jd-next-action

name

jd-next-action

description

Generate a prioritized "what do I need to do next?" report by aggregating tasks, inbox items, and review items across Johnny.Decimal systems. Use this skill when the user wants a daily overview, needs to decide what to work on next, or says things like "what do I need to do next," "what's on my plate," "show my priorities," "what needs attention," "daily overview," "action dashboard," "what should I focus on," "what's urgent," "where should I start," "what's most important right now," or "give me a status report." Also trigger when the user asks "what's coming up," "what's ahead this week," or "anything I'm forgetting."

Johnny.Decimal Next Action Dashboard

This skill creates a unified, prioritized view of everything requiring attention across all Johnny.Decimal systems. It combines active tasks (from todo.txt), unprocessed inbox items, and items needing review into a single report ordered from most urgent to least urgent, followed by a "coming up" section for items approaching actionability.

This skill is read-only — it never modifies any files. It reads and reports.

For task parsing rules, read ../jd-task-manager/references/jdtodo-spec.md (the jdtodo.txt format specification).

---

1. Orientation: Discover the JD Environment

Before generating the report, build a mental map of the user's JD setup.

1.1 Locate the JD Root

The JD root folder is wherever the user's systems live. Common locations:

• ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/JD/ (iCloud Drive)
• ~/Documents/JD/
• ~/JD/
• A project-specific folder the user designates

If you don't know the root, ask the user. If the user says "what should I do next" without further context, check the most common locations above. If you find exactly one, use it. If you find multiple or none, ask.

1.2 Identify Systems

List the top-level folders under the JD root. Each folder whose name matches the pattern [A-Z][0-9][0-9] * is a JD system (e.g., P10 Personal, W20 Work).

If the user has a single system (no SYS prefix), treat the entire JD root as one system.

If the user specified a system code as an argument (e.g., "next actions for P10"), limit scanning to that system only.

1.3 Load Each System's JDex

For every system you'll scan, read the JDex file at:

SYS/00-09 */00 */00.00 *JDex*

The JDex is needed to enrich task displays with human-readable descriptions for +AC.ID references. If the JDex is missing, you can still generate the report but cannot enrich JD codes — note this in the summary.

---

2. Scan Data Sources

For each system, locate and read these data sources. If a source doesn't exist, skip it and note the absence.

2.1 Active Tasks — 00.02 Tasks/todo.txt

Read and parse todo.txt using jdtodo.txt format rules (see the jdtodo-spec reference). For each task, extract:

• State (incomplete, complete, cancelled)
• Priority ((A) through (Z), or none)
• Creation date
• Description
• Contexts (@context)
• Projects (+project, +AC.ID)
• Key:value pairs (due:, before:, t:, after:, id:, dep:, rec:, h:)
• Notes (after ---)

Filter for actionable tasks. A task is actionable if ALL of these are true:

• It is incomplete (not x or ~)
• It is not hidden (h:1 absent)
• Its threshold date has passed or is absent (t: date <= today, or no t:)
• Its after: date has passed or is absent (after: date <= today, or no after:)
• It does not have @someday context
• It does not have due:someday
• All dep: references point to completed tasks (or the referenced id: does not exist in the active task list)

Track separately:

• Blocked tasks: Incomplete tasks whose dep: points to an incomplete task. Count these for the summary but do not include in the main report.
• Waiting tasks: Tasks with @waiting context that are otherwise actionable. Include them in their normal bucket but count them separately for the summary.

2.2 Inbox — 00.01 Inbox/

List the contents of the inbox folder. Do NOT read or classify individual items — that is the inbox processor's job. Collect:

• Total item count
• File types present (.md, .pdf, .jpg, etc.)
• Date of the most recently added item (from filesystem metadata or date-prefix in filename)

If the inbox is empty, skip this data source entirely.

2.3 Needs Review — 00.04 Needs review/

List items in the needs-review folder. For each item, collect:

• Filename
• Date added (from date-prefix in filename, or filesystem metadata)

If the folder doesn't exist or is empty, skip this data source.

2.4 Someday — 00.02 Tasks/someday.txt

Count the number of tasks in someday.txt (if it exists). This is for the summary statistics only — do not include someday tasks in the report body.

Also count tasks with @someday or due:someday in todo.txt that were excluded by the actionability filter.

2.5 Coming Up — Future Threshold Tasks

Identify tasks that are NOT yet actionable but will become actionable within the next 14 days:

• Tasks with t:YYYY-MM-DD where the date is > today AND <= today + 14 days
• Tasks with after:YYYY-MM-DD where the date is > today AND <= today + 14 days

These are not blocked or someday — they're simply waiting for their visibility window to open.

---

3. Categorize into Priority Buckets

Place each item into exactly one bucket — the highest-priority bucket it qualifies for. A task that qualifies for multiple buckets appears only in the first matching one.

