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task-authoring

@mgreenly/ikigai
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Task Authoring skill for the ikigai project

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SKILL.md

name task-authoring
description Task Authoring skill for the ikigai project

Task Authoring

Guidance for creating task files from requirements (user stories, bugs, gaps).

Critical Context

Task execution is UNATTENDED. No human in the loop.

When /orchestrate runs, it executes all tasks automatically. If a sub-agent needs context you didn't provide, it will:

  • Fail and escalate (wasting attempts)
  • Succeed partially (creating technical debt)
  • Spawn research agents (ballooning token usage)

There is no one to ask for help. The task file IS the help.

Efficiency Principle

Spend generously during task authoring to save massively during execution.

Task authoring happens ONCE. Task execution happens N times (once per task in the orchestration loop). Therefore:

  • During authoring: Use research agents, explore codebase, read extensively, think deeply
  • During execution: Sub-agent has everything, executes immediately, no exploration needed

Token math:

  • Poor task authoring: 10K tokens → Each of 20 tasks researches → 200K+ execution tokens
  • Good task authoring: 50K tokens → 20 tasks execute directly → 40K execution tokens

Completeness requirement:

  • Poor task: "Implement feature X" → Sub-agent fails or researches (unattended failure)
  • Good task: Lists skills, files, interface specs, patterns, edge cases → Sub-agent executes to completion

Prerequisites

  • /load cdd - For release directory structure and abstraction levels (plan vs tasks)
  • /load task - For order.json format and task state machine

Process

  1. Review source material - Read and understand the requirements thoroughly
  2. Think deeply - Consider edge cases, dependencies, and implementation approaches
  3. Break down - Split into smallest achievable, testable units
  4. Create order.json - Define execution order and metadata (see task skill for format)

File Naming

DO NOT use numeric prefixes. Order is defined in order.json, not filenames.

Good Bad
provider-types.md 01-provider-types.md
openai-adapter.md 02-openai-adapter.md
tests-integration.md 20-tests-integration.md

Use descriptive kebab-case names that reflect the task's purpose.

order.json

See /load task for the canonical order.json format.

Key points for authoring:

  • Tasks execute serially in array order (position 0 first)
  • Place dependencies before dependents in the array
  • The Depends on: field in task files is documentation only - array position is what matters

Task File Requirements

Model/Thinking Selection

Choose minimum capability needed for each task:

Complexity Model Thinking
Straightforward sonnet none
Moderate sonnet thinking
Complex sonnet extended
Very complex opus extended

Default to sonnet/none and escalate only when complexity demands it.

Working Directory Context

CRITICAL: Every task file MUST include a Context section stating:

  • Working directory is project root (where Makefile lives)
  • All paths are relative to project root, not to the task file

This prevents sub-agents from misinterpreting paths like cdd/plan/ as relative to cdd/tasks/.

Skill Loading

Task execution automatically loads the implementor skillset as baseline:

  • jj - Version control workflow
  • errors - Result types and error handling
  • style - Code style conventions
  • tdd - Test-driven development workflow

List ONLY additional skills needed beyond the baseline:

  • Specify skills needed for THIS task only
  • Don't load large reference skills (database, source-code) unless task directly requires them
  • Don't assume sub-agent will research or explore - give them what they need upfront
  • Never load align - sub-agents execute, they don't negotiate

Goal: Sub-agent executes immediately with provided context. No exploration, no research sub-agents.

Source Code Links

Provide ALL file paths the sub-agent needs - be complete.

  • List specific implementation files to read/modify
  • List specific test files to follow as patterns
  • List related existing code as examples
  • Be exhaustive - sub-agent should NOT need to search or explore

Library Constraints

Specify which libraries the sub-agent should use.

  • List allowed libraries for this task (from plan)
  • Explicitly state "do not introduce new dependencies"
  • Reference existing usage patterns in the codebase

Sub-agents will reach for familiar libraries (lodash, axios, etc.) unless constrained. Be explicit.

Pre/Post Conditions

  • Pre-conditions must be verifiable before starting
  • Post-conditions must be testable after completion
  • Chain logically: post(N) = pre(N+1)

Context (What/How/Why)

Every task must provide complete context so sub-agent can execute immediately.

  • What - The specific goal with full details
  • How - Exact approach, patterns, and implementation guidance
  • Why - Business/technical rationale for decision-making

Goal: Sub-agent has everything needed to execute. No need to research background, explore alternatives, or understand broader context.

Execution Expectations

UNATTENDED EXECUTION: Provide everything needed for autonomous completion.

Tasks execute without human oversight. The sub-agent cannot ask questions or request clarification. Everything it needs must be in the task file.

Checklist for complete task authoring:

  • Additional skills beyond baseline (jj, errors, style, tdd) listed explicitly
  • All file paths to read/modify listed
  • All test patterns and examples referenced
  • Allowed libraries specified, new dependencies forbidden
  • Edge cases and error conditions documented
  • Success criteria clearly defined
  • Rollback/failure handling specified
  • TDD workflow (Red/Green/Verify) included in Test Implementation section

If unsure whether to include something: INCLUDE IT. Over-specification is safe. Under-specification causes unattended failures.

