This commit updates all relevant documentation (READMEs, docs/*, .cursor/rules) to accurately reflect the finalized unified AI service architecture and the new configuration system (.taskmasterconfig + .env/mcp.json). It also includes the final code cleanup steps related to the refactoring.
Key Changes:
1. **Documentation Updates:**
* Revised `README.md`, `README-task-master.md`, `assets/scripts_README.md`, `docs/configuration.md`, and `docs/tutorial.md` to explain the new configuration split (.taskmasterconfig vs .env/mcp.json).
* Updated MCP configuration examples in READMEs and tutorials to only include API keys in the `env` block.
* Added/updated examples for using the `--research` flag in `docs/command-reference.md`, `docs/examples.md`, and `docs/tutorial.md`.
* Updated `.cursor/rules/ai_services.mdc`, `.cursor/rules/architecture.mdc`, `.cursor/rules/dev_workflow.mdc`, `.cursor/rules/mcp.mdc`, `.cursor/rules/taskmaster.mdc`, `.cursor/rules/utilities.mdc`, and `.cursor/rules/new_features.mdc` to align with the new architecture, removing references to old patterns/files.
* Removed internal rule links from user-facing rules (`taskmaster.mdc`, `dev_workflow.mdc`, `self_improve.mdc`).
* Deleted outdated example file `docs/ai-client-utils-example.md`.
2. **Final Code Refactor & Cleanup:**
* Corrected `update-task-by-id.js` by removing the last import from the old `ai-services.js`.
* Refactored `update-subtask-by-id.js` to correctly use the unified service and logger patterns.
* Removed the obsolete export block from `mcp-server/src/core/task-master-core.js`.
* Corrected logger implementation in `update-tasks.js` for CLI context.
* Updated API key mapping in `config-manager.js` and `ai-services-unified.js`.
3. **Configuration Files:**
* Updated API keys in `.cursor/mcp.json`, replacing `GROK_API_KEY` with `XAI_API_KEY`.
* Updated `.env.example` with current API key names.
* Added `azureOpenaiBaseUrl` to `.taskmasterconfig` example.
4. **Task Management:**
* Marked documentation subtask 61.10 as 'done'.
* Includes various other task content/status updates from the diff summary.
5. **Changeset:**
* Added `.changeset/cuddly-zebras-matter.md` for user-facing `expand`/`expand-all` improvements.
This commit concludes the major architectural refactoring (Task 61) and ensures the documentation accurately reflects the current system.
- Fixed MCP server initialization warnings by refactoring config-manager.js to handle missing project roots silently during startup
- Added project root tracking (loadedConfigRoot) to improve config caching and prevent unnecessary reloads
- Modified _loadAndValidateConfig to return defaults without warnings when no explicitRoot provided
- Improved getConfig to only update cache when loading config with a specific project root
- Ensured warning messages still appear when explicitly specified roots have missing/invalid configs
- Prevented console output during MCP startup that was causing JSON parsing errors
- Verified parse_prd and other MCP tools still work correctly with the new config loading approach.
- Replaces test perplexity api key in mcp.json and rolls it. It's invalid now.
Resolves persistent 404 'Not Found' errors when calling Anthropic models via the Vercel AI SDK. The primary issue was likely related to incorrect or missing API headers.
- Refactors Anthropic provider (src/ai-providers/anthropic.js) to use the standard 'anthropic-version' header instead of potentially outdated/incorrect beta headers when creating the client instance.
- Updates the default fallback model ID in .taskmasterconfig to 'claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022'.
- Fixes the interactive model setup (task-master models --setup) in scripts/modules/commands.js to correctly filter and default the main model selection.
- Improves the cost display in the 'task-master models' command output to explicitly show 'Free' for models with zero cost.
- Updates description for the 'id' parameter in the 'set_task_status' MCP tool definition for clarity.
