pm-dashboard-dev

name	pm-dashboard-dev
description	Development patterns for PM Dashboard plugin including MCP tools, FastAPI endpoints, database operations, WebSocket broadcasting, and testing requirements. Use when working on src/task_manager/, adding features, or modifying the plugin codebase. Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"dtannen"}

PM Dashboard Development Patterns

This skill guides development on the PM Dashboard plugin codebase with established patterns, architecture, and testing requirements.

Architecture Overview

Database Layer (SQLite + WAL)
      ↓
Tools Layer (MCP tools via tools_lib/)
      ↓
MCP Server (FastMCP integration)
      ↓
API Layer (FastAPI + WebSocket)
      ↓
Frontend (Static HTML/CSS/JS)

For detailed architecture, see ARCHITECTURE.md.

Quick Start Commands

# Activate virtual environment
source activate.sh

# Install dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
python -m pytest test/project_manager/ -v

# Run specific test file
python -m pytest test/project_manager/test_database.py -v

# Type checking
mypy src/

# Code formatting
black .

# Lint code
ruff check .

# Start API server
python -m task_manager.api

# Start MCP server
python -m task_manager.mcp_server

Project Structure

src/task_manager/
├── database/
│   ├── connection.py      # Database initialization & schema
│   ├── tasks.py           # Task CRUD operations
│   ├── locks.py           # Atomic task locking
│   └── projects.py        # Project/epic operations
├── tools_lib/
│   ├── base.py            # BaseTool class
│   ├── tasks.py           # Task management tools
│   ├── knowledge.py       # Knowledge management tools
│   └── assumptions.py     # RA tag tools
├── routers/
│   ├── board.py           # Board state endpoint
│   ├── tasks.py           # Task endpoints
│   ├── projects.py        # Project endpoints
│   └── knowledge.py       # Knowledge endpoints
├── api.py                 # FastAPI app + WebSocket manager
├── mcp_server.py          # FastMCP server
├── models.py              # Pydantic models
└── static/                # Frontend assets

Adding New MCP Tools

See ADDING_MCP_TOOLS.md for complete step-by-step guide.

Quick Pattern

1. Create tool class in tools_lib/:

from .base import BaseTool

class MyNewTool(BaseTool):
    async def apply(self, param1: str, param2: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
        """Tool description."""
        try:
            # Implementation
            return self._format_success_response(
                "Operation successful",
                result_data=data
            )
        except Exception as e:
            return self._format_error_response("Operation failed", error_details=str(e))

2. Register in MCP server (mcp_server.py):

@mcp.tool
async def my_new_tool(param1: str, param2: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
    """
    Tool description for MCP clients.

    Args:
        param1: Description
        param2: Description (optional)

    Returns:
        JSON string with results
    """
    tool = MyNewTool(self.db, self.websocket_manager)
    return await tool.apply(param1, param2)

3. Add tests in test/project_manager/test_tools.py

Database Patterns

Status Vocabulary Mapping

UI Vocabulary (for frontend):

• TODO
• IN_PROGRESS
• REVIEW
• DONE
• BACKLOG

Database Vocabulary (internal):

• pending
• in_progress
• review
• completed
• backlog

Always map between these in API endpoints!

Atomic Operations

Prefer atomic patterns for concurrency safety:

# GOOD - Atomic single UPDATE
cursor.execute("""
    UPDATE tasks SET lock_holder = ?, lock_expires_at = ?
    WHERE id = ? AND (lock_holder IS NULL OR lock_expires_at < ?)
""", (agent_id, expires_at, task_id, current_time))

# BAD - Race condition risk
lock_status = get_lock_status(task_id)
if not lock_status["is_locked"]:
    acquire_lock(task_id, agent_id)  # Another agent could lock between these!

JSON Validation

All JSON fields have database-level validation:

CONSTRAINT json_ra_tags CHECK (
    ra_tags IS NULL OR (
        json_valid(ra_tags) AND
        json_type(ra_tags) = 'array'
    )
)

Ensure your code generates valid JSON!

