Host: Codex CLI — This skill was designed for Claude Code and adapted for Codex. Cross-reference commands use installed skill names in Codex rather than
/octo:*slash commands. Use the active Codex shell and subagent tools. Do not claim a provider, model, or host subagent is available until the current session exposes it. For host tool equivalents, seeskills/blocks/codex-host-adapter.md.
Task Management & Orchestration (v7.23.0+)
Overview
Systematic task orchestration for multi-step work, progress checkpointing, and seamless task resumption across sessions.
Core principle: Track → Checkpoint → Resume → Complete.
v7.23.0 Migration: This skill now uses native Claude Code host subagent tools:
TaskCreate- Create new tasksTaskUpdate- Update task status/detailsTaskList- View all tasksTaskGet- Get specific task details
Benefits:
- ✅ Tasks show in native Claude Code UI
- ✅ Better progress tracking and visualization
- ✅ Consistent with Claude Code conventions
- ✅ No dependency on external task plan tool tool
When to Use
Use this skill when user wants to:
- Add items to the todo list
- Save current progress for later continuation
- Resume previously saved work
- Checkpoint progress in long-running tasks
- Proceed to next steps in a workflow
- Continue from where they left off
Do NOT use for:
- Creating git commits (use skill-finish-branch)
- Simple todo list queries ("what's on my list?")
- Task completion that involves pushing code
Core Capabilities
1. Adding Tasks to Todo List
When user says "add to the todo's" or similar:
**What would you like to add to the todo list?**
I'll help you capture this task. Please provide:
- Task description (what needs to be done)
- Any dependencies or prerequisites
- Priority (if applicable)
After getting details, use TaskCreate to add:
TaskCreate({
subject: "[Brief task description]",
description: "[Detailed description including dependencies and context]",
activeForm: "Working on [task description]"
})
Then confirm to user:
✅ Task created: [Task description]
View all tasks with TaskList or use /tasks command.
2. Saving Progress / Checkpointing
When user says "save progress" or "checkpoint this":
Step 1: Assess Current State
# Check git status
git status
# Check current branch
git branch --show-current
# Check uncommitted work
git diff --stat
Step 2: Create Progress Checkpoint
Option A: Git-based checkpoint (if git repo)
# Create a work-in-progress commit
git add .
git commit -m "WIP: [description of current state]
Progress checkpoint - work in progress
Not ready for review or merge
Current state:
- [What's completed]
- [What's in progress]
- [What's next]
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>"
Option B: Task-based checkpoint (preferred for tracking)
Create checkpoint task with detailed state:
TaskCreate({
subject: "Checkpoint: [Brief description]",
description: `
📍 CHECKPOINT: ${new Date().toISOString()}
Completed:
✓ [Task 1]
✓ [Task 2]
In Progress:
⚙️ [Current task with details]
Next Steps:
- [ ] [Next task 1]
- [ ] [Next task 2]
- [ ] [Next task 3]
Context:
- Branch: ${branchName}
- Last commit: ${lastCommit}
- Files changed: ${filesChanged}
`,
activeForm: "Checkpoint saved"
})
Step 3: Update Existing Tasks
Mark completed tasks as done:
// For each completed task
TaskUpdate({
taskId: "[task-id]",
status: "completed"
})
Mark current task as in_progress:
TaskUpdate({
taskId: "[current-task-id]",
status: "in_progress"
})
Step 4: Provide Resume Instructions
✅ Progress saved!
To resume this work:
1. Run: git checkout [branch-name]
2. View tasks: TaskList
3. Say: "resume tasks" or "pick up where we left off"
Current state:
- Branch: [branch-name]
- Tasks: [X completed, Y in progress, Z pending]
- Last checkpoint: [timestamp]
3. Resuming Tasks
When user says "resume tasks" or "pick up where we left off":
Step 1: Load Task State
// Get all tasks
const tasks = TaskList()
// Filter by status
const completed = tasks.filter(t => t.status === 'completed')
const inProgress = tasks.filter(t => t.status === 'in_progress')
const pending = tasks.filter(t => t.status === 'pending')
// Find checkpoint task (if exists)
const checkpoint = tasks.find(t => t.subject.startsWith('Checkpoint:'))
Step 2: Check Git State
# Check for WIP commits
git log --oneline -10 | grep WIP
# Check current branch
git branch --show-current
# Check git status
git status
Step 3: Present Current State
📋 **Resuming from last checkpoint**
**Branch:** [branch-name]
**Last checkpoint:** [timestamp from WIP commit or checkpoint task]
**Completed:** (${completed.length} tasks)
${completed.map(t => `✓ ${t.subject}`).join('\n')}
**In Progress:** (${inProgress.length} tasks)
${inProgress.map(t => `⚙️ ${t.subject}`).join('\n')}
**Next Steps:** (${pending.length} tasks)
${pending.map((t, i) => `${i + 1}. [ ] ${t.subject}`).join('\n')}
**Would you like me to:**
1. Continue with the next task?
2. Modify the plan?
3. See more details about current state?
Step 4: Execute Based on Choice
-
If "continue with next task" → Get first pending task, mark as in_progress, and begin work:
const nextTask = pending[0] TaskUpdate({ taskId: nextTask.id, status: 'in_progress' }) // Begin working on nextTask -
If "modify the plan" → Use AskUserQuestion to understand changes, then update tasks
-
If "see more details" → Show git diff, file changes, recent commits, task descriptions
4. Proceeding to Next Steps
When user says "proceed to next steps":
Step 1: Check Current Task Status
const tasks = TaskList()
const currentTask = tasks.find(t => t.status === 'in_progress')
if (currentTask) {
console.log(`Current task: ${currentTask.subject}`)
console.log(`Status: ${currentTask.status}`)
}
Step 2: Complete Current and Move Forward
// Mark current task as complete
if (currentTask) {
TaskUpdate({
taskId: currentTask.id,
status: 'completed'
})
console.log(`✓ ${currentTask.subject}`)
}
// Get next pending task
const nextTask = tasks.find(t => t.status === 'pending' && !t.blockedBy?.length)
if (nextTask) {
// Mark as in progress
TaskUpdate({
taskId: nextTask.id,
status: 'in_progress'
})
console.log(`\n⚙️ ${nextTask.subject}`)
console.log(`\nProceeding with: ${nextTask.description}`)
}
Step 3: Execute Next Task
Begin working on the next task immediately after marking it as in_progress.
Migration from task plan tool (v7.22.x → v7.23.0+)
For Users with Existing .md Todo Files
If you have existing .claude/todos.md or similar files:
Option 1: Automatic Migration
# Run migration script
"${HOME}/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/migrate-todos.sh"
This will:
- Parse existing .md todo files
- Convert to TaskCreate calls
- Preserve task order and status
- Archive old .md files to
.claude/archived-todos/
Option 2: Manual Migration
For each todo item in your .md file:
<!-- Old format in todos.md -->
- [ ] Implement user authentication
- [x] Set up database
- [ ] Create API endpoints
Convert to:
// New format using native tasks
TaskCreate({
subject: "Implement user authentication",
description: "Create auth system with JWT tokens",
activeForm: "Implementing authentication"
})
TaskCreate({
subject: "Set up database",
description: "Configure PostgreSQL and run migrations",
activeForm: "Setting up database"
})
// Mark as completed since it was [x]
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "...", status: "completed" })
TaskCreate({
subject: "Create API endpoints",
description: "Build REST API for