View and manage the task stack and processing queue. Shows pending work, active tasks, completed items, and queue state. Triggers on "/tasks", "show tasks", "what's pending", "task list", "queue status".
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View and manage the task stack and processing queue. Shows pending work, active tasks, completed items, and queue state. Triggers on "/tasks", "show tasks", "what's pending", "task list", "queue status".
version
1.0
generated_from
arscontexta-v1.6
user-invocable
true
context
fork
model
sonnet
allowed-tools
Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash
argument-hint
[add|done|drop|reorder|status] [description|number] — manage task stack and view queue
Runtime Configuration (Step 0 — before any processing)
Read these files to configure domain-specific behavior:
ops/derivation-manifest.md — vocabulary mapping
Use vocabulary.notes for the notes folder name
Use vocabulary.note / vocabulary.note_plural for note type references
Use vocabulary.topic_map for MOC references
Use vocabulary.cmd_reflect / vocabulary.cmd_reweave / vocabulary.cmd_verify for phase command names
If no derivation file exists, use universal terms.
EXECUTE NOW
Target: $ARGUMENTS
Parse the operation:
No arguments or status: show task stack + queue state (combined view)
add [description]: add a task to the stack
done [task-number]: mark a task as completed
drop [task-number]: remove a task without completing
reorder [number] [position]: move a task to a different position in the stack
discoveries: show only the Discoveries section
START NOW. Execute the requested operation.
Philosophy
Two systems, one view.
The task stack (ops/tasks.md) and the pipeline queue (ops/queue/queue.yaml or ops/queue/queue.json) serve different purposes:
System
Purpose
Managed By
Updated By
Task stack
Human priorities — what YOU want to work on
You (via /tasks)
Manual: /tasks add, /tasks done
Pipeline queue
Automated processing state — what the SYSTEM needs to process
Pipeline skills
Automatic: /reduce, /ralph, /reflect
/tasks shows BOTH so you always have a unified view of all pending work. The task stack is your working memory. The pipeline queue is the system's working memory. Together they answer: "What should I do next?"
Operations
/tasks (or /tasks status)
Show both the human task stack and the automated queue.
Step 1: Read task stack
# Read ops/tasks.mdcat ops/tasks.md 2>/dev/null
Parse the task stack into sections:
Current (or Active): items marked - [ ]
Completed: items marked - [x]
Discoveries: items noted during work (plain text, no checkbox)
If ops/tasks.md does not exist, note: "No task stack found. Run /tasks add [description] to create one."
If a queue file exists, extract pending task details:
Task ID
Current phase
Target (note title)
Batch name
Step 3: Check for archivable batches
A batch is archivable when ALL its tasks have status: done:
# For each unique batch in the queue, check if all tasks are doneif [[ -n "$QUEUE_FILE" ]]; then# Extract unique batch names# Check each batch: are all tasks done?# Report archivable batchesfi
"No tasks on stack. Use /tasks add [description] to add one, or /next for suggestions."
Pipeline has pending tasks
"Pipeline has {N} pending tasks. Run /ralph to process them."
Archivable batches exist
"Batch '{name}' is ready to archive. Run /archive-batch {name}."
Both empty
"All clear. Use /next to find what to work on."
/tasks add [description]
Add a new task to the task stack.
Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md
If the file does not exist, create it with the standard structure:
# Task Stack## Current## Completed## Discoveries
Step 2: Add to Current section
Append the new task as a checkbox item at the END of the Current section:
- [ ] {description}
Step 3: Write updated file
Use Edit tool to insert the new item at the end of the Current section, preserving existing content.
Step 4: Report
Added to task stack: {description}
Position: #{N} of {total}
Stack now has {total} current tasks.
/tasks done [number]
Mark a task as completed.
Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md
Parse the Current section to find the Nth task.
Step 2: Validate
If the number is out of range (< 1 or > number of current tasks):
Error: Task #{number} does not exist. Current tasks: 1-{max}.
