/task-show

Display comprehensive details for a specific task or subtask.

What This Command Does

1. Load task by ID from .tasks/tasks.json
2. Display all task details including acceptance criteria
3. Show dependency status and blocking information
4. Optionally sync to TodoWrite for visibility

Arguments

• <task-id> - Required. Task ID (e.g., 3 or 3.2 for subtask)

Prerequisites

• Project must have tasks (.tasks/tasks.json exists with tasks)

Workflow

Step 1: Parse Task ID

Handle both task and subtask IDs:

• 3 → Top-level task with id=3
• 3.2 → Subtask 2 of task 3

Step 2: Load Task

Read .tasks/tasks.json and find the specified task.

If not found:

Task <id> not found.

Available tasks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Run /task-list to see all tasks.

Step 3: Resolve Dependencies

For each dependency, check its current status:

for dep_id in task.dependencies:
    dep_task = find_task(dep_id)
    dep_status = dep_task.status
    # Determine if satisfied (done) or blocking

Step 4: Display Task Details

For top-level task:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Task 3: Implement user authentication                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│ Status:      ○ pending                                          │
│ Priority:    HIGH                                               │
│ Created:     2025-11-29 10:00                                   │
│ Updated:     2025-11-29 12:30                                   │
│                                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Description                                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Set up JWT-based authentication flow with login, logout, and    │
│ token refresh capabilities. Should integrate with existing      │
│ user model from task 2.                                         │
│                                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Dependencies                                                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✓ Task 1: Set up project structure (done)                       │
│ ● Task 2: Implement database schema (in_progress)               │
│                                                                 │
│ ⚠ BLOCKED: Waiting on task 2 to complete                        │
│                                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Acceptance Criteria                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ☐ Users can register with email/password                        │
│ ☐ Users can log in and receive JWT token                        │
│ ☐ Tokens expire after 24 hours                                  │
│ ☐ Refresh token flow extends session                            │
│ ☐ Invalid credentials return 401                                │
│                                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Subtasks                                                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ (none - run /task-expand 3 to break down)                       │
│                                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Blocking                                                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ This task blocks:                                               │
│   → Task 4: Create API endpoints                                │
│   → Task 5: Add rate limiting                                   │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

For subtask:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Subtask 3.2: Create login endpoint                              │
│ Parent: Task 3 - Implement user authentication                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│ Status:      ○ pending                                          │
│                                                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Sibling Subtasks                                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✓ 3.1 Create user registration endpoint                         │
│ ○ 3.2 Create login endpoint (this task)                         │
│ ○ 3.3 Create token refresh endpoint                             │
│ ○ 3.4 Create logout endpoint                                    │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Acceptance Criteria Display

Status	Display	Meaning
Unchecked	☐	Not verified
Checked	☑	Verified (when task done)

When task status is done, all criteria show as checked.

Dependency Status Icons

Icon	Meaning
✓	Dependency satisfied (done)
●	Dependency in progress
○	Dependency pending
◌	Dependency blocked

Error Handling

Error	Resolution
No .tasks/tasks.json	Prompt to run /task-init
Task ID not found	Show available task IDs
Invalid ID format	Show expected format (number or number.number)

Examples

# Show task 3 details
/task-show 3

# Show subtask 3.2 details
/task-show 3.2

# Show first task
/task-show 1

Related

• Command: /task-list (overview of all tasks)
• Command: /task-next (get recommended next task)
• Command: /task-status (update this task's status)
• Command: /task-expand (break into subtasks)