task-release

# /taskwarrior:task-release Release an active claim without closing the task. Pairs with `/taskwarrior:task-claim`: claim picks the task up, release puts it back down. ## When to Use This Skill | Use this skill when... | Use a sibling skill instead when... | |---|---| | Pausing a task mid-flight (lunch break, context switch, end of session) | The work has landed in a commit — use `/taskwarrior:task-done` | | Handing off to another agent — leaving an annotation describing where you stopped | Starting work on a fresh task — use `/taskwarrior:task-claim` | | Aborting a started task because scope was wrong | Filing a brand-new task to capture the work — use `/taskwarrior:task-add` | ## Context - Task CLI available: !`task --version` - Git repo detected: !`find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.git' -print -quit` Git probes (`git rev-parse --show-toplevel`, `git branch --show-current`) write to stderr in a no-git cwd, and stderr from a Context backtick aborts the skill before its body runs. Git toplevel and current-branch resolution are done in the body via the Bash tool (where `2>/dev/null` and exit-code handling are tolerated). ## Parameters Parse `$ARGUMENTS`: - `$0` — task ID (required). - Remaining positional words — concatenate as the freeform state message for the handoff annotation. If empty, prompt for one before annotating (an empty handoff annotation defeats the purpose). - `--clear-identity` — clear `agent` / `host` / `branch` / `worktree` UDAs in addition to `pid`. Use when the next agent should not inherit any context (e.g. cross-host handoff). Default behaviour preserves these so the queue still shows who last touched the task. - `--no-coworker-marker` — skip the `/git:coworker-check --release` step. By default, releasing the task also drops the git-side session marker so destructive ops in this clone are no longer guarded. ## Execution Execute this release workflow: ### Step 1: Load the task ```bash task "$TASKID" export | jq '.[0] | {id, uuid, description, status, start, agent, pid, host, branch, worktree, annotations}' ``` Use `export | jq` — never `info` / `list`. Capture the `uuid` field as `$TASK_UUID` — every mutating call from Step 3 onward addresses the task by `$TASK_UUID`, never `$TASKID`. Step 2's `AskUserQuestion` pause is a real gap during which another agent's concurrent `task done` can renumber `$TASKID` (see `.claude/rules/task-id-stability.md`). Decide: | Condition | Action | |---|---| | `status` is not `pending` | Abort. Released tasks must be pending; if it is already closed, the release is a no-op. | | `start` is unset (not `+ACTIVE`) | Warn but proceed — annotation + UDA drain still useful as a "I looked at this" signal. | | `start` is set | Standard path. Continue. | ### Step 2: Resolve state message If the user did not pass a message, ask them for one with a single `AskUserQuestion`. The annotation is the handoff payload — without it the next agent has only timestamps. Keep the prompt focused: "Where did you stop? (one sentence)". ### Step 3: Annotate the handoff Annotate **before** stopping — if the stop fails (e.g. concurrent modify), the annotation is still captured: ```bash task "$TASK_UUID" annotate "released by $AGENT — state: $MESSAGE" ``` `$AGENT` is read from the task's existing `agent` UDA (the claim stamped it); fall back to `claude-${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID:0:8}` if unset. ### Step 4: Stop the active state ```bash task "$TASK_UUID" stop ``` This clears the built-in `start` attribute and removes the `+ACTIVE` virtual tag. The task is back in the dispatch pool for `/taskwarrior:task-coordinate`. ### Step 5: Drain identity UDAs Always clear `pid` (the process is going away): ```bash task "$TASK_UUID" modify pid: ``` When `--clear-identity` is passed, also clear the rest: ```bash task "$TASK_UUID" modify agent: host: branch: worktree: ``` The empty-value `field:` syntax removes a UDA in taskwarrior. Default behaviour keeps `agent` / `host` / `branch` / `worktree` so `task-status` "Recently touched" can attribute the work. ### Step 6: Drop the coworker-check marker Unless `--no-coworker-marker` was passed: ``` Use SlashCommand to invoke `/git:coworker-check --release`. ``` Fallback if SlashCommand is unavailable: ```bash bash "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/git-plugin/skills/git-coworker-check/scripts/release-session.sh" --project-dir "$(pwd)" ``` ### Step 7: Report Print: - Task ID, description, current status (still pending) - Time spent active (from `start` timestamp to now — read before stopping) - Annotation appended - Identity drain: `pid` only / full drain - Coworker-check status: marker released / skipped - Suggested next step: - `/taskwarrior:task-coordinate` to dispatch the now-unclaimed work onto the next wave - `/taskwarrior:task-claim <id>` to re-claim later ## Agentic Optimizations | Context | Command | |---|---| | Read existing claim before release | `task _get "$TASKID".agent` (single-field, exit 0 even when unset) | | Time-spent computation | `task "$TASKID" export \| jq '.[0].start'` then compute against `now` | | Bulk release of stale claims | Pair with `task +ACTIVE start.before:now-4h export \| jq '.[].id'` | | Skip empty-result failures | Always `export \| jq`, never `task active list` | ## Quick Reference | Step | Command | |---|---| | Annotate | `task UUID annotate "released by AGENT — state: MSG"` | | Stop active | `task UUID stop` | | Clear pid | `task UUID modify pid:` | | Full identity drain | `task UUID modify agent: host: branch: worktree: pid:` | | Drop git marker | `/git:coworker-check --release` | ## Related - `/taskwarrior:task-claim` — pair: pick up an unclaimed task - `/taskwarrior:task-done` — close after landing (also auto-stops + drains identity) - `/taskwarrior:task-coordinate` — finds the next dispatch candidate - `/git:coworker-check` — sister marker that this skill drops on `--release` - `git-plugin:git-coworker-check` (REFERENCE.md § Signal design) — combined-signal rationale - `.claude/rules/task-id-stability.md` — why this skill resolves `$TASK_UUID` once and mutates by UUID