Generating a Task List from Requirements

Quick Reference

• Task 0.0: Always create feature branch first
• Test pattern: Write test → Run fail → Implement → Run pass (TDD quadruplet)
• Output: /tasks/tasks-[feature-name].md
• Auto-detect: Test command, source directory, test directory, and doc tool.
• Gate: Test command must pass before full generation

Workflow

Step 1: Project Detection

CRITICAL RULE: Explicitly detect and list the project's conventions before generating tasks:

1. Test Command Detection — Use the lookup table in Step 2 with the concrete commands below.
2. Directory Detection — Identify source and test directories:

   # Source dir candidates
   ls -d src/ lib/ app/ 2>/dev/null | head -1
   # Test dir candidates
   ls -d tests/ test/ spec/ __tests__/ 2>/dev/null | head -1

3. Documentation Tool Detection — Identify the documentation tool in use:

   # Check for common doc tools
   grep -q 'typedoc\|jsdoc' package.json 2>/dev/null && echo typedoc
   grep -q 'sphinx\|mkdocs' pyproject.toml requirements.txt 2>/dev/null && echo sphinx/mkdocs
   ls Doxyfile rustdoc 2>/dev/null

Step 2: Validation Checkpoint

CRITICAL: Verify the detected test command works before proceeding. Use the TEST_COMMANDS.md lookup table.

Run the detected command. If it fails, ask the user to confirm: "Detected test command: [command]. Is this correct?" Only proceed if tests execute successfully.

Step 3: Requirements Analysis

Break down the feature/PRD into implementation tasks:

1. Identify User-Visible Behaviors

2. Apply First-Slice Heuristics — Choose the smallest slice that proves behavior:

   Project Type	First Slice
   Web App / API Service	Request/integration test
   Service / Domain logic	Service or unit test
   Background Job	Job/worker test
   External Integration	Client/fetcher layer test
   Library / SDK	Public API test

3. Create Parent Task Groups — Group related behaviors with TDD quadruplets.

Step 4: Generate Task List

Create /tasks/tasks-[feature-name].md using the TASK_TEMPLATES.md template.

Step 5: Final Validation

1. Review Generated Tasks

   • Are all user behaviors covered?
   • Is the TDD quadruplet pattern consistent?
   • Are file paths correct for detected directories?

2. Verify Test Integration

   • Test command references are correct.
   • File paths match project structure.