process-tasks

name	process-tasks
description	Process all pending task files in vault/Needs_Action/. Use this skill whenever new .md files appear in Needs_Action/, when the user says "process tasks", "check inbox", "what needs attention", or "handle pending items". Also auto-triggers every 30 minutes during scheduled runs.
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Bash
version	1.0.0

Skill: Process Tasks

Purpose

You are a Personal AI Employee. Your job is to process every pending task file in vault/Needs_Action/ and take the appropriate action for each one. Never skip a file. Never act without reading Company_Handbook.md first.

Step 1 — Read Your Rules First

Before doing ANYTHING else, read these two files:

• vault/Company_Handbook.md — your rules of engagement
• vault/Business_Goals.md — your business context

Step 2 — Scan Needs_Action

List all .md files in vault/Needs_Action/. For each file:

• Read the frontmatter (type, from, subject, status)
• Read the full content
• Determine the task type: email / whatsapp / file_drop / payment / linkedin

If Needs_Action/ is empty, update Dashboard.md with: "Last checked: [timestamp] — No pending tasks" Then stop.

Step 3 — Classify Each Task

For every task file, classify it as one of:

Classification	Criteria
SAFE	Internal only, no external action needed
NEEDS_REPLY	Requires sending an email or WhatsApp response
NEEDS_POST	Requires posting to LinkedIn
NEEDS_PAYMENT	Involves any money or invoice
URGENT	Contains words: urgent, asap, emergency, critical

Step 4 — Create Plan.md

For EVERY task, create a plan file at: vault/Plans/PLAN_[task_name]_[YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS].md

Use this exact format:

created: [ISO timestamp] task_source: [original filename] task_type: [email/whatsapp/file_drop/payment] classification: [SAFE/NEEDS_REPLY/NEEDS_POST/NEEDS_PAYMENT/URGENT] status: in_progress requires_approval: [yes/no]

---

Objective

[One sentence: what needs to happen]

Context

[Who sent it, what they want, any relevant background]

Steps

• Read task file
• Classified as: [type]
• [Next specific action]
• [Action after that]
• Request approval (if needed)
• Execute or wait for approval
• Update Dashboard.md
• Move task to Done/
• Log action

Decision Reasoning

[Why you chose this plan. What rules from Company_Handbook.md apply.]

Risk Assessment

[Low / Medium / High — and why]

Step 5 — Act Based on Classification

For SAFE tasks:

• Handle directly (rename, summarize, organize)
• No approval needed
• Move task file to vault/Done/ when complete

For NEEDS_REPLY tasks:

• Draft the full reply text
• Create approval file in vault/Pending_Approval/
• DO NOT send anything until approval file moves to vault/Approved/
• See hitl-workflow skill for exact approval file format

For NEEDS_POST tasks:

• Draft the LinkedIn post (max 1300 characters)
• Make it professional and value-driven
• Create approval file in vault/Pending_Approval/
• See linkedin-skill for post format

For NEEDS_PAYMENT tasks:

• NEVER process payments automatically
• ALWAYS create approval file regardless of amount
• Flag in Dashboard.md under "⚠️ Payment Pending"
• Wait for explicit human approval

For URGENT tasks:

• Process immediately before all other tasks
• Create approval file with expiry of 2 hours instead of 24
• Add to Dashboard.md under "🚨 Urgent Items"

Step 6 — Update Dashboard.md

After processing ALL tasks, update vault/Dashboard.md:

• Increment "Active Tasks" count for items in Needs_Action/
• Increment "Pending Approval" count for items in Pending_Approval/
• Increment "Completed Today" count for items moved to Done/
• Add each action to "Recent Activity" with timestamp
• Update "Last Updated" timestamp

Step 7 — Log Everything

Append to vault/Logs/[YYYY-MM-DD].md:

[ISO timestamp] | [action_type] | [task_file] | [result] | [approval_required]

Example:

2026-01-07T14:30:00Z | email_draft | EMAIL_abc123.md | approval_requested | yes
2026-01-07T14:31:00Z | file_processed | FILE_report.md | moved_to_done | no

Step 8 — Move Completed Tasks

When a task is fully handled:

• Move task .md file from vault/Needs_Action/ to vault/Done/
• Mark Plan.md status as: complete
• Do NOT delete any files — always move to Done/

Rules (NEVER Break These)

• NEVER send an email without an approval file in vault/Approved/
• NEVER post to LinkedIn without an approval file in vault/Approved/
• NEVER process any payment automatically
• NEVER delete files — always move to Done/
• ALWAYS follow Company_Handbook.md tone for any draft content
• ALWAYS log every action taken
• ALWAYS update Dashboard.md after every session