- Updates list of models and costs
This commit implements several related improvements to the models command and configuration system:
- Added MCP support for the models command:
- Created new direct function implementation in models.js
- Registered modelsDirect in task-master-core.js for proper export
- Added models tool registration in tools/index.js
- Ensured project name replacement when copying .taskmasterconfig in init.js
- Improved .taskmasterconfig copying during project initialization:
- Added copyTemplateFile() call in createProjectStructure()
- Ensured project name is properly replaced in the config
- Restructured tool registration in logical workflow groups:
- Organized registration into 6 functional categories
- Improved command ordering to follow typical workflow
- Added clear group comments for maintainability
- Enhanced documentation in cursor rules:
- Updated dev_workflow.mdc with clearer config management instructions
- Added comprehensive models command reference to taskmaster.mdc
- Clarified CLI vs MCP usage patterns and options
- Added warning against manual .taskmasterconfig editing
- Unified Service: Introduced 'scripts/modules/ai-services-unified.js' to centralize AI interactions using provider modules ('src/ai-providers/') and the Vercel AI SDK.
- Provider Modules: Implemented 'anthropic.js' and 'perplexity.js' wrappers for Vercel SDK.
- 'updateSubtaskById' Fix: Refactored the AI call within 'updateSubtaskById' to use 'generateTextService' from the unified layer, resolving runtime errors related to parameter passing and streaming. This serves as the pattern for refactoring other AI calls in 'scripts/modules/task-manager/'.
- Task Status: Marked Subtask 61.19 as 'done'.
- Rules: Added new 'ai-services.mdc' rule.
This centralizes AI logic, replacing previous direct SDK calls and custom implementations. API keys are resolved via 'resolveEnvVariable' within the service layer. The refactoring of 'updateSubtaskById' establishes the standard approach for migrating other AI-dependent functions in the task manager module to use the unified service.
Relates to Task 61.
Refactored `config-manager.js` to handle different execution contexts (CLI vs. MCP) and fixed related Jest tests.
- Modified `readConfig` and `writeConfig` to accept an optional `explicitRoot` parameter, allowing explicit path specification (e.g., from MCP) while retaining automatic project root finding for CLI usage.
- Updated getter/setter functions (`getMainProvider`, `setMainModel`, etc.) to accept and propagate the `explicitRoot`.
- Resolved Jest testing issues for dynamic imports by using `jest.unstable_mockModule` for `fs` and `chalk` dependencies *before* the dynamic `import()`.
- Corrected console error assertions in tests to match exact logged messages.
- Updated `.cursor/rules/tests.mdc` with guidelines for `jest.unstable_mockModule` and precise console assertions.
The function used terminal manipulation functions
(like , ) for the CLI
streaming progress indicator. This caused errors when Task Master commands
involving AI streaming were run in non-interactive terminals (e.g., via
output redirection, some CI environments, or integrated terminals).
This commit adds a check for to the condition
that controls the display of the CLI progress indicator, ensuring these
functions are only called when standard output is a fully interactive TTY.
Improves the quality and relevance of research-backed AI operations:
- Tweaks Perplexity AI calls to use max input tokens (8700), temperature 0.1, high context size, and day-fresh search recency.
- Adds a system prompt to guide Perplexity research output.
Docs:
- Updates CLI examples in taskmaster.mdc to use ANSI-C quoting ($'...') for multi-line prompts, ensuring they work correctly in bash/zsh.
Refactors parse-prd MCP tool to properly handle project root and path resolution, fixing the 'Input file not found: /scripts/prd.txt' error.
Key changes include: Made projectRoot a required parameter, prioritized args.projectRoot over session-derived paths, added validation to prevent parsing in invalid directories (/, home dir), improved error handling with detailed messages, and added creation of output directory if needed.
This resolves issues similar to those fixed in initialize-project, where the tool was incorrectly resolving paths when session context was incomplete.