Step 3: Move to Completed
Remove the item from Current section
Add to Completed section with today's date:
- [x] {description} ({YYYY-MM-DD})
Renumber remaining Current items (if display uses numbers)
Step 4: Write updated file
Step 5: Report
Completed: {description}
Remaining: {N} current tasks.
Integration with /next: If the completed task was the top-priority item, suggest: "Top task completed. Run /next for the next recommendation."
/tasks drop [number]
Remove a task without completing it.
Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md
Parse the Current section to find the Nth task.
Step 2: Validate
Same range check as /tasks done.
Step 3: Remove from Current
Remove the item entirely. Do NOT move to Completed.
Step 4: Write updated file
Step 5: Report
Dropped: {description}
Remaining: {N} current tasks.
/tasks reorder [number] [position]
Move a task to a different position in the stack.
Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md
Parse all Current items.
Step 2: Validate
Both [number] (source) and [position] (destination) must be within range.
Step 3: Reorder
Remove the task from position [number]
Insert at position [position]
Renumber remaining items
Step 4: Write updated file
Step 5: Report
Moved: {description}
From position #{number} to #{position}
Current stack:
1. [ ] {task 1}
2. [ ] {task 2}
...
/tasks discoveries
Show only the Discoveries section from ops/tasks.md.
Discoveries (process later):
- {discovery 1}
- {discovery 2}
...
[If empty: "No discoveries captured. Discoveries are noted during work
for processing in a future session."]
Discoveries are captured during pipeline work (e.g., /reduce notes a connection opportunity, /reflect notices a split candidate). They accumulate here until the user decides to convert them to tasks or discard them.
Queue Integration
The task stack (ops/tasks.md) and pipeline queue coexist but serve different audiences:
Aspect
Task Stack
Pipeline Queue
File
ops/tasks.md
ops/queue/queue.yaml (or .json)
Format
Markdown checklist
YAML/JSON with phase tracking
Managed by
User via /tasks
Pipeline skills automatically
Read by
/next (priority #1)
/ralph (phase routing)
Purpose
Human priorities
Automated processing state
/next reads the task stack first. If the stack has items, /next recommends from the stack (user-set priorities override automated recommendations). If the stack is empty, /next evaluates queue state and vault health to suggest actions.
Skills that generate pipeline work update BOTH:
/reduce adds tasks to the queue AND notes discoveries in tasks.md
/seed adds extract tasks to the queue
/architect may add implementation tasks to the task stack
Task Stack Format Specification
The task stack is a simple markdown checklist, always present from day one. Format:
# Task Stack## Current- [ ] First priority task
- [ ] Second priority task
- [ ] Third priority task
## Completed- [x] Something finished (2026-02-10)
- [x] Earlier task (2026-02-08)
## Discoveries- Interesting connection between [[note A]] and [[note B]] found during /reduce
- MOC [[topic]] might need splitting (40+ notes observed during /reflect)
Current is ordered by priority. Position 1 is highest priority. /tasks reorder adjusts position.
Completed is ordered by completion date (most recent first). Provides history of what was accomplished.
Discoveries is unordered. Items accumulate during pipeline work. The user converts them to Current tasks or discards them.
Edge Cases
No ops/tasks.md
Create it with empty sections on first /tasks add. For /tasks status, report: "No task stack found. Use /tasks add [description] to create one."
No Queue File
Skip the Pipeline Queue section entirely in the status display. Do not show an error.
Task Number Out of Range
Report the error with the valid range: "Task #{N} does not exist. Current tasks: 1-{max}."
Empty Task Stack (Current section empty)
Task Stack (ops/tasks.md)
=========================
Current:
(empty)
Use `/tasks add [description]` to add a task,
or `/next` for automated suggestions.
No ops/derivation-manifest.md
Use universal vocabulary. All operations work identically.
Concurrent Modification
If multiple agents modify ops/tasks.md simultaneously, last write wins. The file is small enough that conflicts are unlikely, but if detected, report: "Task stack may have been modified by another session. Please review."
Discovery Promotion
When a user wants to convert a discovery to a task:
Show the discovery
Ask for confirmation and priority position
Add to Current section
Remove from Discoveries section
This is a manual workflow — discoveries do not auto-promote.
