task-master

Task Master AI

An AI-powered task management system that integrates seamlessly with AI Agents to manage specification-driven development workflows.

Quick Start

Three Ways to Use Task Master:

1. MCP Tools (Recommended) - Direct integration via Model Context Protocol
2. CLI Commands - Terminal-based task management
3. Tagged Contexts - Multi-branch/feature task isolation

Core Capabilities

Task Management

• Parse PRDs into actionable tasks automatically
• Break down complex tasks into manageable subtasks
• Track task dependencies and status
• Support for multiple task contexts (tags) for features/branches

AI-Powered Features

• Complexity analysis with recommendations
• Research-backed task expansion
• Intelligent task updates based on implementation drift
• Fresh information gathering beyond knowledge cutoff

Development Workflow

• Specification-driven development (SDD) support
• Iterative subtask implementation logging
• Git branch-aligned task contexts
• Team collaboration with isolated task lists

When to Use This Skill

✅ Use Task Master when:

• Starting a new project from a PRD
• Managing complex multi-step features
• Working on feature branches with isolated tasks
• Need to track task dependencies and priorities
• Want AI-assisted task breakdown and planning
• Collaborating with team members on shared codebase
• Need to log implementation progress iteratively

❌ Skip Task Master for:

• Simple single-file changes
• Quick bug fixes
• Trivial tasks with no dependencies
• Projects without formal requirements

Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed
• API keys for AI providers (Anthropic, Perplexity, etc.)
• Git repository (optional, for branch-based workflows)

Installation

Global Installation:

npm install -g task-master-ai

Project-Local:

npm install task-master-ai

MCP Configuration

Add to your MCP config file (.cursor/mcp.json, .vscode/mcp.json, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "task-master-ai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "task-master-ai"],
      "env": {
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY_HERE",
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

For complete setup details, see references/SETUP.md.

Basic Workflow

1. Initialize Project

Initialize taskmaster-ai in my project

2. Create PRD

Create your Product Requirements Document at .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt

3. Parse PRD

Parse my PRD at .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt

4. View Tasks

Show me the task list

5. Work on Tasks

What's the next task I should work on?
Can you help me implement task 3?

6. Track Progress

Mark task 3 as done
Update subtask 3.2 with my implementation findings

Key Concepts

Tagged Task Lists

Organize tasks into separate contexts (tags) for:

• Feature branches (feature-auth, feature-dashboard)
• Experiments (experiment-zustand)
• Team collaboration (alice-work, bob-work)
• Versions (v1.0, v2.0, mvp)

Task Structure

• ID: Unique identifier (e.g., 1, 1.2)
• Title: Brief description
• Description: What needs to be done
• Status: pending, in-progress, done, deferred
• Dependencies: Prerequisites (e.g., [1, 2.1])
• Priority: high, medium, low
• Details: Implementation notes
• Subtasks: Breakdown of complex tasks

Complexity Analysis

AI analyzes task complexity (1-10 scale) and recommends:

• Number of subtasks needed
• Areas requiring research
• Implementation approach

Common Commands

Task Viewing

List all tasks
Show me task 5
Show me tasks 1, 3, and 5
What's the next task?

Task Creation & Modification

Add a task to implement user authentication
Expand task 4 into subtasks
Update task 5 with new requirements
Mark task 3 as done

Task Organization

Move task 5 to become subtask 7.3
Add dependency: task 8 depends on task 5
Create a new tag called feature-auth
Switch to the feature-auth tag

Research & Analysis

Research the latest best practices for JWT authentication
Analyze task complexity for all pending tasks
Expand all pending tasks based on complexity

Advanced Workflows

PRD-Driven Feature Development

1. Create dedicated tag for feature
2. Write comprehensive PRD
3. Parse PRD into tag
4. Analyze complexity
5. Expand complex tasks
6. Implement iteratively

Team Collaboration

1. Create personal tag for your work
2. Copy tasks from master
3. Work in isolation
4. Merge back when ready

Branch-Based Development

1. Create git branch
2. Create matching tag from branch
3. Develop feature with isolated tasks
4. Merge code and tasks together

Integration with Development

Iterative Implementation

1. View subtask details
2. Plan implementation approach
3. Log plan to subtask
4. Begin coding
5. Log progress and findings
6. Mark complete
7. Commit changes

Specification-Driven Development

Task Master supports full SDD workflow:

• Requirements gathering
• PRD creation
• Task generation
• Complexity analysis
• Implementation tracking
• Progress documentation

Resources

• references/SETUP.md - Complete installation and configuration
• references/WORKFLOW.md - Detailed development workflows
• references/COMMANDS.md - Comprehensive command reference
• references/BEST_PRACTICES.md - Tips and patterns

References

• Task Master GitHub
• Task Master Website
• MCP Documentation

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Quick Tips:

• Always start with a detailed PRD
• Use complexity analysis before expanding tasks
• Log implementation findings to subtasks
• Leverage tags for feature isolation
• Use research tool for fresh information