task-management_skill

Overview

This skill guides managing tasks within a session using bd (beads) for subtasks and local todo lists, with a NOTES.md fallback. It helps break down work into issues, track progress, manage dependencies, and coordinate across sessions and agents. The workflows aim to make context easy to clear and rehydrate from local task state.

How this skill works

Use bd to create and update local issues, record dependencies, and maintain a running todo list. When starting work, write a high-level summary to FOCUS.md so others or future sessions can immediately pick up the task. If bd is unavailable, use NOTES.md to capture the same structure and progress details.

When to use it

• Breaking a plan into smaller, trackable issues and subtasks
• Tracking progress and annotating intermediate results during development
• Coordinating work across multiple agents or parallel worktrees
• Managing task dependencies and handoffs across sessions
• Preparing context so another person or agent can take over work quickly

Best practices

• Run bd quickstart to initialize a local bead workspace and familiarize yourself with bd --help
• Always update FOCUS.md with a concise high-level goal when you start or accept a task
• Create explicit bd issues for each subtask and link dependencies rather than keeping everything in short-term memory
• Instruct subagents to consult bd regularly and to update their assigned issues after progress
• Record bugs, decisions, and stray details in bd issue notes so history is preserved and context can be rehydrated

Example use cases

• Break a research project into prioritized issues with dependencies and track progress across several local branches
• Assign a subagent a bd issue, have them update the issue as they work, and use FOCUS.md so an override agent can continue
• Use bd to record intermittent findings and reproduce steps across multiple worktrees without relying on the session memory
• Fallback to NOTES.md to capture the same structure when bd is not installed, then migrate notes into bd later