claude-task-master/docs/command-reference.md

Task Master Command Reference

Here's a comprehensive reference of all available commands:

Parse PRD

# Parse a PRD file and generate tasks
task-master parse-prd <prd-file.txt>

# Limit the number of tasks generated
task-master parse-prd <prd-file.txt> --num-tasks=10

List Tasks

# List all tasks
task-master list

# List tasks with a specific status
task-master list --status=<status>

# List tasks with subtasks
task-master list --with-subtasks

# List tasks with a specific status and include subtasks
task-master list --status=<status> --with-subtasks

Show Next Task

# Show the next task to work on based on dependencies and status
task-master next

Show Specific Task

# Show details of a specific task
task-master show <id>
# or
task-master show --id=<id>

# View multiple tasks with comma-separated IDs
task-master show 1,3,5
task-master show 44,55

# View a specific subtask (e.g., subtask 2 of task 1)
task-master show 1.2

# Mix parent tasks and subtasks
task-master show 44,44.1,55,55.2

Multiple Task Display:

• Single ID: Shows detailed task view with full implementation details
• Multiple IDs: Shows compact summary table with interactive action menu
• Action Menu: Provides copy-paste ready commands for batch operations:
  • Mark all as in-progress/done
  • Show next available task
  • Expand all tasks (generate subtasks)
  • View dependency relationships
  • Generate task files

Update Tasks

# Update tasks from a specific ID and provide context
task-master update --from=<id> --prompt="<prompt>"

# Update tasks using research role
task-master update --from=<id> --prompt="<prompt>" --research

Update a Specific Task

# Update a single task by ID with new information
task-master update-task --id=<id> --prompt="<prompt>"

# Use research-backed updates
task-master update-task --id=<id> --prompt="<prompt>" --research

Update a Subtask

# Append additional information to a specific subtask
task-master update-subtask --id=<parentId.subtaskId> --prompt="<prompt>"

# Example: Add details about API rate limiting to subtask 2 of task 5
task-master update-subtask --id=5.2 --prompt="Add rate limiting of 100 requests per minute"

# Use research-backed updates
task-master update-subtask --id=<parentId.subtaskId> --prompt="<prompt>" --research

Unlike the update-task command which replaces task information, the update-subtask command appends new information to the existing subtask details, marking it with a timestamp. This is useful for iteratively enhancing subtasks while preserving the original content.

Generate Task Files

# Generate individual task files from tasks.json
task-master generate

Set Task Status

# Set status of a single task
task-master set-status --id=<id> --status=<status>

# Set status for multiple tasks
task-master set-status --id=1,2,3 --status=<status>

# Set status for subtasks
task-master set-status --id=1.1,1.2 --status=<status>

When marking a task as "done", all of its subtasks will automatically be marked as "done" as well.