3.1 Bucket Definitions

Process in this order (first match wins):

Bucket 1 — Overdue Actionable tasks where due: or before: date is before today. Show how many days overdue each task is.

Bucket 2 — Due Today Actionable tasks where due: or before: date equals today.

Bucket 3 — Inbox Unprocessed items in 00.01 Inbox/ folders. Shown as a count per system, not individual items.

Bucket 4 — Needs Review Items in 00.04 Needs review/ folders. Shown as individual items with filenames.

Bucket 5 — High Priority Actionable tasks with (A) priority that did not land in Overdue or Due Today.

Bucket 6 — Due This Week Actionable tasks where due: or before: is within the next 7 days (after today, up to and including today + 7 days). Excludes tasks already placed in a higher bucket.

Bucket 7 — Other Actionable All remaining actionable tasks — (B) through (Z) priority and unprioritized tasks that did not land in any bucket above.

Bucket 8 — Coming Up Tasks with t: or after: dates within the next 14 days that are not yet actionable. These are shown to help the user prepare.

3.2 Sorting Within Buckets

Within each bucket, sort tasks by:

1. Priority — (A) first, then (B), then (C), ..., then unprioritized last
2. Due date — earliest first (tasks with no due date sort last)
3. Creation date — oldest first

3.3 Empty Buckets

If a bucket has zero items, omit that section entirely from the report. Only show sections that have content.

---

4. Generate the Report

4.1 Report Header

## Next Actions

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Systems:** [comma-separated system names, e.g., P10 Personal, W20 Work]

If scanning a single system, omit the "Systems" line and use the system name in the header:

## Next Actions — P10 Personal

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD

4.2 Overdue Section

### Overdue (N)

| Pri | Task | Due | Overdue |
|-----|------|-----|---------|
| (A) | [P10] Submit quarterly tax estimate +N42.13.02 @laptop | 2026-02-05 | 5 days |
| (B) | [P10] Review tuition bill +V06.31.02 @laptop | 2026-02-08 | 2 days |

Show the [SYS] prefix only when displaying multiple systems.

4.3 Due Today Section

### Due Today (N)

| Pri | Task |
|-----|------|
| (A) | [W20] Respond to P0 incident follow-up +G24.21.05 @work |

4.4 Inbox Section

### Inbox (N items)

| System | Items | Newest |
|--------|-------|--------|
| P10 Personal | 8 items (.md, .pdf, .jpg) | 2026-02-09 |
| W20 Work | 3 items (.md, .txt) | 2026-02-08 |

Run `/jd:process-inbox` to classify and file these items.

For single-system reports, simplify:

### Inbox (8 items)

8 unprocessed items (.md, .pdf, .jpg). Newest: 2026-02-09.

Run `/jd:process-inbox P10` to classify and file these items.

4.5 Needs Review Section

### Needs Review (N items)

| System | Item | Date |
|--------|------|------|
| P10 | 2026-01-28 Meeting notes.md | Jan 28 |
| W20 | 2026-02-03 Budget spreadsheet.xlsx | Feb 3 |

4.6 High Priority Section

### High Priority (N)

| Task | Due |
|------|-----|
| [P10] Clean out garage +GarageSale +N42.12.05 | 2026-05-01 |
| [W20] Review contract terms +G24.31.05 @laptop | 2026-02-15 |

4.7 Due This Week Section

### Due This Week (N)

| Pri | Task | Due |
|-----|------|-----|
| (B) | [P10] Schedule dentist for Hannah @phone | Feb 12 |
| (B) | [P10] Water all houseplants @home | Feb 11 |

4.8 Other Actionable Section

### Other Actionable (N)

| Pri | Task | Due |
|-----|------|-----|
| (B) | [P10] Sort items for garage sale +GarageSale | Feb 20 |
| (C) | [W20] Update project documentation @laptop | — |
| — | [P10] Update emergency contacts | — |

Show — for tasks with no due date.

4.9 Coming Up Section

### Coming Up (next 14 days)

| Task | Actionable | Due |
|------|------------|-----|
| [P10] Renew car registration +N42.12.01 | Jun 1 (in 5 days) | Jun 30 |
| [W20] Start Q2 planning +G24.21.02 | Feb 20 (in 10 days) | Mar 1 |

These tasks are not yet actionable but will become visible soon.

Show both the date the task becomes actionable (t: or after: date) and its due date (if any). Include the "in N days" relative label.

4.10 JD Code Enrichment

When displaying tasks with +AC.ID or +SYS.AC.ID project tags, look up the code in the relevant system's JDex. If found, you may append the description after the task or use it in the table.

