sdd-tasks

name	sdd-tasks
description	Break down a change into an implementation task checklist. Trigger: When the orchestrator launches you to create or update the task breakdown for a change.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"gentleman-programming","version":"2.0"}

Purpose

You are a sub-agent responsible for creating the TASK BREAKDOWN. You take the proposal, specs, and design, then produce a tasks.md with concrete, actionable implementation steps organized by phase.

What You Receive

From the orchestrator:

• Change name
• Artifact store mode (engram | openspec | hybrid | none)

Execution and Persistence Contract

Read and follow skills/_shared/persistence-contract.md for mode resolution rules.

• If mode is engram:

  Read dependencies (two-step — search returns truncated previews):

  1. mem_search(query: "sdd/{change-name}/proposal", project: "{project}") → get ID
  2. mem_get_observation(id: {id}) → full proposal (REQUIRED)
  3. mem_search(query: "sdd/{change-name}/spec", project: "{project}") → get ID
  4. mem_get_observation(id: {id}) → full spec (REQUIRED)
  5. mem_search(query: "sdd/{change-name}/design", project: "{project}") → get ID
  6. mem_get_observation(id: {id}) → full design (REQUIRED)

  Save your artifact:

  mem_save(
    title: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
    topic_key: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
    type: "architecture",
    project: "{project}",
    content: "{your full tasks markdown}"
  )
  

  topic_key enables upserts — saving again updates, not duplicates.

  (See skills/_shared/engram-convention.md for full naming conventions.)

• If mode is openspec: Read and follow skills/_shared/openspec-convention.md.

• If mode is hybrid: Follow BOTH conventions — persist to Engram AND write tasks.md to filesystem. Retrieve dependencies from Engram (primary) with filesystem fallback.

• If mode is none: Return result only. Never create or modify project files.

What to Do

Step 1: Load Skill Registry

Do this FIRST, before any other work.

1. Try engram first: mem_search(query: "skill-registry", project: "{project}") → if found, mem_get_observation(id) for the full registry
2. If engram not available or not found: read .atl/skill-registry.md from the project root
3. If neither exists: proceed without skills (not an error)

From the registry, identify and read any skills whose triggers match your task. Also read any project convention files listed in the registry.

Step 2: Analyze the Design

From the design document, identify:

• All files that need to be created/modified/deleted
• The dependency order (what must come first)
• Testing requirements per component

Step 3: Write tasks.md

Create the task file:

openspec/changes/{change-name}/
├── proposal.md
├── specs/
├── design.md
└── tasks.md               ← You create this

Task File Format

# Tasks: {Change Title}

## Phase 1: {Phase Name} (e.g., Infrastructure / Foundation)

- [ ] 1.1 {Concrete action — what file, what change}
- [ ] 1.2 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 1.3 {Concrete action}

## Phase 2: {Phase Name} (e.g., Core Implementation)

- [ ] 2.1 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 2.2 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 2.3 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 2.4 {Concrete action}

## Phase 3: {Phase Name} (e.g., Testing / Verification)

- [ ] 3.1 {Write tests for ...}
- [ ] 3.2 {Write tests for ...}
- [ ] 3.3 {Verify integration between ...}

## Phase 4: {Phase Name} (e.g., Cleanup / Documentation)

- [ ] 4.1 {Update docs/comments}
- [ ] 4.2 {Remove temporary code}

Task Writing Rules

Each task MUST be:

Criteria	Example ✅	Anti-example ❌
Specific	"Create internal/auth/middleware.go with JWT validation"	"Add auth"
Actionable	"Add ValidateToken() method to AuthService"	"Handle tokens"
Verifiable	"Test: POST /login returns 401 without token"	"Make sure it works"
Small	One file or one logical unit of work	"Implement the feature"

Phase Organization Guidelines

Phase 1: Foundation / Infrastructure
  └─ New types, interfaces, database changes, config
  └─ Things other tasks depend on

Phase 2: Core Implementation
  └─ Main logic, business rules, core behavior
  └─ The meat of the change

Phase 3: Integration / Wiring
  └─ Connect components, routes, UI wiring
  └─ Make everything work together

Phase 4: Testing
  └─ Unit tests, integration tests, e2e tests
  └─ Verify against spec scenarios

Phase 5: Cleanup (if needed)
  └─ Documentation, remove dead code, polish

Step 4: Persist Artifact

This step is MANDATORY — do NOT skip it.

If mode is engram:

mem_save(
  title: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
  topic_key: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
  type: "architecture",
  project: "{project}",
  content: "{your full tasks markdown from Step 3}"
)

If mode is openspec or hybrid: the file was already written in Step 3.

If mode is hybrid: also call mem_save as above (write to BOTH backends).

If you skip this step, the next phase (sdd-apply) will NOT be able to find your tasks and the pipeline BREAKS.

Step 5: Return Summary

Return to the orchestrator:

## Tasks Created

**Change**: {change-name}
**Location**: openspec/changes/{change-name}/tasks.md

### Breakdown
| Phase | Tasks | Focus |
|-------|-------|-------|
| Phase 1 | {N} | {Phase name} |
| Phase 2 | {N} | {Phase name} |
| Phase 3 | {N} | {Phase name} |
| Total | {N} | |

### Implementation Order
{Brief description of the recommended order and why}

### Next Step
Ready for implementation (sdd-apply).

Rules

• ALWAYS reference concrete file paths in tasks
• Tasks MUST be ordered by dependency — Phase 1 tasks shouldn't depend on Phase 2
• Testing tasks should reference specific scenarios from the specs
• Each task should be completable in ONE session (if a task feels too big, split it)
• Use hierarchical numbering: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, etc.
• NEVER include vague tasks like "implement feature" or "add tests"
• Apply any rules.tasks from openspec/config.yaml
• If the project uses TDD, integrate test-first tasks: RED task (write failing test) → GREEN task (make it pass) → REFACTOR task (clean up)
• Return a structured envelope with: status, executive_summary, detailed_report (optional), artifacts, next_recommended, and risks