Expand Tasks

# Expand a specific task with subtasks
task-master expand --id=<id> --num=<number>

# Expand with additional context
task-master expand --id=<id> --prompt="<context>"

# Expand all pending tasks
task-master expand --all

# Force regeneration of subtasks for tasks that already have them
task-master expand --all --force

# Research-backed subtask generation for a specific task
task-master expand --id=<id> --research

# Research-backed generation for all tasks
task-master expand --all --research

Clear Subtasks

# Clear subtasks from a specific task
task-master clear-subtasks --id=<id>

# Clear subtasks from multiple tasks
task-master clear-subtasks --id=1,2,3

# Clear subtasks from all tasks
task-master clear-subtasks --all

Analyze Task Complexity

# Analyze complexity of all tasks
task-master analyze-complexity

# Save report to a custom location
task-master analyze-complexity --output=my-report.json

# Use a specific LLM model
task-master analyze-complexity --model=claude-3-opus-20240229

# Set a custom complexity threshold (1-10)
task-master analyze-complexity --threshold=6

# Use an alternative tasks file
task-master analyze-complexity --file=custom-tasks.json

# Use Perplexity AI for research-backed complexity analysis
task-master analyze-complexity --research

View Complexity Report

# Display the task complexity analysis report
task-master complexity-report

# View a report at a custom location
task-master complexity-report --file=my-report.json

Managing Task Dependencies

# Add a dependency to a task
task-master add-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id>

# Remove a dependency from a task
task-master remove-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id>

# Validate dependencies without fixing them
task-master validate-dependencies

# Find and fix invalid dependencies automatically
task-master fix-dependencies

Move Tasks

# Move a task or subtask to a new position
task-master move --from=<id> --to=<id>

# Examples:
# Move task to become a subtask
task-master move --from=5 --to=7

# Move subtask to become a standalone task
task-master move --from=5.2 --to=7

# Move subtask to a different parent
task-master move --from=5.2 --to=7.3

# Reorder subtasks within the same parent
task-master move --from=5.2 --to=5.4

# Move a task to a new ID position (creates placeholder if doesn't exist)
task-master move --from=5 --to=25

# Move multiple tasks at once (must have the same number of IDs)
task-master move --from=10,11,12 --to=16,17,18

Add a New Task

# Add a new task using AI (main role)
task-master add-task --prompt="Description of the new task"

# Add a new task using AI (research role)
task-master add-task --prompt="Description of the new task" --research

# Add a task with dependencies
task-master add-task --prompt="Description" --dependencies=1,2,3

# Add a task with priority
task-master add-task --prompt="Description" --priority=high

Tag Management

Task Master supports tagged task lists for multi-context task management. Each tag represents a separate, isolated context for tasks.

# List all available tags with task counts and status
task-master tags

# List tags with detailed metadata
task-master tags --show-metadata

# Create a new empty tag
task-master add-tag <tag-name>

# Create a new tag with a description
task-master add-tag <tag-name> --description="Feature development tasks"

# Create a tag based on current git branch name
task-master add-tag --from-branch

# Create a new tag by copying tasks from the current tag
task-master add-tag <new-tag> --copy-from-current

# Create a new tag by copying from a specific tag
task-master add-tag <new-tag> --copy-from=<source-tag>

# Switch to a different tag context
task-master use-tag <tag-name>

# Rename an existing tag
task-master rename-tag <old-name> <new-name>

# Copy an entire tag to create a new one
task-master copy-tag <source-tag> <target-tag>

# Copy a tag with a description
task-master copy-tag <source-tag> <target-tag> --description="Copied for testing"

# Delete a tag and all its tasks (with confirmation)
task-master delete-tag <tag-name>

# Delete a tag without confirmation prompt
task-master delete-tag <tag-name> --yes

Tag Context:

• All task operations (list, show, add, update, etc.) work within the currently active tag
• Use --tag=<name> flag with most commands to operate on a specific tag context
• Tags provide complete isolation - tasks in different tags don't interfere with each other

Initialize a Project

# Initialize a new project with Task Master structure
task-master init

# Initialize a new project applying specific rules
task-master init --rules cursor,windsurf,vscode

• The --rules flag allows you to specify one or more rule profiles (e.g., cursor, roo, windsurf, cline) to apply during initialization.
• If omitted, all available rule profiles are installed by default (claude, cline, codex, cursor, roo, trae, vscode, windsurf).
• You can use multiple comma-separated profiles in a single command.

Manage Rules

# Add rule profiles to your project
# (e.g., .roo/rules, .windsurf/rules)
task-master rules add <profile1,profile2,...>

# Remove rule sets from your project
task-master rules remove <profile1,profile2,...>

# Remove rule sets bypassing safety check (dangerous)
task-master rules remove <profile1,profile2,...> --force

# Launch interactive rules setup to select rules
# (does not re-initialize project or ask about shell aliases)
task-master rules setup

• Adding rules creates the profile and rules directory (e.g., .roo/rules) and copies/initializes the rules.
• Removing rules deletes the profile and rules directory and associated MCP config.
• Safety Check: Attempting to remove rule profiles will trigger a critical warning requiring confirmation. Use --force to bypass.
• You can use multiple comma-separated rules in a single command.
• The setup action launches an interactive prompt to select which rules to apply. The list of rules is always current with the available profiles, and no manual updates are needed. This command does not re-initialize your project or affect shell aliases; it only manages rules interactively.

