Meta-Development Script

This folder contains a meta-development script (dev.js) and related utilities that manage tasks for an AI-driven or traditional software development workflow. The script revolves around a tasks.json file, which holds an up-to-date list of development tasks.

Overview

In an AI-driven development process—particularly with tools like Cursor—it's beneficial to have a single source of truth for tasks. This script allows you to:

1. Parse a PRD or requirements document (.txt) to initialize a set of tasks (tasks.json).
2. List all existing tasks (IDs, statuses, titles).
3. Update tasks to accommodate new prompts or architecture changes (useful if you discover "implementation drift").
4. Generate individual task files (e.g., task_001.txt) for easy reference or to feed into an AI coding workflow.
5. Set task status—mark tasks as done, pending, or deferred based on progress.
6. Expand tasks with subtasks—break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable subtasks.
7. Research-backed subtask generation—use Perplexity AI to generate more informed and contextually relevant subtasks.
8. Clear subtasks—remove subtasks from specified tasks to allow regeneration or restructuring.
9. Show task details—display detailed information about a specific task and its subtasks.

Configuration

The script can be configured through environment variables in a .env file at the root of the project:

Required Configuration

• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: Your Anthropic API key for Claude

Optional Configuration

• MODEL: Specify which Claude model to use (default: "claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219")
• MAX_TOKENS: Maximum tokens for model responses (default: 4000)
• TEMPERATURE: Temperature for model responses (default: 0.7)
• PERPLEXITY_API_KEY: Your Perplexity API key for research-backed subtask generation
• PERPLEXITY_MODEL: Specify which Perplexity model to use (default: "sonar-medium-online")
• DEBUG: Enable debug logging (default: false)
• TASKMASTER_LOG_LEVEL: Log level - debug, info, warn, error (default: info)
• DEFAULT_SUBTASKS: Default number of subtasks when expanding (default: 3)
• DEFAULT_PRIORITY: Default priority for generated tasks (default: medium)
• PROJECT_NAME: Override default project name in tasks.json
• PROJECT_VERSION: Override default version in tasks.json

How It Works

1. tasks.json:

   • A JSON file at the project root containing an array of tasks (each with id, title, description, status, etc.).
   • The meta field can store additional info like the project's name, version, or reference to the PRD.
   • Tasks can have subtasks for more detailed implementation steps.
   • Dependencies are displayed with status indicators (✅ for completed, ⏱️ for pending) to easily track progress.

2. Script Commands You can run the script via:

   bashCopy

   node scripts/dev.js [command] [options]
   

   Available commands:

   • parse-prd: Generate tasks from a PRD document
   • list: Display all tasks with their status
   • update: Update tasks based on new information
   • generate: Create individual task files
   • set-status: Change a task's status
   • expand: Add subtasks to a task or all tasks
   • clear-subtasks: Remove subtasks from specified tasks
   • next: Determine the next task to work on based on dependencies
   • show: Display detailed information about a specific task

   Run node scripts/dev.js without arguments to see detailed usage information.

Listing Tasks

The list command allows you to view all tasks and their status:

# List all tasks
node scripts/dev.js list

# List tasks with a specific status
node scripts/dev.js list --status=pending

# List tasks and include their subtasks
node scripts/dev.js list --with-subtasks

# List tasks with a specific status and include their subtasks
node scripts/dev.js list --status=pending --with-subtasks

Updating Tasks

The update command allows you to update tasks based on new information or implementation changes:

# Update tasks starting from ID 4 with a new prompt
node scripts/dev.js update --from=4 --prompt="Refactor tasks from ID 4 onward to use Express instead of Fastify"

# Update all tasks (default from=1)
node scripts/dev.js update --prompt="Add authentication to all relevant tasks"

# With research-backed updates using Perplexity AI
node scripts/dev.js update --from=4 --prompt="Integrate OAuth 2.0" --research

# Specify a different tasks file
node scripts/dev.js update --file=custom-tasks.json --from=5 --prompt="Change database from MongoDB to PostgreSQL"

Notes:

• The --prompt parameter is required and should explain the changes or new context
• Only tasks that aren't marked as 'done' will be updated
• Tasks with ID >= the specified --from value will be updated
• The --research flag uses Perplexity AI for more informed updates when available

Updating a Single Task

The update-task command allows you to update a specific task instead of multiple tasks:

# Update a specific task with new information
node scripts/dev.js update-task --id=4 --prompt="Use JWT for authentication"

