tasks

Runtime Configuration (Step 0 — before any processing)

Read these files to configure domain-specific behavior:

1. ops/derivation-manifest.md — vocabulary mapping
2. Use vocabulary.notes for the notes folder name
3. Use vocabulary.note / vocabulary.note_plural for note type references
4. Use vocabulary.topic_map for MOC references
5. Use vocabulary.cmd_reflect / vocabulary.cmd_reweave / vocabulary.cmd_verify for phase command names

1. ops/config.yaml — pipeline chaining mode, automation settings

If no derivation file exists, use universal terms.

EXECUTE NOW

Target: $ARGUMENTS

Parse the operation:

• No arguments or status: show task stack + queue state (combined view)
• add [description]: add a task to the stack
• done [task-number]: mark a task as completed
• drop [task-number]: remove a task without completing
• reorder [number] [position]: move a task to a different position in the stack
• discoveries: show only the Discoveries section

START NOW. Execute the requested operation.

Philosophy

Two systems, one view.

The task stack (ops/tasks.md) and the pipeline queue (ops/queue/queue.yaml or ops/queue/queue.json) serve different purposes:

| System | Purpose | Managed By | Updated By | |--------|---------|-----------|------------| | Task stack | Human priorities — what YOU want to work on | You (via /tasks) | Manual: /tasks add, /tasks done | | Pipeline queue | Automated processing state — what the SYSTEM needs to process | Pipeline skills | Automatic: /reduce, /ralph, /reflect |

/tasks shows BOTH so you always have a unified view of all pending work. The task stack is your working memory. The pipeline queue is the system's working memory. Together they answer: "What should I do next?"

Operations

/tasks (or /tasks status)

Show both the human task stack and the automated queue.

Step 1: Read task stack

# Read ops/tasks.md
cat ops/tasks.md 2>/dev/null

Parse the task stack into sections:

• Current (or Active): items marked - [ ]
• Completed: items marked - [x]
• Discoveries: items noted during work (plain text, no checkbox)

If ops/tasks.md does not exist, note: "No task stack found. Run /tasks add [description] to create one."

Step 2: Read queue state

# Check for queue file (YAML or JSON)
if [[ -f "ops/queue/queue.yaml" ]]; then
  QUEUE_FILE="ops/queue/queue.yaml"
  PENDING_TASKS=$(grep -c 'status: pending' "$QUEUE_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
  DONE_TASKS=$(grep -c 'status: done' "$QUEUE_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
elif [[ -f "ops/queue/queue.json" ]]; then
  QUEUE_FILE="ops/queue/queue.json"
  PENDING_TASKS=$(grep -c '"status": "pending"' "$QUEUE_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
  DONE_TASKS=$(grep -c '"status": "done"' "$QUEUE_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
else
  QUEUE_FILE=""
  PENDING_TASKS=0
  DONE_TASKS=0
fi

If a queue file exists, extract pending task details:

• Task ID
• Current phase
• Target (note title)
• Batch name

Step 3: Check for archivable batches

A batch is archivable when ALL its tasks have status: done:

# For each unique batch in the queue, check if all tasks are done
if [[ -n "$QUEUE_FILE" ]]; then
  # Extract unique batch names
  # Check each batch: are all tasks done?
  # Report archivable batches
fi

Step 4: Present combined view

--=={ tasks }==--

  Task Stack (ops/tasks.md)
  =========================
  Current:
    1. [ ] {task description}
    2. [ ] {task description}
    3. [ ] {task description}

  Completed:
    - [x] {task description} (2026-02-10)
    - [x] {task description} (2026-02-08)

  Discoveries:
    - {discovery noted during work}

  Pipeline Queue
  ==============
  Pending: {count} tasks
    - {task-id}: {current_phase} — {target title} (batch: {batch})
    - {task-id}: {current_phase} — {target title} (batch: {batch})
    ...

  Done: {count} tasks
  Archivable batches: {list of batch names where all tasks are done}

  Summary: {total current} tasks on stack, {queue pending} in pipeline

Interpretation notes:

| Condition | Note | |-----------|------| | Task stack empty | "No tasks on stack. Use /tasks add [description] to add one, or /next for suggestions." | | Pipeline has pending tasks | "Pipeline has {N} pending tasks. Run /ralph to process them." | | Archivable batches exist | "Batch '{name}' is ready to archive. Run /archive-batch {name}." | | Both empty | "All clear. Use /next to find what to work on." |

/tasks add [description]

Add a new task to the task stack.

Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md

If the file does not exist, create it with the standard structure:

# Task Stack

## Current

## Completed

## Discoveries

Step 2: Add to Current section

Append the new task as a checkbox item at the END of the Current section:

- [ ] {description}

Step 3: Write updated file

Use Edit tool to insert the new item at the end of the Current section, preserving existing content.

Step 4: Report

Added to task stack: {description}
Position: #{N} of {total}

Stack now has {total} current tasks.

/tasks done [number]

Mark a task as completed.

Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md

Parse the Current section to find the Nth task.

Step 2: Validate

If the number is out of range (< 1 or > number of current tasks):

Error: Task #{number} does not exist. Current tasks: 1-{max}.

Step 3: Move to Completed

1. Remove the item from Current section
2. Add to Completed section with today's date:

```markdown

• [x] {description} ({YYYY-MM-DD})

```

1. Renumber remaining Current items (if display uses numbers)

Step 4: Write updated file

Step 5: Report

Completed: {description}

Remaining: {N} current tasks.

Integration with /next: If the completed task was the top-priority item, suggest: "Top task completed. Run /next for the next recommendation."

/tasks drop [number]

Remove a task without completing it.

Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md

Parse the Current section to find the Nth task.

Step 2: Validate

Same range check as /tasks done.

Step 3: Remove from Current

Remove the item entirely. Do NOT move to Completed.

Step 4: Write updated file

Step 5: Report

Dropped: {description}

Remaining: {N} current tasks.

/tasks reorder [number] [position]

Move a task to a different position in the stack.

Step 1: Read current ops/tasks.md

Parse all Current items.

Step 2: Validate

Both [number] (source) and [position] (destination) must be within range.

Step 3: Reorder

1. Remove the task from position [number]
2. Insert at position [position]
3. Renumber remaining items

Step 4: Write updated file

Step 5: Report

Moved: {description}
  From position #{number} to #{position}

Current stack:
  1. [ ] {task 1}
  2. [ ] {task 2}
  ...

/tasks discoveries

Show only the Discoveries section from ops/tasks.md.

  Discoveries (process later):
    - {discovery 1}
    - {discovery 2}
    ...

  [If empty: "No discoveries captured. Discoveries are noted during work
   for processing in a future session."]

Discoveries are captured during pipeline work (e.g., /reduce notes a connection opportunity, /reflect notices a split candidate). They accumulate here until the user decides to convert them to tasks or discard them.

Queue Integration

The task stack (ops/tasks.md) and pipeline queue coexist but serve different audiences:

| Aspect | Task Stack | Pipeline Queue | |--------|-----------|---------------| | File | ops/tasks.md | ops/queue/queue.yaml (or .json) | | Format | Markdown checklist | YAML/JSON with phase tracking | | Managed by | User via /tasks | Pipeline skills automatically | | Read by | /next (priority #1) | /ralph (phase routing) | | Purpose | Human priorities | Automated processing state |

**/next reads the task stack