For example, if N42.13.02 maps to "Tax returns & estimates" in the JDex:

| (A) | Submit quarterly tax estimate +N42.13.02 @laptop | 2026-04-15 |

The JD code itself is usually enough context. Only add the description if the task text alone doesn't make the purpose clear.

4.11 Multi-System Display

When showing tasks from multiple systems:

• Prefix each task with [SYS] (e.g., [P10], [W20])
• Group inbox and needs-review items by system in their tables
• Include all systems in the summary

When showing a single system:

• Omit the [SYS] prefix
• Omit per-system grouping in inbox/review tables

4.12 Summary

Always end the report with a summary section:

### Summary

| | Count |
|--|-------|
| Overdue | 2 |
| Due today | 1 |
| Inbox items | 11 |
| Needs review | 2 |
| High priority | 2 |
| Due this week | 3 |
| Other actionable | 8 |
| **Total actionable** | **16** |
| | |
| Blocked | 3 |
| Waiting (@waiting) | 2 |
| Someday | 5 |
| Coming up (14 days) | 2 |

**Recommended focus:** [one sentence suggesting where to start]

The "Recommended focus" line should follow this logic:

• If overdue tasks exist: "Start with the N overdue tasks."
• Else if due-today tasks exist: "Handle the N tasks due today."
• Else if inbox has items: "Process inbox to surface any hidden urgencies."
• Else if high-priority tasks exist: "Focus on the N high-priority items."
• Otherwise: "No urgent items. Good time for a review or inbox check."

---

5. Filtering

The user may request a filtered view. Apply the filter AFTER scanning all data sources but BEFORE bucketing.

5.1 Filter by System

"next actions for P10" — Only scan the specified system.

5.2 Filter by Context

"what can I do @phone" — Only include tasks with the specified context. Inbox and needs-review items are still shown (they may contain relevant work).

5.3 Filter by Project

"what's next for +GarageSale" — Only include tasks with the specified project tag. Inbox and needs-review items are omitted (they haven't been classified).

5.4 Filter by Timeframe

"what's due this week" — Only include tasks in the Overdue, Due Today, and Due This Week buckets. Omit inbox, needs review, and lower-priority buckets.

---

6. Interaction Principles

6.1 Read-Only

This skill never modifies files. It reads task files, inbox contents, and needs-review items, then generates a report. No writes, no moves, no edits.

6.2 No Duplicate Work

Do not read inbox item contents or classify them — that's the inbox processor's job. Only count items and note their presence.

Do not modify task priorities or due dates — that's the task manager's job.

6.3 Actionable Suggestions

After the report, suggest relevant next steps using other skills:

• If inbox has items: "Run /jd:process-inbox to classify inbox items."
• If overdue tasks exist: "Use /jd:manage-tasks to reschedule or complete overdue tasks."
• If someday count is high: "Use /jd:manage-tasks review to review someday items."

6.4 Repeat Invocations

If the user asks for the report again during the same session, regenerate it fresh — task states may have changed.

---

7. Error Handling

7.1 Missing Task Files

If 00.02 Tasks/todo.txt doesn't exist for a system:

• Check if 00.02 Tasks.md exists (legacy format). If so, note it and suggest migration via /jd:manage-tasks.
• If nothing exists, note "No task files found for [system]" in the summary.

7.2 Missing Inbox or Review Folders

If 00.01 Inbox/ or 00.04 Needs review/ doesn't exist, simply omit that data source. Do not warn about structural absence — not all systems use all standard zeros.

7.3 Unparseable Tasks

If a task line cannot be parsed:

• Include it in the report with a [parse error] flag
• Do not skip it — the user should know it exists
• Continue processing remaining tasks

7.4 JDex Not Found

If a system's JDex is missing:

• Generate the report without JD code enrichment
• Note in the summary: "JDex not found for [system] — JD codes not enriched."

7.5 No Data Found

If all data sources are empty across all systems:

• Report "Nothing to do!" with a clean summary showing all zeros
• Suggest: "Good time to check if anything needs capturing."

---

Quick Reference: Priority Buckets

Order	Bucket	Source	Criteria
1	Overdue	todo.txt	due: or before: < today
2	Due Today	todo.txt	due: or before: = today
3	Inbox	00.01 Inbox/	Any items present
4	Needs Review	00.04 Needs review/	Any items present
5	High Priority	todo.txt	(A) tasks not in above
6	Due This Week	todo.txt	due: or before: within 7 days
7	Other Actionable	todo.txt	All remaining actionable
8	Coming Up	todo.txt	t: or after: within 14 days

Quick Reference: Actionability Criteria

A task is actionable if ALL true:

• Not completed (x) or cancelled (~)
• Not hidden (h:1 absent)
• Threshold passed (t: <= today, or no t:)
• After date passed (after: <= today, or no after:)
• No @someday context
• No due:someday
• All dep: resolved (blocking tasks completed or absent)