start

name	start
description	Start skill — begin task with optional backend sync

Start

Start working on a task: set status to in-progress and sync with external backend.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS — Path to the task page (e.g., wiki/tasks/fix-login-bug.md)

Behavior

Step 1 — Start the task locally

Run via Bash:

rubber-ducky task start $ARGUMENTS

This sets the task status to in-progress, updates the daily page, and adds an activity log entry.

Step 2 — Check for backend reference

Read the task page frontmatter. Check if it has a backend reference (gh_ref, jira_ref, or asana_ref).

If no backend reference exists, the task is local-only — skip to Step 5.

Step 3 — Show write-back preview

MANDATORY: If a backend reference exists, show a structured preview before any external write:

Action:  transition
Backend: <backend-name>
Target:  <ref>
Payload:
  from: <current-status>
  to: in-progress

Ask the user to confirm: "Also transition in ? (yes/no)"

Do NOT proceed with the backend write without explicit confirmation.

Step 4 — Transition in backend

Only after confirmation, run the /transition skill (or its underlying CLI directly) to set the external status to in-progress. The CLI path is gated by the confirm-token flow:

TOKEN=$(rubber-ducky --no-json confirm request \
  --action <backend>.transition \
  --preview "<preview-text>")
rubber-ducky --json transition $ARGUMENTS \
  --backend <backend> \
  --to in-progress \
  --confirm-token "$TOKEN"

The transition verb writes the activity log and audit entry as part of the call — do not also call log append after a successful transition.

Step 5 — Confirm

Report: "Started: (status: in-progress)" and, if applicable, "Backend status synced."