• The code task MUST be implementation-facing: concrete requirements, dependencies, approach, and acceptance criteria.
• When a design doc is also generated, the code task MUST include the design doc under Reference Documentation using a path-form entry such as - Design: <design path>.
• The code task MUST preserve important design decisions as implementation constraints.
• The code task MUST keep tests and verification integrated into acceptance criteria rather than as a separate afterthought.
• When a design doc is also generated, the code task MUST link back to it in Reference Documentation or Background; do not leave the pair unlinked.

5. Keep the pair aligned

Constraints:

• When generating both artifacts, you MUST ensure they describe the same feature and boundaries.
• The design doc MUST explain why this design.
• The code task MUST explain what to build and how to tell it is done.
• You MUST avoid duplicating long prose between the two files when a short cross-reference is clearer.
• You MUST keep names, paths, and terminology consistent across both artifacts.

6. Write the artifacts

Constraints:

• You MUST write files to the canonical artifact paths:
  • design doc: docs/rfcs/<slug>.md by default
  • code task: .agents/tasks/<project-name>/<slug>.code-task.md by default
• You MUST create parent directories when missing.
• If the default RFC directory does not exist, you MUST create docs/rfcs/ rather than inventing a different docs location.
• You MUST use markdown files only.
• You MUST not write extra summary files, logs, or indexes unless the user asks.

7. Validate before finishing

Constraints:

• You MUST verify that any generated design doc includes the key decision sections needed to understand the proposal.
• You MUST verify that any generated code task includes implementation requirements and acceptance criteria.
• You MUST verify that cross-links between the design doc and code task are correct when both were created.
• You MUST verify that output paths match repo conventions.
• You SHOULD mention the exact created paths in the final response.

Output

When done, report:

• Created file path(s)
• Mode used (both, design, or task)
• Title and slug
• A one-line summary of what each artifact is for

Templates

RFC-style design doc template

# <Title>

## Summary
<One-paragraph summary of the proposal>

## Problem
<What is awkward or missing today>

## Goals
- <goal>

## Non-goals
- <non-goal>

## Proposed Design
<Core model, constraints, ordering, file layout, and behavior>

## Alternatives Considered
- <alternative>: <why not chosen>

## Open Questions
- <question>

## Implementation Notes
- Code task: `<task path>`

Code task expectations

Use the repo's existing .code-task.md format. At minimum include:

• task title
• description
• background
• reference documentation
• technical requirements
• dependencies
• implementation approach
• acceptance criteria
• metadata

When both artifacts are generated, include the design doc path in Reference Documentation and the code task path in the design doc's ## Implementation Notes.

Example

Input:

• input: "Add runtime-selectable profiles for preset role tuning, with repo defaults and inspect support"
• mode: both
• slug: profiles-for-preset-role-tuning

Output:

• docs/rfcs/profiles-for-preset-role-tuning.md
• .agents/tasks/<project-name>/profiles-for-preset-role-tuning.code-task.md

Suggested usage:

• /skill:design-task Add runtime-selectable profiles for preset role tuning