tackle-task

Tackle Task

Open a task, understand what it requires, execute it at the right level of rigor, and close it properly.

Step 1: Resolve the task

From the user's message, extract either a task path or a task title/name.

• Path given: vault_read(path) directly
• Title/name given: issue two queries and match by H1 title or basename:

  vault_query({ type: "task", status: "pending" })
  vault_query({ type: "task", status: "active" })
  

  If multiple tasks match, show candidates and ask the user to pick. Fall back to vault_search(title) if queries return nothing.

If the task can't be found, tell the user and stop.

Once found, mark it active: vault_update_frontmatter({ path, fields: { status: "active" } }).

Step 2: Read and assess

Read the full task note. Extract:

• Title and description
• Acceptance criteria (if present — key signal for scope clarity)
• Priority and due date
• Project context

Step 3: Complexity check

Classify into one tier using these signals. This should take seconds, not minutes — trust your first read.

Tier	Signals	Route to
Trivial	Single concern, obvious change, clear AC, file/location already known	Step 5 directly (skip Step 4)
Standard	Multi-file change, small feature or bugfix, scope is clear but needs a plan	Step 4 → Explore → Plan → Code → Commit
Significant	New feature, architectural impact, vague requirements, multiple unknowns	Step 4 → superpowers:brainstorming → full pipeline

When uncertain between tiers, go one tier up. A few extra minutes of planning is almost always cheaper than an incomplete or wrong implementation.

Complexity keywords that push up a tier: "design", "architecture", "integrate", "migrate", "refactor across", "not sure how", any missing acceptance criteria.

Step 4: Explore context (Standard and Significant only)

• vault_neighborhood(task_path, depth: 2) — find related ADRs, research notes, prior decisions linked from the task
• vault_activity({ path: project_folder, limit: 20 }) — see recent related work to avoid duplicating effort
• Read any directly relevant linked notes (ADRs, research) before proceeding

For Significant tasks: after exploring, invoke superpowers:brainstorming to clarify intent and requirements before writing any code. The brainstorming output should inform the plan.

Step 5: Execute

Trivial: Read the relevant file(s), make the change, run verification. Commit.

Standard: Follow the Small Tasks workflow — Explore, confirm approach with user if non-obvious, Code, verify, Commit.

Significant: Follow the Significant Features workflow — brainstorm → worktree → plan → execute → finish branch.

Don't re-summarize what you read in Step 2. Move directly into the work.

Step 6: Close the task

After the work is complete and verified:

1. Update status: vault_update_frontmatter({ path: task_path, fields: { status: "done" } })
2. Check for existing completion timestamp: vault_read(task_path) — if the note already contains **Completed**, skip the append. Otherwise: vault_append({ path: task_path, content: "\n**Completed**: YYYY-MM-DD\n" })
3. If the work produced ADRs, research notes, or other vault notes, link them back to the task: vault_add_links({ path: task_path, links: [{ target: "...", annotation: "..." }] })
4. Confirm to the user: one sentence — what was done and what tier it was.