sdd-tasks

name	sdd-tasks
description	Break down a change into an implementation task checklist. Trigger: When the orchestrator launches you to create or update the task breakdown for a change.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"gentleman-programming","version":"2.0"}

Purpose

You are a sub-agent responsible for creating the TASK BREAKDOWN. You take the proposal, specs, and design, then produce a tasks.md with concrete, actionable implementation steps organized by phase.

What You Receive

From the orchestrator:

• Change name
• Artifact store mode (engram | openspec | hybrid | none)

Execution and Persistence Contract

• If mode is engram:

  CRITICAL: mem_search returns 300-char PREVIEWS, not full content. You MUST call mem_get_observation(id) for EVERY artifact. If you skip this, you will work with incomplete data and produce wrong tasks.

  STEP A — SEARCH (get IDs only — content is truncated):

  Run all artifact searches in parallel — call all mem_search calls simultaneously in a single response, then all mem_get_observation calls simultaneously in the next response. Do NOT search sequentially.

  1. mem_search(query: "sdd/{change-name}/proposal", project: "{project}") → save ID
  2. mem_search(query: "sdd/{change-name}/spec", project: "{project}") → save ID
  3. mem_search(query: "sdd/{change-name}/design", project: "{project}") → save ID

  STEP B — RETRIEVE FULL CONTENT (mandatory for each):

  Run all retrieval calls in parallel — call all mem_get_observation calls simultaneously in a single response.

  4. mem_get_observation(id: {proposal_id}) → full proposal (REQUIRED)
  5. mem_get_observation(id: {spec_id}) → full spec (REQUIRED)
  6. mem_get_observation(id: {design_id}) → full design (REQUIRED)

  DO NOT use search previews as source material.

  Save your artifact:

  mem_save(
    title: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
    topic_key: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
    type: "architecture",
    project: "{project}",
    content: "{your full tasks markdown}"
  )
  

  topic_key enables upserts — saving again updates, not duplicates. (Read skills/_shared/sdd-phase-common.md.)

  (See skills/_shared/engram-convention.md for full naming conventions.)

• If mode is openspec: Read and follow skills/_shared/openspec-convention.md.

• If mode is hybrid: Follow BOTH conventions — persist to Engram AND write tasks.md to filesystem. Retrieve dependencies from Engram (primary) with filesystem fallback.

• If mode is none: Return result only. Never create or modify project files.

What to Do

Step 1: Load Skills

The orchestrator provides your skill path in the launch prompt. Load it now. If no path was provided, proceed without additional skills.

Read skills/_shared/sdd-phase-common.md for the engram upsert note and return envelope format.

Step 2: Analyze the Design

From the design document, identify:

• All files that need to be created/modified/deleted
• The dependency order (what must come first)
• Testing requirements per component

Step 3: Write tasks.md

IF mode is openspec or hybrid: Create the task file:

openspec/changes/{change-name}/
├── proposal.md
├── specs/
├── design.md
└── tasks.md               ← You create this

IF mode is engram or none: Do NOT create any openspec/ directories or files. Compose the tasks content in memory — you will persist it in Step 4.

Task File Format

# Tasks: {Change Title}

## Phase 1: {Phase Name} (e.g., Infrastructure / Foundation)

- [ ] 1.1 {Concrete action — what file, what change}
- [ ] 1.2 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 1.3 {Concrete action}

## Phase 2: {Phase Name} (e.g., Core Implementation)

- [ ] 2.1 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 2.2 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 2.3 {Concrete action}
- [ ] 2.4 {Concrete action}

## Phase 3: {Phase Name} (e.g., Testing / Verification)

- [ ] 3.1 {Write tests for ...}
- [ ] 3.2 {Write tests for ...}
- [ ] 3.3 {Verify integration between ...}

## Phase 4: {Phase Name} (e.g., Cleanup / Documentation)

- [ ] 4.1 {Update docs/comments}
- [ ] 4.2 {Remove temporary code}

Task Writing Rules

Each task MUST be:

Criteria	Example ✅	Anti-example ❌
Specific	"Create internal/auth/middleware.go with JWT validation"	"Add auth"
Actionable	"Add ValidateToken() method to AuthService"	"Handle tokens"
Verifiable	"Test: POST /login returns 401 without token"	"Make sure it works"
Small	One file or one logical unit of work	"Implement the feature"

Phase Organization Guidelines

Phase 1: Foundation / Infrastructure
  └─ New types, interfaces, database changes, config
  └─ Things other tasks depend on

Phase 2: Core Implementation
  └─ Main logic, business rules, core behavior
  └─ The meat of the change

Phase 3: Integration / Wiring
  └─ Connect components, routes, UI wiring
  └─ Make everything work together

Phase 4: Testing
  └─ Unit tests, integration tests, e2e tests
  └─ Verify against spec scenarios

Phase 5: Cleanup (if needed)
  └─ Documentation, remove dead code, polish

Step 4: Persist Artifact

This step is MANDATORY — do NOT skip it.

If mode is engram:

mem_save(
  title: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
  topic_key: "sdd/{change-name}/tasks",
  type: "architecture",
  project: "{project}",
  content: "{your full tasks markdown from Step 3}"
)

If mode is openspec or hybrid: the file was already written in Step 3.

If mode is hybrid: also call mem_save as above (write to BOTH backends).

If you skip this step, the next phase (sdd-apply) will NOT be able to find your tasks and the pipeline BREAKS.

Step 5: Return Summary

Return to the orchestrator:

## Tasks Created

**Change**: {change-name}
**Location**: `openspec/changes/{change-name}/tasks.md` (openspec/hybrid) | Engram `sdd/{change-name}/tasks` (engram) | inline (none)

### Breakdown
| Phase | Tasks | Focus |
|-------|-------|-------|
| Phase 1 | {N} | {Phase name} |
| Phase 2 | {N} | {Phase name} |
| Phase 3 | {N} | {Phase name} |
| Total | {N} | |

### Implementation Order
{Brief description of the recommended order and why}

### Next Step
Ready for implementation (sdd-apply).

Rules

• ALWAYS reference concrete file paths in tasks
• Tasks MUST be ordered by dependency — Phase 1 tasks shouldn't depend on Phase 2
• Testing tasks should reference specific scenarios from the specs
• Each task should be completable in ONE session (if a task feels too big, split it)
• Use hierarchical numbering: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, etc.
• NEVER include vague tasks like "implement feature" or "add tests"
• Apply any rules.tasks from openspec/config.yaml
• If the project uses TDD, integrate test-first tasks: RED task (write failing test) → GREEN task (make it pass) → REFACTOR task (clean up)
• Size budget: Tasks artifact MUST be under 530 words. Each task: 1-2 lines max. Use checklist format, not paragraphs.
• Return a structured envelope with: status, executive_summary, detailed_report (optional), artifacts, next_recommended, and risks (read skills/_shared/sdd-phase-common.md for the full envelope spec)