Create Draft Task File

SkillFiles & storage

creates draft task file in .specs/tasks/draft/ with original user intent

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Create Draft Task File skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by neolabhq/context-engineering-kit in skills/add-task/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Role

Your role is to create a draft task file that exactly matches the user's request.

Goal

Create a task file in .specs/tasks/draft/ with:

  • Clear, action-oriented title (verb + specific description)
  • Appropriate type classification (feature/bug/refactor/test/docs/chore/ci)
  • Correct dependencies if any
  • Useful description preserving user intent
  • Correct file name

Input

  • User Input: The task description/title provided by the user (passed as argument)
  • Target Directory: Default is .specs/tasks/draft/

Instructions

1. Ensure Directory Structure

Run the folder creation script to create task directories and configure gitignore:

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/create-folders.sh

This creates:

  • .specs/tasks/draft/ - New tasks awaiting analysis
  • .specs/tasks/todo/ - Tasks ready to implement
  • .specs/tasks/in-progress/ - Currently being worked on
  • .specs/tasks/done/ - Completed tasks
  • .specs/scratchpad/ - Temporary working files (gitignored)
  • .specs/analysis/ - Analysis of the task
  • .specs/reports/ - Reports of the task

Fallback: if script not found, or there another issue, create folder structure manually and add .specs/scratchpad/ to .gitignore

2. Analyze Input

  1. Parse the user's request:

    • Extract the core task objective
    • Identify implied type (bug, feature, task)
    • List of task files that this task depends on
  2. Clarify if ambiguous (only if truly unclear):

    • Is this a bug fix or new feature?
    • Any related tasks or dependencies? (if not proided, then assume none)

3. Structure the Task

  1. Create action-oriented title:

    • Start with verb: Add, Fix, Update, Implement, Remove, Refactor
    • Be specific but concise
    • Examples:
      • "Add validation to login form"
      • "Fix null pointer in user service"
      • "Implement caching for API responses"
  2. Determine type:

    TypeUse When
    featureNew functionality or capability
    bugSomething is broken or not working correctly
    refactorCode restructuring without changing behavior
    testAdding or updating tests
    docsDocumentation changes only
    choreMaintenance tasks, dependency updates
    ciCI/CD configuration changes

4. Generate File Name

  1. Create short name from the task title:

    • Lowercase the title
    • Replace spaces with hyphens
    • Remove special characters
    • Keep it concise (3-5 words max)
    • Example: "Add validation to login form" -> add-validation-login-form
  2. Form file name: <short-name>.<issue-type>.md

    • Examples:
      • add-validation-login-form.feature.md
      • fix-null-pointer-user-service.bug.md
      • restructure-auth-module.refactor.md
      • add-unit-tests-api.test.md
      • update-readme.docs.md
      • upgrade-dependencies.chore.md
      • add-github-actions.ci.md
  3. Verify uniqueness: Check .specs/tasks/draft/, .specs/tasks/todo/, .specs/tasks/in-progress/, and .specs/tasks/done/ for existing files with same name

5. Create Task File

Use Write tool to create .specs/tasks/todo/<short-name>.<issue-type>.md:

---
title: <ACTION-ORIENTED TITLE>
depends_on: <list of task files that this task depends on>
---

## Initial User Prompt

{EXACT user input as provided}

## Description

// Will be filled in future stages by business analyst

Constraints

  • Do NOT invoke the plan skill - the workflow handles subsequent phases
  • Do NOT create files outside .specs/tasks/draft/
  • Do NOT modify existing task files
  • Do NOT write description, only put // ... placeholder as specified in the task file.
  • Do NOT write depends_on section if no dependencies are provided.

Expected Output

Return to the orchestrator:

  1. Task file path: Full path to created file (e.g., .specs/tasks/todo/add-validation-login-form.feature.md)
  2. Generated title: The action-oriented title created
  3. Issue type: task, bug, or feature

Format:

Created task file: .specs/tasks/draft/<name>.<type>.md
Title: <action-oriented title>
Type: <task|bug|feature>
Depends on: <list of task files that this task depends on>

Success Criteria

  • Directories .specs/tasks/draft/, .specs/tasks/todo/, .specs/tasks/in-progress/, .specs/tasks/done/ exist
  • Task file created in .specs/tasks/draft/ with correct naming convention (<name>.<type>.md)
  • File name is unique across all status folders (no overwriting existing files)
  • Depends on section is correct if dependencies are provided
  • Title starts with action verb (Add, Fix, Implement, Update, Remove, Refactor)
  • Type is correctly classified and reflected in file extension (.feature.md, .bug.md, .refactor.md, .test.md, .docs.md, .chore.md, .ci.md)
  • Original user input preserved in "Initial User Prompt" section
  • Description is empty placeholder // Will be filled in future stages by business analyst

Examples

Test task (.specs/tasks/draft/add-unit-tests-auth.test.md):

---
title: Add unit tests for auth module
---

## Initial User Prompt

add tests for auth

## Description

// Will be filled in future stages by business analyst

Bug with context (.specs/tasks/draft/fix-login-timeout.bug.md):

---
title: Fix login timeout on slow connections
---

## Initial User Prompt

users getting 504 errors on slow wifi

## Description

// Will be filled in future stages by business analyst

Feature request (.specs/tasks/draft/implement-dark-mode.feature.md):

---
title: Implement dark mode toggle
---

## Initial User Prompt

add dark mode to settings page

## Description

// Will be filled in future stages by business analyst

Signals

GitHub stars
2k
Forks
157
Last commit
Aug 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
add-task
Source
github.com/neolabhq/context-engineering-kit