parallel-task_skill

Overview

This skill orchestrates parallel subagents to execute plan files when explicitly invoked with the /parallel-task command. It parses markdown plan documents, launches unblocked tasks in waves, monitors completion, and updates the plan with logs until all tasks are complete. The goal is reliable, ordered parallel execution while keeping plan documentation and commits consistent.

How this skill works

On invocation it extracts the target plan and optional task subset, parses task sections and dependency metadata, then builds a dependency graph. It launches all unblocked tasks in parallel using a standardized task prompt, waits for each wave to finish, validates outputs and that the plan file was updated with a work log, then repeats until every required task is complete. It enforces commit-only workflows per task and retries or escalates failed tasks.

When to use it

• Run full plans or selected task subsets from markdown plan files using /parallel-task
• Coordinate multiple implementers or subagents that must respect task dependencies
• Automate staged feature delivery where tasks must be validated and logged in-plan
• Speed up execution by running independent tasks in parallel
• Enforce consistent task completion logs and per-task commits

Best practices

• Provide a clear, well-structured markdown plan with explicit task IDs and depends_on fields
• Use concise acceptance criteria and validation steps inside each task entry
• Include file locations and constraints to reduce ambiguity for subagents
• Run small task subsets for debugging before full-plan runs
• Ensure each subagent commits only its own changes and updates the plan immediately after completion

Example use cases

• Execute a repository onboarding plan that creates CI, linting, and basic tests in parallel waves
• Implement a multi-part feature where database migration must precede API changes and UI updates can run in parallel
• Run an incremental rollout plan: run backend tasks first, validate, then trigger frontend and docs tasks
• Process task subsets for hotfixes by specifying only critical task IDs and their dependencies