Universal Task Creator Skill

Universal Task Creator

Worker that generates task documents and creates Linear issues for implementation, refactoring, or test tasks as instructed by orchestrators.

Purpose & Scope

Owns all task templates and creation logic (Linear + kanban updates)
Generates full task documents per type (implementation/refactoring/test)
Enforces type-specific hard rules (no new tests in impl, regression strategy for refactoring, risk matrix and limits for test)
Drops NFR bullets if supplied; only functional scope becomes tasks
Never decides scope itself; uses orchestrator input (plans/results)

Task Storage Mode

| Aspect | Linear Mode | File Mode | |--------|-------------|-----------| | Create task | create_issue(parentId, state: "Backlog") | Write("docs/tasks/epics/.../tasks/T{NNN}-{slug}.md") | | Task ID | Linear issue ID (e.g., PROJ-123) | File-based (e.g., T001, T002) | | Status | Linear state field | **Status:** Backlog in file | | Kanban | Auto-synced | Must update kanban_board.md manually |

File Mode task creation:

Determine next task number: count existing T*.md files + 1
Generate filename: T{NNN}-{slug}.md (e.g., T003-implement-auth-service.md)
Write task file using template
Add link to kanban_board.md under Story in Backlog section

Invocation (who/when)

ln-300-task-coordinator: CREATE (no tasks) or ADD (appendMode) for implementation tasks.
Orchestrators (other groups): Create refactoring or test tasks as needed.
Never called directly by users.

Inputs

Common: taskType, teamId, Story data (id/title/description with AC, Technical Notes, Context).
Implementation CREATE: idealPlan (1-6 tasks), guideLinks.
Implementation ADD: appendMode=true, newTaskDescription, guideLinks.
Refactoring: codeQualityIssues, refactoringPlan, affectedComponents.
Test: manualTestResults, testPlan (E2E 2-5, Integration 0-8, Unit 0-15, Priority ≤15), infra/doc/cleanup items.

Workflow (concise)

DRY Check (Codebase Scan): For EACH Task in plan:
- Extract keywords: function type, component name, domain from Task description
- Scan codebase: Grep(pattern="[keyword]", path="src/", output_mode="files_with_matches") for similar functionality
- IF similar code found (≥70% keyword match):
  - Add ⚠️ DRY Warning section to Task description BEFORE Implementation Plan:
```
> [!WARNING]
> **DRY Check:** Similar functionality detected in codebase
> - Existing: src/services/auth/validateToken.ts:15-42
> - Similarity: 85% (function name, domain match)
> - **Recommendation:** Review existing implementation before creating new code
>   - Option 1: Reuse existing function (import and call)
>   - Option 2: Extend existing function with new parameters
>   - Option 3: Justify why reimplementation needed (document in Technical Approach)
```
- IF no duplication → Proceed without warning
- Rationale: Prevents code duplication BEFORE implementation starts
Template select: Load template based on taskType (see "Template Loading" section).
Generate docs: Fill sections for each task in plan/request using provided data, guide links, and DRY warnings.
Validate type rules: Stop with error if violation (see table below).
Preview: Show titles/goals/estimates/AC/components, DRY warnings count, and totals.
Confirmation required: Proceed only after explicit confirm.
Create issues: Call Linear create_issue with parentId=Story, state=Backlog; capture URLs.
Update kanban: Add under Story in Backlog with correct Epic/indent.
Return summary: URLs, counts, hours, guide link count, DRY warnings count; next steps (validator/executor).

Type Rules (must pass)

| taskType | Hard rule | What to verify | |----------|-----------|----------------| | implementation | No new test creation | Scan text for "write/create/add tests" etc.; allow only updating existing tests | | refactoring | Regression strategy required | Issues listed with severity; plan in 3 phases; regression strategy (Baseline/Verify/Failure); preserve functionality | | test | Risk-based plan required | Priority ≤15 scenarios; E2E 2-5, Integration 0-8, Unit 0-15, Total 10-28; no framework/library/DB tests |

Critical Notes

MANDATORY: Always pass state: "Backlog" when calling create_issue. Linear defaults to team's default status (often "Postponed") if not specified.
DRY Check: Scan codebase for EACH Task before generation. If similar code found (≥70% keyword match) → add ⚠️ DRY Warning section with 3 options (reuse/extend/justify). Skip scan for test tasks (no implementation code).
Foundation-First order for implementation is preserved from orchestrator; do not reorder.
No code snippets; keep to approach, APIs, and pseudocode only.
Documentation updates must be included in Affected Components/Docs sections.
Language preservation: keep Story language (EN/RU) in generated tasks.

DRY Warning Examples:

Example 1: Email validation (HIGH similarity - 90%)
> [!WARNING]
> **DRY Check:** Similar functionality detected
> - Existing: src/utils/validators/email.ts:validateEmail()
> - Similarity: 90% (exact function name + domain match)
> - **Recommendation:** REUSE existing function (Option 1)

Example 2: User authentication (MEDIUM similarity - 75%)
> [!WARNING]
> **DRY Check:** Partial functionality exists
> - Existing: src/services/auth/login.ts:authenticateUser()
> - Similarity: 75% (domain match, different scope)
> - **Recommendation:** Review existing code, consider EXTEND (Option 2) or JUSTIFY new implementation (Option 3)

Example 3: No duplication (skip warning)
- No similar code found → Proceed without DRY warning

Definition of Done

DRY Check complete: Codebase scanned for EACH Task; similar code detected (Grep); DRY warnings added to Task descriptions if ≥70% similarity found.
Context check complete (existing components/schema/deps/docs reviewed; conflicts flagged).
Documents generated with correct template, full sections, and DRY warnings (if applicable).
Type validation passed (no test creation for impl; regression strategy for refactor; risk matrix/limits for test).
Preview shown with DRY warnings count and user confirmed.
Linear issues created with parentId and URLs captured; state=Backlog.
kanban_board.md updated under correct Epic/Story with indentation.
Summary returned with URLs, totals, DRY warnings count, and next steps.

Template Loading

Templates: task_template_implementation.md, refactoring_task_template.md, test_task_template.md

Template Selection by taskType:

implementation → task_template_implementation.md
refactoring → refactoring_task_template.md
test → test_task_template.md

Loading Logic (for each template):

Check if docs/templates/{template}.md exists in target project
IF NOT EXISTS: a. Create docs/templates/ directory if missing b. Copy shared/templates/{template}.md → docs/templates/{template}.md c. Replace placeholders in the LOCAL copy:
- {{TEAM_ID}} → from docs/tasks/kanban_board.md
- {{DOCS_PATH}} → "docs" (standard)
Use LOCAL copy (docs/templates/{template}.md) for all operations

Rationale: Templates are copied to target project on first use, ensuring:

Project independence (no dependency on skills repository)
Customization possible (project can modify local templates)
Placeholder replacement happens once at copy time

Reference Files

Templates (centralized): shared/templates/task_template_implementation.md, shared/templates/refactoring_task_template.md, shared/templates/test_task_template.md
Local copies: docs/templates/*.md (in target project)
Kanban format: docs/tasks/kanban_board.md

Version: 3.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-12-23

Agent Skills: Universal Task Creator

Skill Files