backlog-add-task

Purpose

Create a new task in .backlog/ (flat layout) following the existing “T000/T001” style.

This skill is interactive: create the task file early, then iterate with the human until the task is ready to be picked up for development.

When to use me

• Use when the human says: “Create a task …” or provides a new TXXX-... task name.
• Do NOT use for archiving; use backlog-archive-task for that.

Prerequisites

• The human can provide an explicit task ID (TXXX) and a short name.

- If the ID is not provided, you MUST compute and propose the next available TXXX.

Procedure

Use todowrite with the below checklist.

1. Determine the task identity

- Ask for (or derive) the TXXX ID. - Scan .backlog/ for files matching T\d\d\d-*.md (excluding .backlog/.archive/). - Next ID = (max existing numeric ID) + 1. - IDs are zero-padded and start at T000. - Ask for a short name to use in the filename. - Filename format: - TXXX-Mytaskname.md (underscores allowed; keep it readable).

1. Create the task file immediately (skeleton first)

- Create .backlog/<filename> with the template below. - Set the task header table status to TODO. - Leave sections as placeholders; we will fill them in during iteration.

1. Iterate with the human to refine scope

- Fill in: - Goal - Context - Non-goals - Deliverables - Testing - Acceptance criteria - Ask for constraints and bake them into the task: - dependency policy (new deps disallowed unless explicitly approved) - target packages/areas - must-have tests - preferred branch name

1. Break down into subtasks (in the SAME file) when helpful

- If the work is multi-phase or spans multiple areas, add a ## Subtasks section. - Subtask IDs must be: - TXXX-YY (e.g. T001-01, T001-02) - Subtasks live inside the task file (no separate files). - Each subtask should have: - a short title - a brief definition of done - optional owners/agents (if you want) - optional dependencies between subtasks - Prefer writing subtasks as a checklist so it’s easy to track progress.

1. Ensure the task is “ready for development”

- The task should be implementable without guessing: - acceptance criteria are testable - testing instructions are explicit - subtasks (if any) cover the deliverables - scope boundaries are clear (non-goals) - Do one last human confirmation: “Is this ready to pick up?”

1. Task file template

```markdown # TXXX - <Short descriptive title>

## Goal [Clear, concise statement of what this task accomplishes]

## Context [Why this task is needed; links to related tasks/PRs/issues if any]

## Non-goals - [What is explicitly out of scope]

## Design / Approach - [Key decisions, constraints, trade-offs] - [Any compatibility/backwards-compat notes]

## Deliverables - [Concrete outputs]

## Implementation notes

### Files to create/modify - path/to/file.go — … - path/to/file_test.go — …

### Steps 1. … 2. …

## Testing - [ ] go test ./... - [ ] Targeted tests: … - [ ] Manual verification: …

## Acceptance criteria - [ ] … - [ ] All tests passing

## Notes [Edge cases, follow-ups]

## Subtasks (optional) - [ ] TXXX-01 — <subtask title> - DoD: <definition of done> - [ ] TXXX-02 — <subtask title> - DoD: <definition of done> ```

1. Verify

- Task file renders correctly - Filename matches TXXX-*.md - Header table exists and status is set to TODO

Example Task Addition

If the next available ID is T002 and the short name is Implementsometask:

1. Create .backlog/T002-Implementsometask.md
2. Fill in the template above
3. Add subtasks like T002-01, T002-02 if needed
4. Iterate with the human until scope + acceptance criteria are crisp