WebSocket Broadcasting

from ..api import connection_manager

# Broadcast event to all connected clients
await connection_manager.optimized_broadcast({
    "type": "task.status_changed",
    "task_id": task_id,
    "status": "IN_PROGRESS",
    "agent_id": "claude"
})

Common event types:

• task.created
• task.updated
• task.status_changed
• task.locked
• task.unlocked
• task_deleted
• project_deleted
• epic_deleted

Testing Requirements

See TESTING.md for comprehensive guide.

Before Every Commit

Run this test suite (all must pass):

# 1. Database tests
python -m pytest test/project_manager/test_database.py -v

# 2. API tests
python -m pytest test/project_manager/test_api.py::TestBoardStateEndpoint -v

# 3. MCP server tests
python -m pytest test/project_manager/test_mcp_server.py -v

# 4. Code formatting
black --check .

# 5. Type checking
mypy src/

Test Script

Use the provided test runner:

bash scripts/run-full-tests.sh

Code Style

• Black for formatting (line length: 100)
• Type hints required for all functions
• Docstrings for public APIs (Google style)
• Pydantic models for validation
• Async/await for I/O operations

Common Patterns

Error Handling in API Endpoints

try:
    result = db.some_operation(param)
    if result["success"]:
        await connection_manager.broadcast({...})
        return {"success": True, "data": result}
    else:
        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=result["error"])
except HTTPException:
    raise  # Re-raise HTTP exceptions
except Exception as e:
    logger.error(f"Operation failed: {e}")
    raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail="Internal server error")

MCP Tool Response Format

# Success
return self._format_success_response(
    "Task created successfully",
    task_id=task_id,
    task_name=name
)

# Error
return self._format_error_response(
    "Task not found",
    task_id=task_id
)

Parameter Validation (MCP Tools)

MCP tools receive string parameters only:

# Convert to appropriate types
task_id = int(task_id_str)
limit = int(limit_str) if limit_str else None

# Parse JSON strings
ra_tags = json.loads(ra_tags_str) if ra_tags_str else []
ra_metadata = json.loads(ra_metadata_str) if ra_metadata_str else {}

Security Considerations

• SQL injection: Use parameterized queries (we do this everywhere)
• Input validation: Pydantic models validate all API inputs
• No authentication: This is a local-only tool (documented limitation)
• JSON validation: Database constraints prevent invalid JSON

Performance Tips

• Database: WAL mode enabled for concurrent reads/writes
• Indexes: 25+ strategic indexes for common queries
• WebSocket: Optimized parallel broadcasting with asyncio.gather
• Caching: Connection manager caches connection stats

Common Pitfalls

❌ Wrong: Hardcoded IDs

db.get_task(42)  # Fragile!

✅ Right: Dynamic IDs

task_id = result["task_id"]
db.get_task(task_id)

❌ Wrong: Missing Status Mapping

return {"status": "pending"}  # Frontend expects "TODO"!

✅ Right: Map to UI Vocabulary

status_map = {"pending": "TODO", "in_progress": "IN_PROGRESS"}
return {"status": status_map[db_status]}

❌ Wrong: Sync Database Call

def get_tasks():  # Blocking!
    return db.get_all_tasks()

✅ Right: Async Pattern

async def get_tasks():
    # Database operations are sync, but endpoint should be async
    tasks = db.get_all_tasks()
    return tasks

File Organization

• Database code → database/
• MCP tools → tools_lib/
• API endpoints → routers/
• Tests → test/project_manager/
• Frontend → static/

Keep related code together!

Versioning

Check pyproject.toml for current version. Update version when:

• Adding new MCP tools (minor version bump)
• Breaking API changes (major version bump)
• Bug fixes (patch version bump)

Current: v0.2.2

Need Help?

• Architecture questions → ARCHITECTURE.md
• Adding tools → ADDING_MCP_TOOLS.md
• Testing guide → TESTING.md
• Run tests → bash scripts/run-full-tests.sh

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