# With research-backed updates using Perplexity AI
node scripts/dev.js update-task --id=4 --prompt="Use JWT for authentication" --research

This command:

• Updates only the specified task rather than a range of tasks
• Provides detailed validation with helpful error messages
• Checks for required API keys when using research mode
• Falls back gracefully if Perplexity API is unavailable
• Preserves tasks that are already marked as "done"
• Includes contextual error handling for common issues

Setting Task Status

The set-status command allows you to change a task's status:

# Mark a task as done
node scripts/dev.js set-status --id=3 --status=done

# Mark a task as pending
node scripts/dev.js set-status --id=4 --status=pending

# Mark a specific subtask as done
node scripts/dev.js set-status --id=3.1 --status=done

# Mark multiple tasks at once
node scripts/dev.js set-status --id=1,2,3 --status=done

Notes:

• When marking a parent task as "done", all of its subtasks will automatically be marked as "done" as well
• Common status values are 'done', 'pending', and 'deferred', but any string is accepted
• You can specify multiple task IDs by separating them with commas
• Subtask IDs are specified using the format parentId.subtaskId (e.g., 3.1)
• Dependencies are updated to show completion status (✅ for completed, ⏱️ for pending) throughout the system

Expanding Tasks

The expand command allows you to break down tasks into subtasks for more detailed implementation:

# Expand a specific task with 3 subtasks (default)
node scripts/dev.js expand --id=3

# Expand a specific task with 5 subtasks
node scripts/dev.js expand --id=3 --num=5

# Expand a task with additional context
node scripts/dev.js expand --id=3 --prompt="Focus on security aspects"

# Expand all pending tasks that don't have subtasks
node scripts/dev.js expand --all

# Force regeneration of subtasks for all pending tasks
node scripts/dev.js expand --all --force

# Use Perplexity AI for research-backed subtask generation
node scripts/dev.js expand --id=3 --research

# Use Perplexity AI for research-backed generation on all pending tasks
node scripts/dev.js expand --all --research

Clearing Subtasks

The clear-subtasks command allows you to remove subtasks from specified tasks:

# Clear subtasks from a specific task
node scripts/dev.js clear-subtasks --id=3

# Clear subtasks from multiple tasks
node scripts/dev.js clear-subtasks --id=1,2,3

# Clear subtasks from all tasks
node scripts/dev.js clear-subtasks --all

Notes:

• After clearing subtasks, task files are automatically regenerated
• This is useful when you want to regenerate subtasks with a different approach
• Can be combined with the expand command to immediately generate new subtasks
• Works with both parent tasks and individual subtasks

AI Integration

The script integrates with two AI services:

1. Anthropic Claude: Used for parsing PRDs, generating tasks, and creating subtasks.
2. Perplexity AI: Used for research-backed subtask generation when the --research flag is specified.

The Perplexity integration uses the OpenAI client to connect to Perplexity's API, which provides enhanced research capabilities for generating more informed subtasks. If the Perplexity API is unavailable or encounters an error, the script will automatically fall back to using Anthropic's Claude.

To use the Perplexity integration:

1. Obtain a Perplexity API key
2. Add PERPLEXITY_API_KEY to your .env file
3. Optionally specify PERPLEXITY_MODEL in your .env file (default: "sonar-medium-online")
4. Use the --research flag with the expand command

Logging

The script supports different logging levels controlled by the TASKMASTER_LOG_LEVEL environment variable:

• debug: Detailed information, typically useful for troubleshooting
• info: Confirmation that things are working as expected (default)
• warn: Warning messages that don't prevent execution
• error: Error messages that might prevent execution

When DEBUG=true is set, debug logs are also written to a dev-debug.log file in the project root.

Managing Task Dependencies

The add-dependency and remove-dependency commands allow you to manage task dependencies:

# Add a dependency to a task
node scripts/dev.js add-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id>

# Remove a dependency from a task
node scripts/dev.js remove-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id>

These commands:

1. Allow precise dependency management:

   • Add dependencies between tasks with automatic validation
   • Remove dependencies when they're no longer needed
   • Update task files automatically after changes

2. Include validation checks:

   • Prevent circular dependencies (a task depending on itself)
   • Prevent duplicate dependencies
   • Verify that both tasks exist before adding/removing dependencies
   • Check if dependencies exist before attempting to remove them

3. Provide clear feedback:

   • Success messages confirm when dependencies are added/removed
   • Error messages explain why operations failed (if applicable)

