claude-task-master/packages/claude-code-plugin/commands/remove-task.md

Remove a task permanently from the project.

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS (task ID)

Delete a task and handle all its relationships properly.

Task Removal

Permanently removes a task while maintaining project integrity.

Argument Parsing

• "remove task 5"
• "delete 5"
• "5" → remove task 5
• Can include "-y" for auto-confirm

Execution

task-master remove-task --id=<id> [-y]

Pre-Removal Analysis

1. Task Details

   • Current status
   • Work completed
   • Time invested
   • Associated data

2. Relationship Check

   • Tasks that depend on this
   • Dependencies this task has
   • Subtasks that will be removed
   • Blocking implications

3. Impact Assessment

   Task Removal Impact
   ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
   Task: #5 "Implement authentication" (in-progress)
   Status: 60% complete (~8 hours work)
   
   Will affect:
   - 3 tasks depend on this (will be blocked)
   - Has 4 subtasks (will be deleted)
   - Part of critical path
   
   ⚠️  This action cannot be undone
   

Smart Warnings

• Warn if task is in-progress
• Show dependent tasks that will be blocked
• Highlight if part of critical path
• Note any completed work being lost

Removal Process

1. Show comprehensive impact
2. Require confirmation (unless -y)
3. Update dependent task references
4. Remove task and subtasks
5. Clean up orphaned dependencies
6. Log removal with timestamp

Alternative Actions

Suggest before deletion:

• Mark as cancelled instead
• Convert to documentation
• Archive task data
• Transfer work to another task

Post-Removal

• List affected tasks
• Show broken dependencies
• Update project statistics
• Suggest dependency fixes
• Recalculate timeline

Example Flows

/taskmaster:remove-task 5
→ Task #5 is in-progress with 8 hours logged
→ 3 other tasks depend on this
→ Suggestion: Mark as cancelled instead?
Remove anyway? (y/n)

/taskmaster:remove-task 5 -y
→ Removed: Task #5 and 4 subtasks
→ Updated: 3 task dependencies
→ Warning: Tasks #7, #8, #9 now have missing dependency
→ Run /taskmaster:fix-dependencies to resolve

Safety Features

• Confirmation required
• Impact preview
• Removal logging
• Suggest alternatives
• No cascade delete of dependents