Shark Task Management

Overview

The shark CLI provides task lifecycle management for implementation work. It tracks task status in a SQLite database, enabling team visibility, accurate progress reporting, and implementation history.

Quick Reference

Slash Commands

Use these slash commands for task management:

• /task-start <task-id> - Start working on a task (updates status to "in-progress")
• /task-complete <task-id> - Mark task as completed (records completion time)
• /task-next - Get the next available task to work on
• /task-list [filters] - List all tasks with optional filters
• /task-info <task-id> - Get detailed information about a task

Direct CLI Usage

# Start a task
shark task start T-E04-F02-001

# Complete a task
shark task complete T-E04-F02-001

# Get next task
shark task next

# List tasks by status
shark task list --status=todo

# Get task details
shark task get T-E04-F02-001

# List tasks by epic
shark task list --epic=E04

Integration with Implementation Workflows

Standard Implementation Flow

1. Get next task: /task-next
   ↓
2. Review task requirements and dependencies
   ↓
3. Start task: /task-start <task-id>
   ↓
4. Implement following the appropriate workflow
   ↓
5. Run validation gates
   ↓
6. Complete task: /task-complete <task-id>

When to Use Task Management

Always use /task-start when:

• Beginning implementation of a task
• Starting work on a PRP (Product Requirement Prompt)
• Following an implementation workflow (API, backend, frontend, database, tests)

Always use /task-complete when:

• All validation gates have passed
• Implementation is complete and tested
• Documentation is updated
• Ready to move to the next task

What Shark Tracks

When you use shark task management, the database automatically records:

• Status transitions - from "todo" → "in-progress" → "completed"
• Timestamps - when tasks start and complete
• Implementation history - full audit trail of task lifecycle
• Team visibility - all developers can see current task status
• Progress metrics - enables accurate reporting and dashboards

Task Status States

• todo - Task ready to be started, dependencies met
• in-progress - Task currently being worked on
• completed - Task finished, validated, and documented
• blocked - Task waiting on dependencies or decisions
• cancelled - Task no longer needed

Benefits

For Individual Developers

• Clear tracking of what you're working on
• Automatic timestamp recording
• Easy to see progress through task list
• No manual status updates needed

For Teams

• Real-time visibility into who's working on what
• Accurate progress reporting for standups
• Historical data for velocity calculations
• Audit trail for completed work

For Implementation Skills

Other skills reference task management:

• implementation skill includes task commands in all workflows
• quality skill checks task status before reviews
• orchestration skill uses task tracking for multi-agent coordination

Examples

Starting a New Task

# Get next task
/task-next

# Review task: T-E04-F02-003 "Implement user service layer"

# Start the task
/task-start T-E04-F02-003

# Output:
# ✓ Task T-E04-F02-003 started
# - Status: in-progress
# - Timestamp recorded in database
# - Progress tracking enabled

Completing a Task

# After implementation, tests passing, documentation updated
/task-complete T-E04-F02-003

# Output:
# ✓ Task T-E04-F02-003 completed
# - Status: completed
# - Completion time recorded in database
# - Implementation tracking closed

Listing Tasks

# See all tasks
/task-list

# See only todo tasks
/task-list --status=todo

# See tasks in epic E04
/task-list --epic=E04

Integration Points

With Implementation Skill

The implementation skill references task management:

## Phase 0: Start Task Tracking

Before beginning implementation, start task tracking:

```bash
/task-start <task-id>

This updates task status and enables progress tracking.

### With Other Skills

- **quality**: Validates task is in-progress before code review
- **orchestration**: Coordinates task assignment across agents
- **devops**: Links deployments to completed tasks

## CLI Reference

For complete CLI documentation, see [docs/CLI.md](../../docs/CLI.md).

### Global Flags

- `--json` - Output in JSON format (machine-readable)
- `--no-color` - Disable colored output
- `--verbose` / `-v` - Enable verbose/debug output

### Task Commands

```bash
shark task list                    # List all tasks
shark task list --status=todo      # Filter by status
shark task list --epic=E04         # Filter by epic
shark task get T-E01-F01-001      # Get task details
shark task start T-E01-F01-001    # Start working on a task
shark task complete T-E01-F01-001 # Mark task as complete
shark task next                    # Get next available task

Best Practices

Do

• ✓ Start tasks before beginning implementation
• ✓ Complete tasks only after all validation gates pass
• ✓ Use /task-next to stay focused on prioritized work
• ✓ Check task dependencies before starting
• ✓ Update documentation before completing tasks

Don't

• ✗ Skip task tracking "to save time"
• ✗ Complete tasks before tests pass
• ✗ Work on multiple tasks simultaneously (update status correctly)
• ✗ Start tasks with unmet dependencies
• ✗ Forget to complete tasks when finished

Troubleshooting

Task start fails

# Check if task exists
shark task get T-E04-F02-001

# Check if dependencies are met
shark task get T-E04-F02-001 | jq '.dependencies'

Task already in-progress

# If you accidentally started wrong task, complete it first
shark task complete T-E04-F02-001

# Or check who's working on it
shark task get T-E04-F02-001 | jq '.status'

See Also

• CLI Documentation - Complete shark CLI reference
• Implementation Skill - Integration with implementation workflows
• Task Index - Browse all tasks by epic/feature

Remember: Task tracking provides visibility and accountability. Use it consistently to enable accurate reporting and team coordination.