Shark Task Management

Overview

The shark CLI provides task lifecycle management for implementation work. It tracks task status in a SQLite database, enabling team visibility, accurate progress reporting, and implementation history.

Quick Reference

Slash Commands

Use these slash commands for task management:

/task-start <task-id> - Start working on a task (updates status to "in-progress")
/task-complete <task-id> - Mark task as completed (records completion time)
/task-next - Get the next available task to work on
/task-list [filters] - List all tasks with optional filters
/task-info <task-id> - Get detailed information about a task

Direct CLI Usage

# Start a task
shark task start T-E04-F02-001

# Complete a task
shark task complete T-E04-F02-001

# Get next task
shark task next

# List tasks by status
shark task list --status=todo

# Get task details
shark task get T-E04-F02-001

# List tasks by epic
shark task list --epic=E04

Integration with Implementation Workflows

Standard Implementation Flow

1. Get next task: /task-next
   ↓
2. Review task requirements and dependencies
   ↓
3. Start task: /task-start <task-id>
   ↓
4. Implement following the appropriate workflow
   ↓
5. Run validation gates
   ↓
6. Complete task: /task-complete <task-id>

When to Use Task Management

Always use /task-start when:

Beginning implementation of a task
Starting work on a PRP (Product Requirement Prompt)
Following an implementation workflow (API, backend, frontend, database, tests)

Always use /task-complete when:

All validation gates have passed
Implementation is complete and tested
Documentation is updated
Ready to move to the next task

What Shark Tracks

When you use shark task management, the database automatically records:

Status transitions - from "todo" → "in-progress" → "completed"
Timestamps - when tasks start and complete
Implementation history - full audit trail of task lifecycle
Team visibility - all developers can see current task status
Progress metrics - enables accurate reporting and dashboards

Task Status States

todo - Task ready to be started, dependencies met
in-progress - Task currently being worked on
completed - Task finished, validated, and documented
blocked - Task waiting on dependencies or decisions
cancelled - Task no longer needed

Benefits

For Individual Developers

Clear tracking of what you're working on
Automatic timestamp recording
Easy to see progress through task list
No manual status updates needed

For Teams

Real-time visibility into who's working on what
Accurate progress reporting for standups
Historical data for velocity calculations
Audit trail for completed work

For Implementation Skills

Other skills reference task management:

implementation skill includes task commands in all workflows
quality skill checks task status before reviews
orchestration skill uses task tracking for multi-agent coordination

Examples

Starting a New Task

# Get next task
/task-next

# Review task: T-E04-F02-003 "Implement user service layer"

# Start the task
/task-start T-E04-F02-003

# Output:
# ✓ Task T-E04-F02-003 started
# - Status: in-progress
# - Timestamp recorded in database
# - Progress tracking enabled

Completing a Task

# After implementation, tests passing, documentation updated
/task-complete T-E04-F02-003

# Output:
# ✓ Task T-E04-F02-003 completed
# - Status: completed
# - Completion time recorded in database
# - Implementation tracking closed

Listing Tasks

# See all tasks
/task-list

# See only todo tasks
/task-list --status=todo

# See tasks in epic E04
/task-list --epic=E04

Integration Points

With Implementation Skill

The implementation skill references task management:

## Phase 0: Start Task Tracking

Before beginning implementation, start task tracking:

```bash
/task-start <task-id>

This updates task status and enables progress tracking.


### With Other Skills

- **quality**: Validates task is in-progress before code review
- **orchestration**: Coordinates task assignment across agents
- **devops**: Links deployments to completed tasks

## CLI Reference

For complete CLI documentation, see [docs/CLI.md](../../docs/CLI.md).

### Global Flags

- `--json` - Output in JSON format (machine-readable)
- `--no-color` - Disable colored output
- `--verbose` / `-v` - Enable verbose/debug output

### Task Commands

```bash
shark task list                    # List all tasks
shark task list --status=todo      # Filter by status
shark task list --epic=E04         # Filter by epic
shark task get T-E01-F01-001      # Get task details
shark task start T-E01-F01-001    # Start working on a task
shark task complete T-E01-F01-001 # Mark task as complete
shark task next                    # Get next available task

Best Practices

Do

✓ Start tasks before beginning implementation
✓ Complete tasks only after all validation gates pass
✓ Use /task-next to stay focused on prioritized work
✓ Check task dependencies before starting
✓ Update documentation before completing tasks

Don't

✗ Skip task tracking "to save time"
✗ Complete tasks before tests pass
✗ Work on multiple tasks simultaneously (update status correctly)
✗ Start tasks with unmet dependencies
✗ Forget to complete tasks when finished

Troubleshooting

Task start fails

# Check if task exists
shark task get T-E04-F02-001

# Check if dependencies are met
shark task get T-E04-F02-001 | jq '.dependencies'

Task already in-progress

# If you accidentally started wrong task, complete it first
shark task complete T-E04-F02-001

# Or check who's working on it
shark task get T-E04-F02-001 | jq '.status'

shark-task-management