# Task Generation Rules ## Core Principles ### 1. Natural Language Descriptions Focus on capabilities and outcomes, not code structure. **Describe**: - What functionality to achieve - Business logic and behavior - Features and capabilities - Domain language and concepts - Data relationships and workflows **Avoid**: - File paths and directory structure - Function/method names and signatures - Type definitions and interfaces - Class names and API contracts - Specific data structures **Rationale**: Implementation details (files, methods, types) are defined in design.md. Tasks describe the functional work to be done. ### 2. Task Ordering Principle **Order implies dependency**: Task N implicitly depends on all tasks before it. This is the primary dependency mechanism. **Tasks must follow this phase order**: 1. **Foundation**: Environment setup, test infrastructure, shared utilities, database schema, configuration 2. **Core**: Primary feature implementation (parallel-capable tasks grouped here) 3. **Integration**: Wiring components together, cross-boundary connections 4. **Validation**: E2E tests, edge cases, regression checks **Rationale**: Foundation work unblocks everything else. Placing setup tasks early prevents downstream blocking. Core tasks can often run in parallel because foundation is already complete. ### 3. Task Integration & Progression **Every task must**: - Build on previous outputs (no orphaned code) - Connect to the overall system (no hanging features) - Progress incrementally (no big jumps in complexity) - Respect architecture boundaries defined in design.md (Architecture Pattern & Boundary Map) - Honor interface contracts documented in design.md - Use major task summaries sparingly—omit detail bullets if the work is fully captured by child tasks. **End with integration tasks** to wire everything together. ### 4. Dependency Declaration **Default**: Sequential ordering handles most dependencies (task N depends on tasks before it). **Explicit declaration required when**: - A task depends on a specific task in a different major-task group (cross-boundary) - The dependency is non-obvious from ordering alone - A task can skip ahead of its position (declared via `(P)`) but still needs specific prior work **Format**: `_Depends: 1.2, 2.3_` — placed alongside `_Requirements:_` in task detail sections. **Do not over-annotate**: If a task simply depends on the task directly before it, ordering alone is sufficient. ### 5. Boundary Scope **Each task should declare its component boundary** using design.md component/module names: - `_Boundary: AuthService_` or `_Boundary: API Layer, UserRepository_` - Helps validate parallel safety: tasks with non-overlapping boundaries are parallel candidates - Helps agents understand scope: what to touch and what not to touch **When to use**: Required for tasks marked `(P)` to validate parallel safety. Omit for sequential tasks where scope is obvious from the description. **Boundary rule**: - Each executable task should stay within a single responsibility boundary - If work must cross boundaries, make it an explicit integration task rather than a normal implementation task - Do not hide cross-boundary coordination inside a task that appears local ### 6. Flexible Task Sizing **Guidelines**: - **Major tasks**: As many sub-tasks as logically needed (group by cohesion) - **Sub-tasks**: 1-3 hours each, 3-10 details per sub-task - Balance between too granular and too broad **Don't force arbitrary numbers** - let logical grouping determine structure. ### 7. Requirements Mapping **End each task detail section with**: - `_Requirements: X.X, Y.Y_` listing **only numeric requirement IDs** (comma-separated). Never append descriptive text, parentheses, translations, or free-form labels. - For cross-cutting requirements, list every relevant requirement ID. All requirements MUST have numeric IDs in requirements.md. If an ID is missing, stop and correct requirements.md before generating tasks. - Reference components/interfaces from design.md when helpful (e.g., `_Contracts: AuthService API`) ### 7.5 Observable Completion **Each executable task must include at least one detail bullet that describes the observable completed state**: - Phrase it as a deliverable, runtime behavior, persisted state, UI state, endpoint behavior, test result, or integration outcome - Avoid vague bullets like "implement support", "wire things up", or "handle logic" unless paired with a concrete observable result - Prefer making one detail bullet clearly answer: "What will be true when this task is done?" - Keep this within the existing task body; do not add extra bookkeeping fields ### 8. Code-Only Focus **Include ONLY**: - Coding tasks (implementation) - Testing tasks (unit, integration, E2E) - Technical setup tasks (infrastructure, configuration) **Exclude**: - Deployment tasks - Documentation tasks - User testing - Marketing/business activities ## Task Plan Review Gate Before writing `tasks.md`, review the draft task plan and repair local issues until the plan passes or a true spec gap is discovered. ### Coverage Review - Every requirement ID from `requirements.md` must appear in at least one task. - Every design component, interface/contract, integration point, runtime prerequisite, and validation concern from `design.md` must be represented by at least one task. - If coverage is missing because the task plan is incomplete, repair the draft tasks and review again. - If coverage cannot be added cleanly because requirements or design