tasks

name	tasks
description	This skill should be used when the user mentions tasks, todos, to-do list, project management, "what's on my plate", "what do I need to do", "add a task", "mark as done", "update task", "what's blocked", "what's due", "change priority", "what should I build today", "top priorities", "what are my deliverables", "task board", or any time they want to capture, view, update, or manage work items. Also triggers on /tasks, /add-task, and /prioritize commands.
version	0.1.0

Task Management

Manage the user's task board — a structured, file-based system in AIDE/tasks/tasks.md.

Read references/task-format.md for the exact format specification, field definitions, and editing rules.

What This Skill Covers

• Viewing the full task board or a filtered view (by priority, status, project, due date)
• Adding new tasks (quick capture or detailed)
• Updating tasks (status, priority, due date, description, blocker)
• Marking tasks complete
• Prioritizing — giving an intelligent recommendation on what to focus on now
• Identifying blocked tasks and suggesting unblocking actions
• Linking tasks to projects in AIDE/memory/projects.md

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Task Operations

Viewing Tasks

When the user asks to see their tasks:

1. Read AIDE/tasks/tasks.md
2. Determine what view they want:
   • Full board: all tasks grouped by priority, then show summary counts
   • Today's focus: High priority only + anything due today or overdue
   • By project: filter to tasks matching a project name
   • Blocked: only tasks with a Blocker field set
   • Upcoming deadlines: tasks with due dates in the next 7 days, sorted by date
3. Present clearly. Use the format from references/task-format.md. Show overdue tasks prominently with a ⚠️ marker.
4. End with a one-line summary: "X tasks total — Y high priority, Z due this week, W blocked."

Adding a Task

When the user says "add a task" or describes something they need to do:

1. Capture the required info:
   • Title (required — derive from what they said if not explicit)
   • Priority (ask if not clear — High / Medium / Low)
   • Due date (ask or mark as "No deadline" if they don't say)
   • Project (infer from context using AIDE/memory/projects.md, or ask)
   • Description (optional — expand if they gave details)
2. Read AIDE/tasks/tasks.md
3. Generate the next task ID (increment from the highest existing ID)
4. Insert the new task under the correct priority section
5. Update AIDE/memory/work-log.md with a brief note
6. Confirm: "Added [TASK-XXX]: [title] under [priority] priority."

Quick capture mode: If the user is clearly in a hurry (e.g., "quickly add: fix homepage bug"), ask zero follow-up questions — default to Medium priority, no due date, infer project from context, and confirm after adding.

Updating a Task

When the user wants to change something about a task:

1. Identify the task (by ID, title, or description match — ask to confirm if ambiguous)
2. Read AIDE/tasks/tasks.md
3. Apply the change:
   • Status change: Todo → In Progress → Blocked → Done
   • Priority change: move the task to the correct priority section
   • Due date change: update the Due field
   • Adding a blocker: set the Blocker field with a description
   • Clearing a blocker: remove the Blocker field, set status back to In Progress or Todo
   • Editing description: update the Description field
4. If marking Done: move the task to the ## ✅ Completed section with a Completed date
5. Confirm the change in one sentence.

Completing a Task

When the user says "done", "completed", "finished", "close task":

1. Find the task
2. Move it to ## ✅ Completed at the bottom of tasks.md
3. Add **Completed:** [DATE] field
4. Log it briefly in work-log.md
5. Celebrate briefly — a quick, warm acknowledgement. Progress deserves recognition.

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Prioritization

This is the highest-value operation. When the user asks "what should I focus on today?", "top priorities", "what should I build today?", or "help me prioritize":

Step 1: Read Context

Read all of the following before making any recommendation:

• AIDE/tasks/tasks.md — all tasks, their status, priority, due dates, blockers
• AIDE/memory/projects.md — project context and status
• AIDE/memory/goals.md — what matters most
• AIDE/memory/work-log.md — recent activity (to avoid repeating what was just done)

Step 2: Apply Prioritization Logic

Score each non-blocked, non-done task using these factors:

Factor	Weight	How to assess
Urgency	High	Is it overdue or due today/tomorrow?
Priority level	High	High > Medium > Low as set by user
Goal alignment	Medium	Does completing this directly advance a stated goal?
Project momentum	Medium	Is this project actively in progress? Completing tasks keeps momentum
Quick wins	Low	Can this be done in <30 min? Quick wins build energy
Blocking others	High	Does completing this unblock another task or person?

Skip any task that is Blocked — note it separately as something to unblock.

Step 3: Deliver the Recommendation

Present the top 3–5 tasks with clear reasoning for each:

Here's what I'd focus on today:

1. [TASK-XXX] Title — [1-sentence reason why this is #1]
2. [TASK-XXX] Title — [1-sentence reason]
3. [TASK-XXX] Title — [1-sentence reason]

⚠️ Blocked (needs attention):
- [TASK-XXX] Title — blocked by: [blocker description]

Everything else can wait unless something comes up.

Always explain the reasoning briefly. The user should feel like an intelligent collaborator helped them think through their day, not just sorted a list.

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Archiving Completed Tasks

When the ## ✅ Completed section grows beyond 10 tasks, offer to archive older ones: "Your completed section has 15 tasks — want me to archive anything older than 2 weeks to AIDE/tasks/archive.md?"

Never auto-archive without asking.

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Edge Cases

• No tasks file yet: Create AIDE/tasks/tasks.md using the template in references/task-format.md, then proceed.
• No AIDE workspace: Tell the user to run /onboard first.
• Ambiguous task reference: Repeat back the 2–3 possible matches and ask which one.
• Task added in conversation (not via command): If the user mentions something they need to do in passing ("I should also fix that bug later"), offer to add it: "Want me to add that to your task board?"