Examples:

task-master rules add windsurf,roo,vscode
task-master rules remove windsurf
task-master rules setup

Interactive Rules Setup

You can launch the interactive rules setup at any time with:

task-master rules setup

This command opens a prompt where you can select which rule profiles (e.g., Cursor, Roo, Windsurf) you want to add to your project. This does not re-initialize your project or ask about shell aliases; it only manages rules.

• Use this command to add rule profiles interactively after project creation.
• The same interactive prompt is also used during init if you don't specify rules with --rules.

Configure AI Models

# View current AI model configuration and API key status
task-master models

# Set the primary model for generation/updates (provider inferred if known)
task-master models --set-main=claude-3-opus-20240229

# Set the research model
task-master models --set-research=sonar-pro

# Set the fallback model
task-master models --set-fallback=claude-3-haiku-20240307

# Set a custom Ollama model for the main role
task-master models --set-main=my-local-llama --ollama

# Set a custom OpenRouter model for the research role
task-master models --set-research=google/gemini-pro --openrouter

# Run interactive setup to configure models, including custom ones
task-master models --setup

Configuration is stored in .taskmaster/config.json in your project root (legacy .taskmasterconfig files are automatically migrated). API keys are still managed via .env or MCP configuration. Use task-master models without flags to see available built-in models. Use --setup for a guided experience.

State is stored in .taskmaster/state.json in your project root. It maintains important information like the current tag. Do not manually edit this file.

Research Fresh Information

# Perform AI-powered research with fresh, up-to-date information
task-master research "What are the latest best practices for JWT authentication in Node.js?"

# Research with specific task context
task-master research "How to implement OAuth 2.0?" --id=15,16

# Research with file context for code-aware suggestions
task-master research "How can I optimize this API implementation?" --files=src/api.js,src/auth.js

# Research with custom context and project tree
task-master research "Best practices for error handling" --context="We're using Express.js" --tree

# Research with different detail levels
task-master research "React Query v5 migration guide" --detail=high

# Disable interactive follow-up questions (useful for scripting, is the default for MCP)
# Use a custom tasks file location
task-master research "How to implement this feature?" --file=custom-tasks.json

# Research within a specific tag context
task-master research "Database optimization strategies" --tag=feature-branch

# Save research conversation to .taskmaster/docs/research/ directory (for later reference)
task-master research "Database optimization techniques" --save-file

# Save key findings directly to a task or subtask (recommended for actionable insights)
task-master research "How to implement OAuth?" --save-to=15
task-master research "API optimization strategies" --save-to=15.2

# Combine context gathering with automatic saving of findings
task-master research "Best practices for this implementation" --id=15,16 --files=src/auth.js --save-to=15.3

The research command is a powerful exploration tool that provides:

• Fresh information beyond AI knowledge cutoffs
• Project-aware context from your tasks and files
• Automatic task discovery using fuzzy search
• Multiple detail levels (low, medium, high)
• Token counting and cost tracking
• Interactive follow-up questions for deep exploration
• Flexible save options (commit findings to tasks or preserve conversations)
• Iterative discovery through continuous questioning and refinement

Use research frequently to:

• Get current best practices before implementing features
• Research new technologies and libraries
• Find solutions to complex problems
• Validate your implementation approaches
• Stay updated with latest security recommendations

Interactive Features (CLI):

• Follow-up questions that maintain conversation context and allow deep exploration
• Save menu during or after research with flexible options:
  • Save to task/subtask: Commit key findings and actionable insights (recommended)
  • Save to file: Preserve entire conversation for later reference if needed
  • Continue exploring: Ask more follow-up questions to dig deeper
• Automatic file naming with timestamps and query-based slugs when saving conversations