are ambiguous, contradictory, or underspecified, stop and return to the requirements/design phase instead of papering over the gap in `tasks.md`. ### Executability Review - Every sub-task must be executable as written, usually within 1-3 hours. - Every sub-task must produce a verifiable deliverable (behavior, artifact, endpoint, UI state, config, migration, test, or integration result). - Every executable sub-task must include at least one detail bullet that states the observable completion condition. - Split tasks that combine multiple independently verifiable outcomes. - Split tasks that combine multiple responsibility boundaries unless they are explicit integration tasks. - If many tasks require broad `_Boundary:_` scopes or repeated cross-boundary coordination, stop and return to design or roadmap decomposition instead of forcing the spec through task generation. - Merge or collapse tasks that are too small, bookkeeping-only, or not meaningful execution units. - Make implicit prerequisites explicit as preceding tasks. - Re-check `_Depends:_`, `_Boundary:_`, and `(P)` markers after edits so concurrency claims still match the design boundaries and dependency graph. ### Review Loop - Run the review gate on the draft task plan before writing `tasks.md`. - If issues are task-plan-local, repair the draft and re-run the review gate. - Keep the loop bounded: no more than 2 review-and-repair passes before escalating a real spec gap. - Write `tasks.md` only after the review gate passes. ### Optional Test Coverage Tasks - When the design already guarantees functional coverage and rapid MVP delivery is prioritized, mark purely test-oriented follow-up work (e.g., baseline rendering/unit tests) as **optional** using the `- [ ]*` checkbox form. - Only apply the optional marker when the sub-task directly references acceptance criteria from requirements.md in its detail bullets. - Never mark implementation work or integration-critical verification as optional—reserve `*` for auxiliary/deferrable test coverage that can be revisited post-MVP. ## Task Hierarchy Rules ### Maximum 2 Levels - **Level 1**: Major tasks (1, 2, 3, 4...) - **Level 2**: Sub-tasks (1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2...) - **No deeper nesting** (no 1.1.1) - If a major task would contain only a single actionable item, collapse the structure and promote the sub-task to the major level (e.g., replace `1.1` with `1.`). - When a major task exists purely as a container, keep the checkbox description concise and avoid duplicating detailed bullets—reserve specifics for its sub-tasks. ### Sequential Numbering - Major tasks MUST increment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... - Sub-tasks reset per major task: 1.1, 1.2, then 2.1, 2.2... - Never repeat major task numbers ### Parallel Analysis (default) - Assume parallel analysis is enabled unless explicitly disabled (e.g. `--sequential` flag). - `(P)` means: this task has no dependency on its immediately preceding peers and can run concurrently with them. - Identify tasks that can run concurrently when **all** conditions hold: - No data dependency on other pending tasks - No shared file or resource contention - No prerequisite review/approval from another task - `_Boundary:_` annotations confirm non-overlapping component scopes - Foundation-phase tasks (see Task Ordering Principle) are rarely `(P)` — they establish shared prerequisites. - Core-phase tasks are the primary candidates for `(P)` since foundation is already complete. - Validate that identified parallel tasks operate within separate boundaries defined in the Architecture Pattern & Boundary Map. - Confirm API/event contracts from design.md do not overlap in ways that cause conflicts. - `(P)` tasks with cross-boundary dependencies must declare `_Depends: X.X_` explicitly. - Append `(P)` immediately after the task number for each parallel-capable task: - Example: `- [ ] 2.1 (P) Build background worker` - Apply to both major tasks and sub-tasks when appropriate. - If sequential mode is requested, omit `(P)` markers entirely. - Group parallel tasks logically (same parent when possible) and highlight any ordering caveats in detail bullets. - Explicitly call out dependencies that prevent `(P)` even when tasks look similar. ### Checkbox Format ```markdown - [ ] 1. Foundation: environment and test infrastructure setup - [ ] 1.1 Sub-task description - Detail item 1 - Detail item 2 - Observable completion condition - _Requirements: X.X_ - [ ] 2. Core feature A - [ ] 2.1 (P) Sub-task description - Detail items... - Observable completion condition - _Requirements: Y.Y_ - _Boundary: AuthService_ - [ ] 2.2 (P) Sub-task description - Detail items... - Observable completion condition - _Requirements: Z.Z_ - _Boundary: UserRepository_ - [ ] 3. Integration and wiring - [ ] 3.1 Sub-task description - Detail items... - Observable completion condition - _Depends: 2.1, 2.2_ - _Requirements: W.W_ ``` ## Requirements Coverage **Mandatory Check**: - ALL requirements from requirements.md MUST be covered - Cross-reference every requirement ID with task mappings - If gaps found: Return to requirements or design phase - No requirement should be left without corresponding tasks Use `N.M`-style numeric requirement IDs where `N` is the top-level requirement number from requirements.md (for example, Requirement 1 → 1.1, 1.2; Requirement 2 → 2.1, 2.2), and `M` is a local index within that requirement group. Document any intentionally deferred requirements with rationale.