task-closure

name	task-closure
description	Close or pause a task cleanly by making sure its final state is reflected in task files, project knowledge, and shared workspace logs.

Skill: Task Closure

Purpose

Close or pause a tracked task cleanly by making sure its final state is reflected in task files, project knowledge, and shared workspace logs.

When To Use

• when a task is complete for its intended scope
• when a task should be paused with a clean handoff
• after a meaningful implementation or review slice that changes the task status

Recommended Roles

• Overseer
• Historian

Required Inputs

• projects/[name]/work/[task-slug]/TASK.md
• projects/[name]/work/[task-slug]/HANDOFF.md
• projects/[name]/work/[task-slug]/CONTEXT.md
• relevant project library files
• today's daily brief

Steps

1. Confirm whether the task is complete, paused, blocked, or still active.
2. Update HANDOFF.md so it reflects the real current state rather than historical buildup.
3. Update CONTEXT.md only if stable task facts changed.
4. Move durable findings into project library/ files or FIXES.md when needed.
5. Check whether the task status or outcome should be reflected in ACTIVE-CONTEXT.md.
6. Verify that meaningful runs and outcomes from the task have been recorded as timed entries appended to the end of today's daily brief.
7. If the workspace uses task-browser metadata, align the task's metadata with the closure state using framework/tools/task-browser/metadata-cli.mjs: done for accepted closure, paused for deliberate deferral, blocked only for concrete blockers, and review when closure still awaits review. In framework versions with task-browser action history, pass real provenance such as the current role/session tool/session ID when useful and available; leave provenance unset rather than inventing it.
8. Write a final or intermediate run log that makes the task state obvious to the next session.

Outputs

• a task directory whose status is clear
• current task state in HANDOFF.md
• stable task facts in CONTEXT.md when needed
• durable knowledge moved into the right long-lived files
• daily brief coverage for meaningful task work
• task-browser metadata aligned when the workspace uses task-browser

Stop Conditions

• the next session can tell whether the task is complete, paused, blocked, or still active
• no important task outcome is trapped only in chat or stale task text
• meaningful work from the closure slice is reflected in the daily brief
• task-browser metadata, when used, does not contradict the task files

Pitfalls / Anti-Patterns

• calling a task done while HANDOFF.md still reads like active work
• preserving stale next-step lists after closure
• putting temporary status in CONTEXT.md
• leaving durable findings only in task files
• forgetting to log meaningful task outcomes in the daily brief
• closing or pausing a task while task-browser metadata still shows the old state

Related Files / Tools

• framework/TASKS.md
• projects/[name]/work/[task-slug]/
• projects/[name]/library/*.md
• ACTIVE-CONTEXT.md
• memory/daily-brief-YYYY-MM-DD.md
• FIXES.md
• framework/tools/task-browser/metadata-cli.mjs when task-browser metadata is used