create-task

name	create-task
description	Create a new task planning document for SRAT. Use when: adding a feature, planning a fix, documenting a refactor, or creating a new TODO item. Produces a <TaskID>_<Title>.md file in docs/tasks/ using the project task template. Triggers on: "create task", "new task", "add task", "plan feature", "create todo", "new issue task", "document work item".
argument-hint	Brief task title or description (e.g., "Add dark mode toggle to settings")

Create Task

Produces a structured task document in docs/tasks/ using the project task template.

When to Use

• Planning a new feature, bug fix, refactor, or documentation item
• Capturing implementation notes and acceptance criteria before starting work
• If you need to ask questions to clarify the task details before creating the document, do so in the chat first, then use this skill once you have the necessary information.
• Converting a GitHub issue or request into a tracked work item
• Any time the user says "create task", "new task", "plan this", or "add a TODO"

Procedure

1. Gather Information

Collect the following (ask the user for anything not provided):

Field	Notes
Type	FEATURE, FIX, DOCS, or REFACTOR
Title	Short descriptive name (used in filename and heading)
Objective	One-paragraph purpose statement
Inputs / Outputs	What goes in, what comes out
Dependencies	Modules, APIs, external repos
Implementation Notes	Pseudo-code, key decisions, constraints
Code References	TODOs or FIXMEs in the codebase

2. Determine the Next TaskID

Scan docs/tasks/ for existing files matching the pattern NNN_*.md:

ls docs/tasks/*.md 2>/dev/null | grep -oP '^\d+' | sort -n | tail -1

• If no files exist, start at 001.
• Otherwise increment the highest found number, zero-padded to three digits (e.g., 007 → 008).

3. Build the Filename

Format: <TaskID>_<kebab-case-title>.md

Rules (same as git branch naming in copilot-instructions.md):

• Lowercase only
• Spaces and underscores → hyphens
• Strip emojis, special characters, common stop-words (a, the, of, for, with)

Examples:

• "Add Dark Mode Toggle" → 007_add-dark-mode-toggle.md
• "Fix user login validation bug" → 008_fix-user-login-validation-bug.md

4. Populate the Template

Use task-template.md as the base. Fill in:

# [FEATURE/FIX/DOCS/REFACTOR]: <Title>

**Target Repo:** `srat`  
**Status:** 📅 Planned  
**Issue Link:** [Optional]

## 🎯 Objective
...

## 🛠️ Technical Specifications
- **Inputs:** ...
- **Outputs:** ...
- **Dependencies:** ...

## 📝 Task List
- [ ] Task 1: ...
- [ ] Task 2: ...
- [ ] Task 3: Unit testing
- [ ] Task 4: Integration and documentation
- [ ] Task 5: Accessibility (if applicable)
- [ ] Task 6: Code review and cleanup
- [ ] Task 7: Final testing and validation
- [ ] Task 8: Capture the lessons learned and update documentation
- [ ] Task 9: Ask to create a PR with the task implementation and link it here for tracking

## 🧠 Implementation Notes (Copilot Context)
...

## 🔗 Code References & TODOs
...

Leave any section as a placeholder (_TBD_) if the user hasn't provided enough detail — do not invent specifics.

5. Create the File

Write the populated content to docs/tasks/<TaskID>_<title>.md.

Create the docs/tasks/ directory if it does not yet exist.

6. Confirm

Report the full relative path of the created file and summarise the task in one sentence.

Suggest to the user:

• A Git branch name following the convention in copilot-instructions.md (e.g., feature/add-dark-mode-toggle)
• Next steps: assign tasks, link to a GitHub issue, or start implementation

Quality Checklist

• Filename matches NNN_kebab-case-title.md pattern
• File is in docs/tasks/
• Heading type matches FEATURE | FIX | DOCS | REFACTOR
• Status is 📅 Planned for new tasks
• Task List contains at least one item and always includes testing + documentation tasks
• Implementation Notes section is present (even if minimal)