Task Engine Skill

Transform project briefs and brain dumps into organized, prioritized task lists with dependencies. Syncs bidirectionally with Taskmaster MCP.

Purpose

The task engine manages all task-related operations including creation, organization, prioritization, and synchronization with Taskmaster MCP. It supports both structured input (from briefs) and unstructured input (brain dumps).

Taskmaster MCP Integration

Read Operations

Function	Purpose
`get_tasks`	Retrieve all tasks for a project
`get_task`	Get specific task by ID
`next_task`	Find next task to work on based on dependencies

Write Operations

Function	Purpose
`parse_prd`	Generate tasks from PRD document
`expand_task`	Break task into subtasks
`set_task_status`	Update task status (pending/in-progress/done)
`update_subtask`	Modify subtask details

Sync Direction

Local → Taskmaster: Push changes from {project}_tasks.md to MCP
Taskmaster → Local: Pull updates from MCP to {project}_tasks.md
Bidirectional: Keep both in sync

Inputs

Required:

source: Brief, brain dump, or raw task list

Optional:

project_context: From {project}_brief.md
existing_tasks: From {project}_tasks.md or Taskmaster

Workflow

Step 1: Capture Tasks

From Brief:

Extract implied tasks from milestones
Convert deliverables to tasks
Identify dependencies from success criteria

From Brain Dump:

Parse text for action items
Identify verbs indicating tasks
Group related items

From Existing List:

Clean up format
Standardize structure
Fill missing fields

Step 2: Structure Tasks

Apply these rules:

One clear outcome per task
Create subtasks if work exceeds 2 hours
Maximum 3 levels of nesting
Each task needs: ID, name, status, priority

Step 3: Analyze Priority

Use the Eisenhower Matrix:

Quadrant	Priority	Action
Urgent + Important	High Priority	Do first
Not Urgent + Important	Medium Priority	Schedule
Urgent + Not Important	Delegate	Assign out
Neither	Low Priority / Backlog	Do later

Step 4: Identify Dependencies

For each task, determine:

What must complete before this?
What does this block?
Are there parallel paths?

Step 5: Sync with Taskmaster

python

# Example sync workflow
tasks = taskmaster.get_tasks(project_root)
local_tasks = parse_tasks_md(f"{project}_tasks.md")

# Merge and update
for task in merged_tasks:
    if task.changed_locally:
        taskmaster.set_task_status(task.id, task.status)
    elif task.changed_remotely:
        update_local_task(task)

Step 6: Checkpoint

CHECKPOINT: Present organized list to user

Ask:

"Does this capture everything?"
"Is the priority correct?"
"Any dependencies I missed?"

Step 7: Save

Save as {project}_tasks.md
Suggest: "Use delegation-advisor to assign high priority tasks"

Output Format

See resources/tasks_template.md for full template.

markdown

# Tasks: {project_name}

**Last Updated:** {timestamp}
**Total Tasks:** {count} | **Completed:** {done_count}

## High Priority / Urgent

### [ ] {task_name}
- **ID:** {task_id}
- **Status:** {status}
- **Assignee:** {human|ai_agent|pending}
- **Dependencies:** {deps}

## Medium Priority
...

## Low Priority / Backlog
...

## Completed
- [x] {completed_task} (Done: {date})

Example: Brain Dump Processing

User Input:

"brain dump: צריך לחקור frameworks קיימים, לכתוב draft לדיקן, להכין מצגת, לתאם פגישה עם IT, לבדוק תקציב"

Processing:

Extract 5 action items
Categorize by type (research, writing, meetings)
Assign priorities based on dependencies
Sync with Taskmaster

Output: