task-create

name	task-create
description	Create new tasks in the s9 task database with proper formatting and validation
license	MIT
compatibility	opencode
metadata	{"audience":"all-agents","workflow":"task-creation"}

What I Do

I provide comprehensive instructions for creating new tasks in the s9 task database using the task_create tool. Use this skill when you need to add new work items to the project.

Tool Overview

This skill uses the task_create tool, which:

• Creates tasks in the s9 database
• Auto-generates task IDs based on role and priority
• Returns clean JSON results
• Automatically receives mission context from OpenCode

When to Create Tasks

• Administrator role adding new work items
• Inspector creating follow-up tasks from reviews
• Architect creating implementation tasks from design
• Breaking down epics into smaller tasks
• Creating tasks for bugs or technical debt

Tool Syntax

task_create(
    title="Brief task title",
    role="Administrator|Architect|Engineer|Tester|Documentarian|Designer|Inspector|Operator|Historian",
    priority="CRITICAL|HIGH|MEDIUM|LOW",
    category="Category name",  # Optional
    description="Detailed description of what needs to be done and why",  # Optional
    epic="Epic ID to link this task to"  # Optional
)

Note: Task IDs are auto-generated based on role and priority. You do not need to provide a task ID.

Session Context: Mission ID and role are automatically provided by OpenCode's session context - you don't need to specify them.

Task ID Format

Task IDs are auto-generated using the format: PREFIX-PRIORITY-NUMBER

• PREFIX: 3-letter role code (e.g., OPR for Operator, ENG for Engineer)
• PRIORITY: Single letter (C=Critical, H=High, M=Medium, L=Low)
• NUMBER: 4-digit global sequential counter (0001-9999)

Role Prefixes

• ADM - Administrator
• ARC - Architect
• ENG - Engineer
• TST - Tester
• DOC - Documentarian
• DES - Designer
• INS - Inspector
• OPR - Operator
• HIS - Historian

Examples

• OPR-H-0001 - First high-priority Operator task
• ENG-C-0005 - Critical Engineer task (fifth task overall)
• DOC-M-0042 - Medium-priority Documentarian task (42nd task overall)

The number increments globally across all roles and priorities, ensuring each task has a unique ID.

Priority Guidelines

CRITICAL - Immediate action required

• Security vulnerabilities
• Data corruption risks
• Blocking all other work
• Production outages

HIGH - Important, do soon

• Key features for current milestone
• P1 bugs affecting users
• Technical debt causing problems
• Required for next phase

MEDIUM - Nice to have

• Enhancement requests
• Minor features
• Code quality improvements
• Non-urgent bugs

LOW - Do when time permits

• Polish and refinement
• Documentation updates
• Minor improvements
• Nice-to-have features

Role Assignment

Assign to the role that will do most of the work:

• Administrator - Planning, coordination, prioritization
• Architect - System design, ADRs, technical direction
• Engineer - Implementation, coding, integration
• Tester - Test writing, validation, QA
• Documentarian - Documentation, guides, examples
• Designer - UI/UX, visual design
• Inspector - Security review, code review, audits
• Operator - Deployment, infrastructure, monitoring
• Historian - Recording decisions, maintaining history

Category Examples

Common categories:

• Architecture - System design work
• Testing - Test creation and QA
• Documentation - Docs and guides
• Security - Security reviews and fixes
• Performance - Optimization work
• Bug Fix - Fixing defects
• Feature - New functionality
• Refactoring - Code improvement
• Infrastructure - Deployment and tooling

Epic Linking

Use the epic parameter to link a task to an epic:

# Create task linked to an epic
task_create(
    title="Configure Gateway",
    description="Deploy gateway to staging environment with proper configuration",
    role="Operator",
    priority="HIGH",
    epic="EPC-H-0001"
)

When to link to epics:

• Task is part of a larger feature or initiative
• Task contributes to epic's overall goal
• Task needs to be tracked as part of epic progress

Example: Creating a Task

# Create a high-priority Engineer task
result = task_create(
    title="Implement Rate Limiting Middleware",
    description="Add rate limiting to protect API endpoints from abuse. Implement token bucket rate limiting with configurable limits per endpoint",
    role="Engineer",
    priority="HIGH",
    category="Security"
)

# Returns:
# {
#   "task_id": "ENG-H-0007",
#   "title": "Implement Rate Limiting Middleware",
#   "status": "TODO",
#   "file_path": ".opencode/work/tasks/ENG-H-0007.md"
# }

What Happens When You Create

1. ✅ Task ID auto-generated (e.g., ENG-H-0007)
2. ✅ Database entry created in project.db
3. ✅ Markdown file created at .opencode/work/tasks/ENG-H-0007.md with template
4. ✅ Status set to TODO
5. ✅ Tool returns JSON with task details

Validation

The tool validates:

• ✅ Priority is valid value (CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW)
• ✅ Role is valid value
• ✅ Task ID is auto-generated correctly
• ✅ All required fields are provided
• ✅ Dependencies exist (if specified)

After Creating

Verify task was created using the task_show tool:

# Use the auto-generated task ID from the create result
task_show(task_id="ENG-H-0007")

Tips and Best Practices

Do

• ✅ Use clear, action-oriented titles
• ✅ Write detailed descriptions explaining what and why
• ✅ Assign appropriate priority
• ✅ Link to epics when task is part of larger initiative
• ✅ Choose the most appropriate role
• ✅ Add category for better organization

Don't

• ❌ Don't create tasks for trivial work (<1 hour)
• ❌ Don't create duplicate tasks
• ❌ Don't use vague titles or descriptions
• ❌ Don't over-prioritize (not everything is CRITICAL)

Troubleshooting

"Invalid priority value"

• Check spelling: CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW (all caps)
• See priority guidelines above

"Invalid role value"

• Check spelling and capitalization
• Use full role name (e.g., "Engineer" not "Eng")

"Epic not found"

• Epic ID in epic parameter doesn't exist
• Check epic IDs using task_list tool with epic category filter
• Fix the epic ID or create the epic first

See Also

Related Skills:

• task-query - Finding and listing tasks
• task-claim - Claiming tasks to work on
• task-management - Overview of task system

Documentation:

• .opencode/data/README.md - Complete s9 system reference