task-creation

name	task-creation
description	How to create tasks effectively via gobby-tasks MCP. Covers task types, priorities, when to use each, and writing effective validation criteria.
category	core
metadata	{"gobby":{"audience":"all"}}

Task Creation

Create and manage tasks via call_tool("gobby-tasks", ...). Fetch schemas with get_tool_schema("gobby-tasks", "create_task") before first use.

Note: TodoWrite is disabled by Gobby rules. Native task tools (TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskGet, TaskList) are available for sub-step tracking once a Gobby task is claimed. The gobby-task tracks the deliverable (what gets committed, reviewed, and closed); native task tools track sub-steps along the way.

Creating a Task

# Bug — high priority, code category
call_tool("gobby-tasks", "create_task", {
    "title": "Fix null pointer in session cleanup",
    "category": "code",
    "task_type": "bug",
    "priority": 1,
    "validation_criteria": "SessionManager.cleanup() no longer raises on empty sessions"
}, session_id="#2333")

# Feature — create and claim in one call
call_tool("gobby-tasks", "create_task", {
    "title": "Add webhook support for pipeline completion",
    "category": "code",
    "task_type": "feature",
    "claim": true,
    "validation_criteria": "POST /webhooks endpoint accepts pipeline_completed events and returns 201"
}, session_id="#2333")

session_id is a parameter of call_tool, not the inner tool. Pass your Gobby session ref (e.g. #2333).

---

Task Types — When to Use Each

Type	When	Priority	Example
bug	Something is broken	1 (high)	"Fix null pointer in session cleanup"
feature	New capability	2 (medium)	"Add webhook support for pipeline completion"
epic	Large feature needing subtasks	2 (medium)	"Implement knowledge graph integration"
chore	Maintenance, cleanup	3 (low)	"Update dependencies to latest versions"
refactor	Restructure without behavior change	3 (low)	"Extract validation logic from pipeline executor"
task	General work that doesn't fit above	2 (medium)	"Investigate memory leak in long sessions"

Nitpicks — minor cleanup, typos, style fixes — use type chore with priority 4 (backlog) and label ["nitpick"].

Priority Scale

Priority	Meaning	Typical types
1	High — fix now	Bugs, blockers
2	Medium — next up	Features, epics
3	Low — when convenient	Chores, refactors
4	Backlog — someday	Nitpicks, nice-to-haves

Required Fields

Field	When	Notes
title	Always	Imperative form: "Fix X", "Add Y"
category	Always	Determines validation behavior
validation_criteria	category=code	Creation fails without it

Note: Pass session_id to call_tool as a sibling parameter (not inside arguments). Hooks-based sessions (Claude Code, Codex hooks) may propagate it automatically, but always pass it explicitly to be safe.

Categories

Category	Use for
code	Implementation — requires validation_criteria
config	Configuration file changes
docs	Documentation
refactor	Code restructuring with no behavior change (includes updating existing tests)
test	Test writing
research	Investigation, no code output expected
planning	Design, architecture
manual	Requires manual verification

Writing Effective Validation Criteria

Validation criteria are checked against the diff when closing a task. Write them so an independent reviewer can verify completion.

Good: "The close_task tests in test_tasks_coverage.py pass. LocalSessionManager is patched at the correct import path in both tests."

Bad: "Tests pass." / "It works." / "Bug is fixed."

Criteria should be:

• Observable — can be verified by reading code or running tests
• Specific — names files, functions, or behaviors
• Complete — covers all acceptance conditions, not just the happy path

Labels

Use labels for cross-cutting concerns:

Label	When
nitpick	Minor cleanup, typos, style
refactor	Code restructuring
security	Security-related work
performance	Performance improvements

Plan Mode

Do not create tasks during plan mode unless the user explicitly asks you to. Plan mode is for designing an approach, not organizing work into tasks. Only use task tools in plan mode if the user requests it.

Claiming

Auto-claim at creation with claim: true (shown above), or claim an existing task:

call_tool("gobby-tasks", "claim_task", {"task_id": "#42"}, session_id="#2333")

Error Triage

When you encounter bugs unrelated to your current task, create a task and continue:

call_tool("gobby-tasks", "create_task", {
    "title": "Fix pre-existing lint warning in session.py",
    "category": "code",
    "task_type": "bug",
    "priority": 3,
    "validation_criteria": "ruff check on session.py passes with no warnings"
}, session_id="#2333")