4. Automatically update task files:

   • Regenerates task files to reflect dependency changes
   • Ensures tasks and their files stay synchronized

Dependency Validation and Fixing

The script provides two specialized commands to ensure task dependencies remain valid and properly maintained:

Validating Dependencies

The validate-dependencies command allows you to check for invalid dependencies without making changes:

# Check for invalid dependencies in tasks.json
node scripts/dev.js validate-dependencies

# Specify a different tasks file
node scripts/dev.js validate-dependencies --file=custom-tasks.json

This command:

• Scans all tasks and subtasks for non-existent dependencies
• Identifies potential self-dependencies (tasks referencing themselves)
• Reports all found issues without modifying files
• Provides a comprehensive summary of dependency state
• Gives detailed statistics on task dependencies

Use this command to audit your task structure before applying fixes.

Fixing Dependencies

The fix-dependencies command proactively finds and fixes all invalid dependencies:

# Find and fix all invalid dependencies
node scripts/dev.js fix-dependencies

# Specify a different tasks file
node scripts/dev.js fix-dependencies --file=custom-tasks.json

This command:

1. Validates all dependencies across tasks and subtasks
2. Automatically removes:
   • References to non-existent tasks and subtasks
   • Self-dependencies (tasks depending on themselves)
3. Fixes issues in both:
   • The tasks.json data structure
   • Individual task files during regeneration
4. Provides a detailed report:
   • Types of issues fixed (non-existent vs. self-dependencies)
   • Number of tasks affected (tasks vs. subtasks)
   • Where fixes were applied (tasks.json vs. task files)
   • List of all individual fixes made

This is especially useful when tasks have been deleted or IDs have changed, potentially breaking dependency chains.

Analyzing Task Complexity

The analyze-complexity command allows you to automatically assess task complexity and generate expansion recommendations:

# Analyze all tasks and generate expansion recommendations
node scripts/dev.js analyze-complexity

# Specify a custom output file
node scripts/dev.js analyze-complexity --output=custom-report.json

# Override the model used for analysis
node scripts/dev.js analyze-complexity --model=claude-3-opus-20240229

# Set a custom complexity threshold (1-10)
node scripts/dev.js analyze-complexity --threshold=6

# Use Perplexity AI for research-backed complexity analysis
node scripts/dev.js analyze-complexity --research

Notes:

• The command uses Claude to analyze each task's complexity (or Perplexity with --research flag)
• Tasks are scored on a scale of 1-10
• Each task receives a recommended number of subtasks based on DEFAULT_SUBTASKS configuration
• The default output path is scripts/task-complexity-report.json
• Each task in the analysis includes a ready-to-use expansionCommand that can be copied directly to the terminal or executed programmatically
• Tasks with complexity scores below the threshold (default: 5) may not need expansion
• The research flag provides more contextual and informed complexity assessments

Integration with Expand Command

The expand command automatically checks for and uses complexity analysis if available:

# Expand a task, using complexity report recommendations if available
node scripts/dev.js expand --id=8

# Expand all tasks, prioritizing by complexity score if a report exists
node scripts/dev.js expand --all

# Override recommendations with explicit values
node scripts/dev.js expand --id=8 --num=5 --prompt="Custom prompt"

When a complexity report exists:

• The expand command will use the recommended subtask count from the report (unless overridden)
• It will use the tailored expansion prompt from the report (unless a custom prompt is provided)
• When using --all, tasks are sorted by complexity score (highest first)
• The --research flag is preserved from the complexity analysis to expansion

The output report structure is:

{
 "meta": {
  "generatedAt": "2023-06-15T12:34:56.789Z",
  "tasksAnalyzed": 20,
  "thresholdScore": 5,
  "projectName": "Your Project Name",
  "usedResearch": true
 },
 "complexityAnalysis": [
  {
   "taskId": 8,
   "taskTitle": "Develop Implementation Drift Handling",
   "complexityScore": 9.5,
   "recommendedSubtasks": 6,
   "expansionPrompt": "Create subtasks that handle detecting...",
   "reasoning": "This task requires sophisticated logic...",
   "expansionCommand": "node scripts/dev.js expand --id=8 --num=6 --prompt=\"Create subtasks...\" --research"
  }
  // More tasks sorted by complexity score (highest first)
 ]
}

Finding the Next Task

The next command helps you determine which task to work on next based on dependencies and status:

