ctx-add-task

Add a task to TASKS.md.

Before Recording

Three questions: if any answer is "no", don't record:

1. "Is this actionable?" → If it's a vague wish, clarify first
2. "Would someone else know what to do?" → If not, add more detail
3. "Is this tracked elsewhere?" → If yes, don't duplicate

Tasks should describe what to do and why, not just a topic.

When to Use

• When follow-up work is identified during a session
• When breaking down a complex task into subtasks
• When the user mentions something that should be tracked

When NOT to Use

• Vague ideas without clear scope (discuss first, then add)
• Work already completed (mark existing tasks done instead)
• One-line fixes you can do right now (just do it)

Gathering Information

If the user provides only a topic, ask:

1. "What specifically needs to happen?" → Scope the work
2. "Why does this matter?" → Capture motivation
3. "Is this high, medium, or low priority?" → Set priority

Execution

ctx add task "Task description" [--priority high|medium|low] [--section "Phase N"]

Placement: Without --section, the task is inserted before the first unchecked task in TASKS.md. Use --section only when you need a specific section (e.g., --section "Maintenance").

Example: specific and actionable:

ctx add task "Add --cooldown flag to ctx agent to suppress repeated output within a time window. Use tombstone file per session for isolation." --priority medium

Example: with context for why:

ctx add task "Investigate ctx init overwriting user-generated content in context files. Commit a9df9dd wiped 18 decisions from DECISIONS.md. Need guard to prevent reinit from destroying user data." --priority high

Example: scoped subtask:

ctx add task "Add topic-based navigation to blog when post count reaches 15+" --priority low

Bad examples (too shallow):

ctx add task "Fix bug"              # What bug? Where?
ctx add task "Improve performance"  # Of what? How?
ctx add task "Authentication"       # That's a topic, not a task

Quality Checklist

Before recording, verify:

• Task starts with a verb (Add, Fix, Implement, Investigate, Update)
• Someone unfamiliar with the session could act on it
• Not a duplicate of an existing task in TASKS.md (check first)
• Priority set if the user indicated urgency

Confirm the task was added.