Task instructions should emphasize:

  • Persistence to complete the goal despite obstacles
  • Task success is the measure, not partial progress
  • All needed context is provided in this task file

Why this matters: Complete task authoring prevents unattended failures and prevents sub-agents from spawning research/explore agents, which would balloon token usage across the orchestration loop.

Test-Driven Development

All tasks follow TDD workflow (Red/Green/Verify):

  1. Red - Write failing test first (with stub implementation that compiles)
  2. Green - Implement minimal code to pass
  3. Verify - Run make check

The task template enforces this sequence with explicit workflow steps in the "Test Implementation" section.

jj Workflow Requirements

Every task MUST follow this jj workflow:

Pre-condition: Clean Workspace

Before starting, verify working copy has no changes:

jj diff --summary

If output is non-empty, STOP and fail the task. Previous task did not complete properly.

Post-condition: Committed Changes

After completing work (success, partial, or failed), commit ALL changes using the commit message template below.

The workspace MUST be clean when the task ends, regardless of outcome.

Commit Message Template

First line format: task(<exact-filename.md>): <status> - <brief description>

CRITICAL: Use the exact task filename including .md extension.

task(<task-filename.md>): <success|partial|failed> - <brief description>

<Optional: Details about what was accomplished, failures, or remaining work>

Status values:

  • success - All objectives met, all tests passing, make check clean
  • partial - Some objectives met, some tests passing, but incomplete
  • failed - Unable to complete objectives, tests may be failing, errors encountered

Examples:

task(provider-types.md): success - implemented provider type definitions

All provider factory functions complete, tests passing, make check clean.

task(openai-adapter.md): partial - adapter struct and lifecycle functions

Create/destroy working, integration tests still failing on API response parsing.

task(tests-integration.md): failed - mock server configuration errors

Attempted integration test setup but unable to resolve server config issues.
Committing partial work for debugging and escalation.

Rollback operations:

Find all commits for a task (search commit descriptions):

jj log --no-graph -T 'description' | grep "task(provider-types.md)"

Backout a specific commit:

jj backout -r <revision>

See recent commits:

jj log --limit 20

Reporting Task Status

The jj commit records what happened. The task must ALSO report its status to the orchestration system:

  • Use /task-done <name> for success
  • Use /task-fail <name> for partial or failed (allows retry/escalation)

Task Template

# Task: [Descriptive Name]

**UNATTENDED EXECUTION:** This task executes automatically without human oversight. Provide complete context.

**Model:** sonnet/thinking
**Depends on:** task-name.md (or "None")

## Context

**Working directory:** Project root (where `Makefile` lives)
**All paths are relative to project root**, not to this task file.

All needed context is provided in this file. Do not research, explore, or spawn sub-agents.

## Pre-Read

**Skills:**
(Baseline skills jj, errors, style, tdd are pre-loaded. Only list additional skills.)
- `/load skill-name` - Why needed

**Source:**
- `path/to/file.h` - What to learn from it

**Plan:**
- `cdd/plan/relevant.md` - Sections to reference

## Libraries

Use only:
- `library-name` - For what purpose

Do not introduce new dependencies.

## Preconditions

- [ ] Working copy is clean (verify with `jj diff --summary`)

## Objective

One paragraph: what this task accomplishes and why.

## Interface

Functions to implement (signatures and contracts, not code):

| Function | Purpose |
|----------|---------|
| `res_t foo_create(...)` | Creates X, returns OK/ERR |
| `void foo_destroy(...)` | Cleanup, NULL-safe |

Structs to define (members and purpose, not C code):

| Struct | Members | Purpose |
|--------|---------|---------|
| `foo_t` | name, count, items | Represents X |

## Behaviors

- When X happens, do Y
- Error handling: return ERR with category Z
- Memory: talloc ownership rules

## Test Implementation

**Follow TDD workflow (Red/Green/Verify):**

**Step 1 - Red (Failing Test):**
- Write test code in tests/unit/[module]/[module]_test.c
- Add function declarations to header files
- Add stub implementations that compile but return minimal values (e.g., `return OK(NULL);`)
- Build and run: `make check`
- Verify test FAILS with assertion failure (NOT compilation error)

**Step 2 - Green (Minimal Implementation):**
- Implement ONLY what the current tests require
- STOP when all tests pass
- Do NOT write code "because you'll need it later"

**Step 3 - Verify:**
- Run `make check` - all tests must pass
- Run `make lint` - complexity under threshold

**Required test scenarios:**
- Create/destroy lifecycle
- Error case: invalid input returns ERR_INVALID_ARG
- Edge case: empty/null input handled correctly
- [Add task-specific scenarios here]

## Completion

After completing work (whether success, partial, or failed), commit all changes:

```bash
jj commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
task([exact-filename.md]): [success|partial|failed] - [brief description]

[Optional: Details about what was accomplished, failures, or remaining work]
EOF
)"

Example:

jj commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
task(provider-types.md): success - implemented provider type definitions

All provider factory functions complete, tests passing, make check clean.
EOF
)"

Report status to orchestration:

  • Success: /task-done [task-name]
  • Partial/Failed: /task-fail [task-name]

Postconditions

  • Compiles without warnings
  • All tests pass
  • make check passes
  • All changes committed using commit message template
  • Working copy is clean (no uncommitted changes)