Task Register

List Tasks

Show all tasks with status and dependencies:

/task-register --list-tasks

Add Dependency

Create dependency relationship between tasks:

/task-register --add-dependency TASK-002 --depends-on TASK-001

Task Schema

See conventions.md for complete schema.

Priority Levels

See conventions.md for priority definitions.

Dependency Rules

1. NEVER create circular dependencies - Task A depends on B, B depends on A
2. ALWAYS validate dependencies exist - Check referenced task IDs exist
3. DEPENDENT tasks auto-block - Task B blocked until Task A completes
4. UPDATES unlock dependents - Marking Task A complete unblocks Task B

Return Contract

See return-contract.md.

Safety Rules

1. NEVER delete tasks - Mark as cancelled instead
2. ALWAYS update updatedAt - Set timestamp on every modification
3. ALWAYS set passes=true - Only when task is truly complete
4. NEVER skip validation - Check dependencies exist before adding
5. ALWAYS preserve structure - Maintain JSON schema integrity

See safety-rules.md for patterns.

Error Handling

• If tasks.json doesn't exist: Create with empty tasks array, set version: "1.0.0", notify user
• If dependency doesn't exist: Report error with missing task ID, do not add, suggest valid task IDs
• If circular dependency detected: Report the cycle (A -> B -> C -> A), do not apply changes

See error-handling.md for patterns.

Example

User: /task-register --update-task TASK-001 --status completed --passes true

Status: SUCCESS

Summary:
- Updated TASK-001 status to completed
- Set passes=true for TASK-001
- Unblocked dependent tasks: TASK-002, TASK-003

Files changed:
- tasks.json

Commands run:
- None (direct file edit)

Evidence:
- TASK-001: completed (passes=true)
- TASK-002: pending (previously blocked)
- TASK-003: pending (previously blocked)

Next recommended:
- node bin/dw.js pick-next

Integration with plan-create

Creating Tasks for Implementation

# Step 1: Register the task
/task-register --plan "Add retry mechanism to API client"
# Output: Created TASK-015

# Step 2: Create implementation plan (recommended next step)
/plan-create --task TASK-015

After Task Creation

When a new task is created, recommend:

Next recommended:
- /plan-create --task TASK-XXX  (create implementation plan)
- node bin/dw.js claim --task TASK-XXX  (claim and start work)

Workflow Chain

task-register (register task)
    ↓
plan-create --task TASK-XXX (create plan)
    ↓
plan-execute --task TASK-XXX (execute plan)
    ↓
task-register --update-task TASK-XXX --status completed (mark done)