quick-task-transition

name	quick-task-transition
description	Inline task completion and serve-next pattern for the main session — handles "done/next" without launching full task-coach agent. Use when user says "done", "next", "finished", "move on", "completed", "what's next", "mark done", or any quick task transition that should be handled inline for speed.

Quick Task Transition Skill

Handle task completions and next-task serving directly in the main session without spinning up a full task-coach agent. This skill prioritizes SPEED over process for interactive task transitions.

When to Use (Inline — This Skill)

Use this pattern when:

• {{PARENT_1}} says "done", "next", "finished", "move on", "completed"
• A task is reported as complete and {{PARENT_1}} wants the next one
• Simple task-to-task transitions during interactive sessions
• Speed matters (inline = 0-5s vs task-coach = 60-90s)

When NOT to Use (Launch task-coach Instead)

Launch a full task-coach agent for:

• Scheduled cron nudges (every 20 min) — needs proactive discovery
• Complex requests: "what do I have today?", "reprioritize my day", "show me everything"
• {{PARENT_2}} nudges (needs full coaching personality and anti-nag tracking)
• Calendar scanning and prep task generation
• First-of-day briefings with proactive intelligence

The Procedure (STRICT ORDER)

Step 1: Complete the Task (MUST be first)

complete_task(id: "{task-id}")

CRITICAL: complete_task MUST be called BEFORE any Telegram response. Acknowledging ≠ completing. If you skip this step, the task stays pending and task-coach will re-serve it — infuriating {{PARENT_1}}.

Step 2: Get Next Task

list_tasks(status: "pending", surface: "human")

Pick the next task by priority order:

1. Urgent tasks first
2. High priority
3. Due today (regardless of stated priority)
4. Medium priority
5. If tied: shorter estimated_minutes first (quick-win momentum)

Step 3: Send via Telegram (task-coach format)

telegram_send_message(
  chat_id: "{{TELEGRAM_PARENT_1}}",
  message: "✅ {completed task title}\n\n🎯 Next: {next task title} (~{estimated_minutes} min)\n{notes if helpful}\n\n📋 {pending_count} pending | {due_today_count} due today",
  speak: "Done. Your next task is {next task title}."
)

Step 4: Done

No agent spin-up. No memory loading. No calendar scanning. Just complete → query → serve.

Format Template

✅ {done task}

🎯 Next: {task title} (~X min)
{brief notes or context if available}

📋 X pending | Y due today

Edge Cases

No More Tasks

✅ {done task}

🎉 Queue clear! No pending tasks right now.
You're caught up. Nice work! 💪

Task Has Dependencies (blocked items freed)

When complete_task unblocks downstream tasks, mention them:

✅ {done task}
🔓 Unblocked: {newly-unblocked task title}

🎯 Next: {next task by priority}
📋 X pending | Y due today

User Didn't Specify Which Task

If {{PARENT_1}} says "done" without specifying which task:

1. Check if task-coach recently served a task (within last 30 min)
2. If yes → assume that's the one being completed
3. If no → ask: "Which task did you finish? I'll mark it done and serve the next one."

Anti-Patterns

❌ Wrong	✅ Right
Send Telegram "Nice! ✅" without calling complete_task	complete_task FIRST, then Telegram
Launch full task-coach for simple "done → next"	Handle inline with this skill
Re-serve a task that was already completed	Always verify complete_task succeeded
Send next task without pending count footer	ALWAYS include "📋 X pending"
Skip speak parameter for {{PARENT_1}}	ALWAYS use speak for {{PARENT_1}} messages

Why This Exists

Context: Task-coach takes 60-90 seconds to spin up (reads constitution, memory, queries calendars, runs proactive discovery). For a simple "I'm done, what's next?" — that delay is unacceptable. This skill gives the main session a fast path for interactive transitions while preserving full task-coach launches for complex scenarios.

{{PARENT_1}}'s feedback (2026-04-18): Speed > process for task transitions. The 60-90s wait between tasks was killing his momentum.