task-context

name	task-context
description	Compose a rich per-task context file (specs/<branch>/task-context/<TID>-<slug>.md) before each implementer dispatch. Opt-in; default off.
metadata	{"aiadev":{"version":"0.1.0","inputs":[{"type":"text","description":"Task ID (e.g. T003) the implementer is about to pick up."}],"outputs":[{"type":"file","path":"specs/<branch>/task-context/<TID>-<slug>.md","description":"Self-contained per-task brief consumed by the implementer subagent."}],"requires":["templates/task-context-template.md","aiadev.task_context"],"handoffs":["implement"]}}

Task context

Produce a per-task context file that gives the implementer subagent everything it needs in one self-contained artifact: the spec scenarios this task exercises, the matching plan block, an excerpt of every file to modify, the TDD checklist, and a pointer back to the previous task-context for continuity.

Announce at start: "Using the task-context skill. I will compose the per-task context file before the next implementer dispatch."

When to use

• The active preset has task_context: true in its preset.yaml, OR
• The orchestrator was invoked with aiadev preflight implement --task-context.

When neither flag is set, the implement skill uses its inline prompt (default behavior, byte-for-byte unchanged from before this skill existed). The task-context skill never runs implicitly.

Loop

1. Read the task ID from the orchestrator (e.g. T003).

2. Render the file via the helper:

   python -c "from pathlib import Path; from aiadev.task_context import compose; print(compose(Path.cwd(), 'T003'))"
   

   The helper handles spec/plan/tasks slicing, file excerpts (40-line cap on modify: paths, no excerpt for create: / test: paths), the static TDD checklist, and the previous-task pointer.

3. Optionally check staleness before reuse:

   python -c "from pathlib import Path; from aiadev.task_context import is_stale; print(is_stale(Path('specs/0001-x/task-context/T003-foo.md')))"
   

   Recompose if the call returns True — a referenced file changed after the brief was generated.

4. Hand the resulting path to the implementer subagent prompt as the primary context artifact.

Rules

• The skill is a leaf in the pipeline graph. It does not invoke any other skill — calling aiadev.task_context via python -c is a tooling invocation, not a skill invocation.
• Generated files under specs/<branch>/task-context/ are regenerated each loop. Do not hand-edit them; changes are lost on the next compose.
• The default mtime probe is hermetic; production wiring may inject a git-log probe via the newest_modification callable in is_stale(...).

Hand-off

The implement skill consumes the rendered file as the implementer's primary context. See skills/implement/SKILL.md for the wiring details (opt-in via preset.yaml task_context: true or the --task-context preflight flag).