⚑ Task Master AI - Quick Reference

AI-Powered Task Management for Development Projects β€’ github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master

πŸš€ Setup & Init

task-master init Initialize new project with Task Master
task-master parse-prd <file> Parse PRD and generate initial tasks
task-master generate Generate task files from tasks.json

πŸ“‹ View Tasks

task-master list List all tasks with status overview
task-master list --status=<status> Filter tasks by status
task-master list --with-subtasks Include subtasks in listing
task-master next Show next task to work on
task-master show <id> Show specific task details
task-master show 1.2 View specific subtask

✏️ Update Tasks

task-master update --from=<id> --prompt="..." Update from specific task
task-master update-task --id=<id> --prompt="..." Update single task
task-master update-subtask --id=<id> --prompt="..." Append to subtask

🎯 Task Status

task-master set-status --id=<id> --status=<status> Set single task status
task-master set-status --id=1,2,3 --status=<status> Bulk status update
task-master set-status --id=1.1,1.2 --status=<status> Update subtask status

πŸ” Expand & Research

task-master expand --id=<id> --num=<n> Expand task with subtasks
task-master expand --all Expand all pending tasks
task-master expand --id=<id> --research Research-backed expansion
task-master expand --all --force Force regenerate subtasks

πŸ“Š Analysis

task-master analyze-complexity Analyze all task complexity
task-master complexity-report Display complexity report
task-master analyze-complexity --research Research-backed analysis
task-master analyze-complexity --threshold=6 Custom complexity threshold

πŸ”— Dependencies

task-master add-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id> Add task dependency
task-master remove-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id> Remove dependency
task-master validate-dependencies Validate dependencies
task-master fix-dependencies Auto-fix dependencies

🧹 Maintenance

task-master clear-subtasks --id=<id> Clear subtasks from task
task-master clear-subtasks --all Clear all subtasks
task-master add-task --prompt="..." Add new task with AI
task-master add-task --prompt="..." --dependencies=1,2 Add task with dependencies

πŸ’¬ MCP Chat Commands

Initialize taskmaster-ai in my project Set up Task Master
Parse my PRD at .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt Parse requirements
What's the next task I should work on? Get next task
Help me implement task 3 Get AI assistance
Show me tasks 1, 3, 5 View multiple tasks
Expand task 4 Break into subtasks
Research best practices for [topic] Research-backed info
Change main model to claude-code/sonnet Switch AI model

πŸŽ›οΈ Research Flag

  • Add --research to update-task, update-subtask, expand, or analyze-complexity
  • Uses Perplexity AI for research-backed enhancements
  • Requires PERPLEXITY_API_KEY in config
  • Example: task-master expand --id=5 --research

βš™οΈ Quick Tips

  • Task IDs: Use comma-separated: 1,2,3
  • Subtasks: Reference as parentId.subtaskId (e.g., 5.2)
  • Statuses: pending, in-progress, completed, review, deferred, cancelled
  • MCP Mode: Use natural language in editor chat
  • Claude Code: No API key needed with local Claude