| name | new-work |
| description | Create and manage todo tracking documents for features, bugs, and multi-step tasks. Use when starting new work that benefits from a persistent record of decisions, progress, and context. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| metadata | {"author":"Garrick Aden-Buie (@gadenbuie)","version":"1.0"} |
| license | MIT |
New Work
Todo notes track work items as markdown files with YAML front matter capturing status, context, and progress.
Storage Location
Use _dev/todos/ if it exists in the repository root; otherwise ask the user where to store todo notes before creating anything. It contains two subdirectories: pending/ (active) and done/ (finished).
File Naming
YYYY-MM-DD_short-kebab-slug.md, e.g. 2026-02-18_add-oauth-support.md.
File Contents
YAML front matter plus a markdown body. Only status is required.
---
status: pending # pending | in progress | review | blocked | done
issue: https://github.com/org/repo/issues/123 # optional
pr: https://github.com/org/repo/pull/456 # optional
---
# Title
Overview of what this is about and why it matters.
## Key Files
- `src/relevant-file.ts` — what it does
- `src/other-file.ts:functionName()` — why it matters
## Work Items
- [ ] First thing to do
- [ ] Second thing to do
## Design Decisions
Context, constraints, or choices worth capturing.
## Decision Log
<!--
### YYYY-MM-DD — Short Decision Title
**Decision:** What was decided?
**Rationale:** Why?
-->
Lifecycle
- Create: make
pending/ if needed, create the date-prefixed file with status: pending, and write enough context to resume later.
- In progress: update
status; add issue/pr links when they exist; check off Work Items (- [ ] → - [x]); record significant decisions in the Decision Log.
- Complete: set
status: done and mv the file from pending/ to done/.
Keeping the Document Current
Treat the todo as a living record for the rest of the session. Update it after any decision, newly discovered problem or requirement, issue raised/resolved, significant implementation work, or commit. When in doubt, update it.
When you form a plan — whether in response to a user request or on your own initiative — write it to the todo document rather than presenting it only in chat. The document is the persistent record; the chat is not.
To resume in a future session, use /working-on <path-to-todo> — same live-document behavior without re-creating the file.
