Manage Tasks

Task Management Skill

When to Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Create, list, update, or manage development tasks
• Track task status and dependencies
• Start working on a task
• Organize tasks by project or priority
• User invokes /task-management:manage-tasks or mentions task management

Command Structure

The user's command will be in the format: /task-management:manage-tasks <subcommand> [args]

Subcommands

create

Create a new task with optional metadata.

Process:

1. Parse the task description and optional flags
2. Generate a unique task ID (format: TASK-NNN)
3. Create task file in .claude/tasks/<task-id>.md
4. Add to task index
5. Confirm creation to user

Task File Format:

---
id: TASK-123
title: Task description
status: backlog
priority: medium
created: 2026-02-05
updated: 2026-02-05
project:
assignee:
tags: []
blocks: []
depends_on: []
---

## Description

[Task description]

## Notes

[Task notes and updates]

## History

- 2026-02-05: Created

list

List tasks with optional filtering.

Process:

1. Read task index
2. Apply filters (status, project, priority)
3. Format and display tasks in a table
4. Show summary statistics

Output Format:

ID        | Title                    | Status      | Priority | Project
----------|--------------------------|-------------|----------|----------
TASK-123  | Implement OAuth2 flow    | in-progress | high     | auth
TASK-124  | Add login form          | backlog     | medium   | auth
TASK-125  | Setup CI/CD             | ready       | high     | infra

3 tasks (1 in-progress, 1 ready, 1 backlog)

show

Show detailed information about a specific task.

Process:

1. Read task file
2. Display full task details including:
   • Metadata (status, priority, dates)
   • Description
   • Dependencies (blocks/depends_on)
   • Notes and history
   • Related git branches/commits

update

Update task metadata.

Process:

1. Read task file
2. Update specified fields
3. Add update to history
4. Save task file
5. Update task index
6. Confirm changes to user

start

Start working on a task (sets status to in-progress and optionally creates git branch).

Process:

1. Read task file
2. Check for blocking dependencies
3. Update status to "in-progress"
4. If auto_create_branch enabled:
   • Create git branch: task-<id>-<slugified-title>
   • Checkout branch
5. Add TodoWrite items based on task description
6. Confirm task started

link

Create dependency relationships between tasks.

Process:

1. Read both task files
2. Add relationship:
   • blocks: Task A blocks Task B (add to A.blocks, add to B.depends_on)
   • depends-on: Task A depends on Task B (add to A.depends_on, add to B.blocks)
3. Save both task files
4. Confirm link created

archive

Archive completed or old tasks.

Process:

1. Find tasks matching criteria:
   • Status: completed
   • Optional: Updated before specific date
2. Move tasks to .claude/tasks/archive/
3. Update task index
4. Report archived count

Implementation Notes

• Store tasks in .claude/tasks/ directory
• Maintain index file at .claude/tasks/index.json
• Use YAML frontmatter for metadata
• Generate sequential task IDs
• Integrate with TodoWrite for active tasks
• Check .claude/task-management.local.md for project-specific config

Error Handling

• If task ID doesn't exist: "Task not found: TASK-123"
• If invalid subcommand: Show usage help
• If missing required args: Show subcommand help
• If dependency cycle detected: "Cannot create circular dependency"

Examples

Create task:

User: /task-management:manage-tasks create "Implement user authentication" --priority high --project auth

You: Created task TASK-123: "Implement user authentication"
     Status: backlog
     Priority: high
     Project: auth

List tasks:

User: /task-management:manage-tasks list --status in-progress

You: [Display table of in-progress tasks]

Start task:

User: /task-management:manage-tasks start TASK-123

You: Started TASK-123: "Implement user authentication"
     Created branch: task-123-implement-user-authentication

     I've added the following items to your todo list:
     - Research authentication options
     - Design auth flow
     - Implement backend
     - Implement frontend
     - Write tests