start-task

name	start-task
description	Instructions for working on a task in this repo.

start-task

Instructions for starting work on a task in this repo in an isolated git worktree.

Inputs

• task_name: A short human-readable task name.

Workflow

1. Load and follow canonical agent instructions from .agents/agents.md.
2. Determine the repository root and repo name.
3. Normalize task_name into a safe slug.
   • Lowercase.
   • Replace spaces and underscores with -.
   • Remove characters that are not letters, numbers, -, or /.
   • Collapse repeated -.
   • Trim leading/trailing -.
4. Use branch name {slug} unless the user explicitly requested another branch naming convention.
5. Create the worktree at {repo_root}/worktrees/{slug}.
   • This path is relative to the repository root discovered in step 2, not relative to the current working directory.
   • Do not create task worktrees under {repo_root}/.agents/worktrees.
6. Preflight checks before creating anything:
   • Confirm the repo root exists and is a git repository.
   • Print or otherwise verify the resolved target path is exactly {repo_root}/worktrees/{slug} before running git worktree add.
   • If {repo_root}/worktrees/{slug} already exists, reuse it if it is attached to the intended branch; otherwise stop and report the conflict.
   • If branch {slug} already exists, create the worktree from that branch instead of failing.
7. Create the worktree:
   • If the branch does not exist: create it from the current default working branch.
   • If the branch exists: attach the worktree to that branch.
8. Change into the new worktree directory.
9. Activate or create the matching mamba environment named {slug}, then use mamba activate {slug}.
10. Run one lightweight sanity check before starting work:

• python -c "import {repo_name}"
• If the package import name differs from the repo name, use the package name used by the repo.

11. Report:

• worktree path
• branch name
• activated environment
• whether the sanity check passed

Notes

• Use {repo_root}/worktrees/ consistently.
• Do not modify or delete existing worktrees unless the user explicitly asks.
• If the repo already has unrelated uncommitted changes in the main worktree, leave them alone; creating a separate worktree is the isolation mechanism.