# Show the next task to work on
node scripts/dev.js next

# Specify a different tasks file
node scripts/dev.js next --file=custom-tasks.json

This command:

1. Identifies all eligible tasks - pending or in-progress tasks whose dependencies are all satisfied (marked as done)
2. Prioritizes these eligible tasks by:
   • Priority level (high > medium > low)
   • Number of dependencies (fewer dependencies first)
   • Task ID (lower ID first)
3. Displays comprehensive information about the selected task:
   • Basic task details (ID, title, priority, dependencies)
   • Detailed description and implementation details
   • Subtasks if they exist
4. Provides contextual suggested actions:
   • Command to mark the task as in-progress
   • Command to mark the task as done when completed
   • Commands for working with subtasks (update status or expand)

This feature ensures you're always working on the most appropriate task based on your project's current state and dependency structure.

Showing Task Details

The show command allows you to view detailed information about a specific task:

# Show details for a specific task
node scripts/dev.js show 1

# Alternative syntax with --id option
node scripts/dev.js show --id=1

# Show details for a subtask
node scripts/dev.js show --id=1.2

# Specify a different tasks file
node scripts/dev.js show 3 --file=custom-tasks.json

This command:

1. Displays comprehensive information about the specified task:
   • Basic task details (ID, title, priority, dependencies, status)
   • Full description and implementation details
   • Test strategy information
   • Subtasks if they exist
2. Handles both regular tasks and subtasks:
   • For regular tasks, shows all subtasks and their status
   • For subtasks, shows the parent task relationship
3. Provides contextual suggested actions:
   • Commands to update the task status
   • Commands for working with subtasks
   • For subtasks, provides a link to view the parent task

This command is particularly useful when you need to examine a specific task in detail before implementing it or when you want to check the status and details of a particular task.

Enhanced Error Handling

The script now includes improved error handling throughout all commands:

1. Detailed Validation:

   • Required parameters (like task IDs and prompts) are validated early
   • File existence is checked with customized errors for common scenarios
   • Parameter type conversion is handled with clear error messages

2. Contextual Error Messages:

   • Task not found errors include suggestions to run the list command
   • API key errors include reminders to check environment variables
   • Invalid ID format errors show the expected format

3. Command-Specific Help Displays:

   • When validation fails, detailed help for the specific command is shown
   • Help displays include usage examples and parameter descriptions
   • Formatted in clear, color-coded boxes with examples

4. Helpful Error Recovery:

   • Detailed troubleshooting steps for common errors
   • Graceful fallbacks for missing optional dependencies
   • Clear instructions for how to fix configuration issues

Version Checking

The script now automatically checks for updates without slowing down execution:

1. Background Version Checking:

   • Non-blocking version checks run in the background while commands execute
   • Actual command execution isn't delayed by version checking
   • Update notifications appear after command completion

2. Update Notifications:

   • When a newer version is available, a notification is displayed
   • Notifications include current version, latest version, and update command
   • Formatted in an attention-grabbing box with clear instructions

3. Implementation Details:

   • Uses semantic versioning to compare current and latest versions
   • Fetches version information from npm registry with a timeout
   • Gracefully handles connection issues without affecting command execution

Subtask Management

The script now includes enhanced commands for managing subtasks:

Adding Subtasks

# Add a subtask to an existing task
node scripts/dev.js add-subtask --parent=5 --title="Implement login UI" --description="Create login form"

# Convert an existing task to a subtask
node scripts/dev.js add-subtask --parent=5 --task-id=8

# Add a subtask with dependencies
node scripts/dev.js add-subtask --parent=5 --title="Authentication middleware" --dependencies=5.1,5.2

# Skip regenerating task files
node scripts/dev.js add-subtask --parent=5 --title="Login API route" --skip-generate

Key features:

• Create new subtasks with detailed properties or convert existing tasks
• Define dependencies between subtasks
• Set custom status for new subtasks
• Provides next-step suggestions after creation

Removing Subtasks

# Remove a subtask
node scripts/dev.js remove-subtask --id=5.2

# Remove multiple subtasks
node scripts/dev.js remove-subtask --id=5.2,5.3,5.4

# Convert a subtask to a standalone task
node scripts/dev.js remove-subtask --id=5.2 --convert

# Skip regenerating task files
node scripts/dev.js remove-subtask --id=5.2 --skip-generate

Key features:

• Remove subtasks individually or in batches
• Optionally convert subtasks to standalone tasks
• Control whether task files are regenerated
• Provides detailed success messages and next steps