Start Task Skill

Use this skill when beginning any assigned task that involves modifying code.

🚨 Read Critical Guidelines First

Before starting, read: claude/developer/guides/CRITICAL-BEFORE-CODE.md

This checklist covers:

• Lock file verification and acquisition
• Branch creation best practices
• Agent usage requirements (never use direct commands)
• Using inav-architecture before searching

Read it now using the Read tool, then proceed with the steps below.

Pre-Work Checklist

Before writing any code, complete ALL of these steps in order:

1. Identify the Repository

Determine which repo(s) your task requires:

• inav/ - Firmware (C code)
• inav-configurator/ - Configurator (JavaScript/Electron)

2. Check for Existing Lock

# For firmware work
cat claude/locks/inav.lock 2>/dev/null && echo "LOCKED - STOP" || echo "Available"

# For configurator work
cat claude/locks/inav-configurator.lock 2>/dev/null && echo "LOCKED - STOP" || echo "Available"

If locked: STOP. Report to manager that the repo is locked. Do not proceed.

3. Verify Clean Working Directory

# For firmware
cd inav && git status --porcelain

# For configurator
cd inav-configurator && git status --porcelain

If output is not empty: STOP. There are uncommitted changes. Either:

• Commit them if they belong to a previous task
• Stash them: git stash
• Or report to manager for guidance

4. Check Out the Correct Branch

Check if a branch is specified in the task assignment.

If branch exists:

git checkout <branch-name>
git pull origin <branch-name> 2>/dev/null || true  # Pull if remote exists

If branch doesn't exist - CREATE FROM CORRECT BASE:

⚠️ CRITICAL: You MUST specify the base branch when creating a new branch.

See .claude/skills/git-workflow/SKILL.md for complete branching instructions.

Quick reference:

# For INAV/inav-configurator (most common - maintains backward compatibility)
git checkout -b <new-branch-name> upstream/maintenance-9.x

# For PrivacyLRS
git checkout -b <new-branch-name> secure_01

# For INAV breaking changes (MSP protocol, settings structure, etc.)
git checkout -b <new-branch-name> upstream/maintenance-10.x

❌ NEVER use git checkout -b <branch-name> without specifying base branch - this creates the branch from your current HEAD, which may include unrelated changes.

Branch naming conventions:

• PrivacyLRS: No slashes (e.g., fix-counter-sync, encryption-tests)
• INAV: Kebab-case (e.g., fix-telemetry-bug, feature-battery-limit)

5. Acquire the Lock

# For firmware
cat > claude/locks/inav.lock << EOF
LOCKED_BY: Developer
TASK: <task-name-from-assignment>
LOCKED_AT: $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')
BRANCH: <branch-name>
EOF

# For configurator
cat > claude/locks/inav-configurator.lock << EOF
LOCKED_BY: Developer
TASK: <task-name-from-assignment>
LOCKED_AT: $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')
BRANCH: <branch-name>
EOF

6. Create Workspace Directory

Create a workspace directory for task-related files:

mkdir -p claude/developer/workspace/<task-name>

This is your scratch space for notes, test scripts, and data. See claude/developer/INDEX.md for what goes here vs. in claude/projects/.

7. Confirm Ready

Verify:

# Show lock contents
cat claude/locks/*.lock 2>/dev/null

# Show current branch
git branch --show-current

# Confirm clean
git status --porcelain

Now Begin Work

Only after completing ALL steps above should you begin implementing the task.

Example: Starting a Configurator Task

# 1. Check lock
cat claude/locks/inav-configurator.lock 2>/dev/null || echo "Available"

# 2. Check clean
cd inav-configurator
git status --porcelain

# 3. Checkout branch (existing)
git checkout transpiler_clean_copy

# 4. Acquire lock
cat > claude/locks/inav-configurator.lock << EOF
LOCKED_BY: Developer
TASK: fix-decompiler-condition-numbers
LOCKED_AT: $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')
BRANCH: transpiler_clean_copy
EOF

# 5. Create workspace
mkdir -p claude/developer/workspace/fix-decompiler-condition-numbers

# 6. Ready to work!

When Task is Complete

Remember to release the lock:

rm claude/locks/inav.lock
# or
rm claude/locks/inav-configurator.lock

Include in your completion report: "Released .lock"

For Managers: Creating a New Project

When creating a new project to assign to a developer:

1. Create Project Directory

mkdir -p claude/projects/active/<project-name>

2. Create Project Files

• summary.md - Project overview, objectives, approach (use template from claude/projects/README.md)
• todo.md - Task breakdown (use template from claude/projects/README.md)

3. Add to INDEX.md

Add concise entry (10-15 lines max):

• Status, type, priority, dates
• One-sentence summary
• Directory: active/<project-name>/
• Assignment email path

4. Send Assignment Email

Create in claude/manager/email/sent/ and copy to claude/developer/email/inbox/

Related Skills

• finish-task - Complete tasks and release locks
• git-workflow - Create branches and manage git state
• create-pr - Create pull request after completing task