tackle-todos

name	tackle-todos
description	Read TODO.md and scan source code for TODO/FIXME comments, build a consolidated list, then dispatch parallel agents to address as many items as possible.
user_invocable	true
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Agent

Tackle TODOs: Consolidate and Resolve Open Items

This skill scans the project for all outstanding work items — both from .agents/docs/TODO.md and from // TODO / // FIXME comments in source code — builds a consolidated, deduplicated, prioritized list, and then dispatches parallel agents to resolve as many items as possible.

Use this skill when: you want to make a focused sweep of outstanding TODOs and fix them in bulk.

Arguments

• [filter] (optional): A service name or keyword to restrict which TODOs to tackle (e.g., dynamodb, iam). If omitted, all TODOs are considered.

Step 0: Collect TODOs from TODO.md

Read .agents/docs/TODO.md and extract every unchecked - [ ] item. Record its service, description, and source.

Step 1: Scan Source Code for TODO/FIXME Comments

Use Grep to search crates/ for // TODO and // FIXME patterns in *.rs files.

Group and deduplicate the results:

• Identical or near-identical comments (e.g., // TODO: extract from httpResponseCode field repeated 200+ times across wire.rs files) should be collapsed into a single work item with a note about which files/crates are affected.
• Comments that are informational-only (e.g., noting a known limitation that cannot be fixed without large design changes) should be flagged but deprioritized.

Step 2: Build a Consolidated TODO List

Merge the two sources into a single list. Deduplicate items that appear in both TODO.md and as code comments.

For each item, assign a category:

Category	Description	Priority
systematic	Same pattern repeated across many files (e.g., httpResponseCode extraction)	High — one fix propagates widely
behavioural	Missing AWS behaviour (e.g., ConditionExpression ignored, pagination missing)	High — affects correctness
validation	Missing input validation or error responses	Medium
serialization	Wire format or serialization bugs (e.g., XML list serialization)	Medium
test-only	TODO in test code noting a test gap, not a code defect	Low
design	Requires significant design work or new abstractions	Deferred — flag for user

Write the consolidated list to .agents-workspace/tmp/consolidated-todos.md for reference.

Step 2b: Verify stale items before dispatch

Before dispatching agents on any TODO entry that is more than 24 hours old, verify the entry is still applicable: grep the relevant code for the symptom ( the json! site, the lowercase enum literal, the missing handler, etc. ). Round 5 ( 2026-04-29 ) found multiple already-resolved entries ( partiql-cleanup-orphans, URL-decode audit sites ) that wasted agent time. Skip or close stale entries instead of dispatching.

Step 3: Filter (if argument provided)

If the user passed a [filter] argument, restrict the work list to items matching that filter (service name, crate name, or keyword).

Step 4: Plan Parallel Work Items

Group the consolidated TODOs into independent, parallelizable work units. Each work unit should:

• Be self-contained (touching one crate or one cross-cutting concern)
• Not conflict with other parallel work units (no two agents editing the same file)

Present the plan to the user and get confirmation before dispatching.

Step 5: Dispatch Parallel Agents

For each approved work unit, launch an Agent (subagent_type: general-purpose) with a clear prompt that includes:

1. The specific TODO(s) to address
2. The files to modify
3. The expected behaviour (reference AWS documentation if needed)
4. Instructions to run the relevant integration tests after making changes (cargo test -p winterbaume-{service} -- --no-fail-fast)

Launch as many agents in parallel as there are independent work units. Each agent works in an isolated worktree to avoid conflicts.

Never use isolation: worktree for parallel agents, which have repeatedly caused troubles. Instead, launch tasks independent from one other in a batch.

Step 6: Collect Results and Update TODO.md

After all agents complete:

1. Review each agent's results — check if the fix compiled and tests passed.
2. For successfully resolved items, mark them as - [x] in .agents/docs/TODO.md and remove the corresponding // TODO comments from source code.
3. For items that could not be resolved, add notes about why and what was attempted.
4. Append a summary to .agents/docs/JOURNAL.md documenting what was tackled and the outcomes.

Notes

• Do not attempt design-category items without user approval. These require architectural decisions.
• Systematic items (like httpResponseCode extraction) are high-value because one code-generation or macro fix can eliminate hundreds of TODOs at once.
• Respect CLAUDE.md rules: no git checkout, no git restore, no discretionary commits. Agents should only edit files, not commit.
• When running tests, always use focused filters (cargo test <pattern>), --test-threads=N, or --no-fail-fast, and specific crate targeting (-p winterbaume-{service}). Note: --maxfail is a pytest flag, not a Rust libtest flag — do not pass it to cargo test.