add-temp-sync-task

name

add-temp-sync-task

description

Add a temporary, self-deleting mise task to root mise.toml that runs a one-time action on the *other* machine after it next pulls, then prints a reminder to delete the task. Use when a change on this machine leaves the other machine needing a one-off action that `mise run sync` / manage-symlinks won't do on its own — e.g. pruning a stale symlink left by a rename, or migrating a config file in place. The action runs once and then the task is deleted, so it's not for durable machine setup. For syncing an app install, use add-install-task instead.

Add Temp Sync Task Skill for dotkyl

Create a temporary task in root mise.toml that runs a one-time action on the other machine after it pulls, then is deleted. This is a sibling of add-install-task: both put a one-time task in root mise.toml that the other machine runs once after a pull. They differ in what happens next — add-install-task relocates to setup/mise.toml so it persists for a future new machine, while this one is deleted, because it only reconciles a gap between two already-diverged machines.

Reach for it when a change you made here leaves the other machine in a state that the normal sync can't reconcile. The case it was originally written for: manage-symlinks creates and relinks symlinks but never removes them, so renaming or deleting a tracked file leaves a stale symlink on the other machine that something has to clean up.

Step 1: Pin down the one-time action

• What must happen on the other machine, exactly once (delete a file, prune a symlink, rewrite a config, etc.).
• Why the normal sync won't do it. If mise run sync or manage-symlinks already handles it, you don't need this skill.
• Derive a task name: lowercase, hyphenated, describing the action, e.g. prune-stale-tech-writing-symlink.

Step 2: Make it self-limiting

The machine you're on made the change already, so the task must no-op here and act only on the machine that still needs it. Two ways to detect that, in order of preference:

1. State detection (preferred). Find a condition that is already-satisfied on this machine and not-yet-satisfied on the other. This is self-verifying and needs no hostname. In the worked example below, a valid symlink on this host makes [ ! -e "$link" ] false, so the whole block is skipped here.
2. Host detection (fallback). When there's no observable state difference, gate on host=$(bin/get-host 2>/dev/null) and check against the target host.

Step 3: Confirm it's safe to auto-run

The task runs unattended on the other machine's post-merge mise run sync, so the action must be safe to run with no human present — not destructive, not needing confirmation first. If it isn't safe to auto-run, this pattern doesn't fit; don't force it into sync.

Step 4: Always remind to delete the task

This is the piece add-install-task doesn't have. Within the "applies here" branch, unconditionally print a 👉 reminder to delete the task from mise.toml. Guard the action so it runs at most once, but let the reminder print on every run where the task still applies — the reminder repeats because the task keeps running each sync until the human removes it, not because any state persists.

Step 5: Write the task

Template:

# One-line note on what change created the need and why sync can't reconcile it.
[tasks."sync:<name>"]
description = "<what it does>, deleted after it's run"
run = '''
# self-limiting condition: true only on the machine that still needs the action
if <needs-action-here>; then
  <guarded one-time action, e.g. rm/mv/edit>
  echo "👉 <action> done on this machine — delete the sync:<name> task from mise.toml"
fi
'''

Worked example (the task this skill was extracted from):

# The tech-writing skill moved to tech-writing--personal, so it's only symlinked
# on the personal host. manage-symlinks creates/relinks but never removes, so the
# old ~/.claude/skills/tech-writing symlink lingers (now broken) on other hosts.
# Prune it when broken, and keep reminding to delete this task until it's gone.
[tasks."sync:prune-stale-tech-writing-symlink"]
description = "Remove the stale tech-writing skill symlink left by the --personal rename"
run = '''
link="$HOME/.claude/skills/tech-writing"
# -e is false for both a broken symlink (pre-prune) and an absent path
# (post-prune); a valid symlink on personal makes it true and skips the block.
if [ ! -e "$link" ]; then
  if [ -L "$link" ]; then
    rm "$link" && echo "✅ removed stale tech-writing symlink" || echo "❌ failed to remove $link"
  fi
  echo "👉 tech-writing cleanup done on this machine — delete the sync:prune-stale-tech-writing-symlink task from mise.toml"
fi
'''

Note how the action (rm) is guarded by [ -L "$link" ] so it fires only the once, while the 👉 reminder prints on every run until the task is deleted.

Step 6: Insert into root mise.toml

Insert before [tasks.sync]. No depends-list edits — sync:** picks it up.

Step 7: Show the user and confirm

Show the block and confirm the self-limiting condition is right before committing — getting it wrong either misfires on this machine or never fires on the other.

Step 8: Commit and push

Use the commit skill. Pick the area prefix from what the change is about — usually the same area as the change that created the need (the tech-writing example committed under skills:), not setup: by default. The commit must be pushed so the other machine runs it on its next pull.