- Add support for --title/-t and --description/-d flags in add-task command
- Fix validation for manual creation mode (title + description)
- Implement proper testing for both prompt and manual creation modes
- Update testing documentation with Commander.js testing best practices
- Add guidance on handling variable hoisting and module initialization issues
Changeset: brave-doors-open.md
- Refactor for more reliable project root detection, particularly when running within integrated environments like Cursor IDE. Includes deriving root from script path and avoiding fallback to '/'.
- Enhance error handling in :
- Add detailed debug information (paths searched, CWD, etc.) to the error message when is not found in the provided project root.
- Improve clarity of error messages and potential solutions.
- Add verbose logging in to trace session object content and the finally resolved project root path, aiding in debugging path-related issues.
- Add default values for and to the example environment configuration.
This commit fixes several issues with command line interface error handling:
1. Fix inconsistent behavior between --no-generate and --skip-generate:
- Standardized on --skip-generate across all commands
- Updated bin/task-master.js to use --skip-generate instead of --no-generate
- Modified add-subtask and remove-subtask commands to use --skip-generate
2. Enhance error handling for unknown options:
- Removed .allowUnknownOption() from commands to properly detect unknown options
- Added global error handler in bin/task-master.js for unknown commands/options
- Added command-specific error handlers with helpful error messages
3. Improve user experience with better help messages:
- Added helper functions to display formatted command help on errors
- Created command-specific help displays for add-subtask and remove-subtask
- Show available options when encountering unknown options
4. Update MCP server configuration:
- Modified .cursor/mcp.json to use node ./mcp-server/server.js directly
- Removed npx -y usage for more reliable execution
5. Other minor improvements:
- Adjusted column width for task ID display in UI
- Updated version number in package-lock.json to 0.9.30
This resolves issues where users would see confusing error messages like
'error: unknown option --generate' when using an incorrect flag."
- Refactor for more reliable project root detection, particularly when running within integrated environments like Cursor IDE. Includes deriving root from script path and avoiding fallback to '/'.
- Enhance error handling in :
- Add detailed debug information (paths searched, CWD, etc.) to the error message when is not found in the provided project root.
- Improve clarity of error messages and potential solutions.
- Add verbose logging in to trace session object content and the finally resolved project root path, aiding in debugging path-related issues.
- Add default values for and to the example environment configuration.
Updated several Cursor rules documentation files (`mcp.mdc`, `utilities.mdc`, `architecture.mdc`, `new_features.mdc`, `commands.mdc`) to accurately reflect recent refactoring and clarify best practices.
Key documentation updates include:
- Explicitly stating the preference for using MCP tools over CLI commands in integrated environments (`commands.mdc`, `dev_workflow.mdc`).
- Describing the new standard pattern for getting the project root using `getProjectRootFromSession` within MCP tool `execute` methods (`mcp.mdc`, `utilities.mdc`, `architecture.mdc`, `new_features.mdc`).
- Clarifying the simplified role of `findTasksJsonPath` in direct functions (`mcp.mdc`, `utilities.mdc`, `architecture.mdc`, `new_features.mdc`).
- Ensuring proper interlinking between related documentation files.
This commit refactors how the MCP server determines the project root directory, prioritizing the path provided by the client session (e.g., Cursor) for increased reliability and simplification.
Previously, project root discovery relied on a complex chain of fallbacks (environment variables, CWD searching, package path checks) within `findTasksJsonPath`. This could be brittle and less accurate when running within an integrated environment like Cursor.
Key changes:
- **Prioritize Session Roots:** MCP tools (`add-task`, `add-dependency`, etc.) now first attempt to extract the project root URI directly from `session.roots[0].uri`.
- **New Utility `getProjectRootFromSession`:** Added a utility function in `mcp-server/src/tools/utils.js` to encapsulate the logic for extracting and decoding the root URI from the session object.
- **Refactor MCP Tools:** Updated tools (`add-task.js`, `add-dependency.js`) to use `getProjectRootFromSession`.
- **Simplify `findTasksJsonPath`:** Prioritized `args.projectRoot`, removed checks for `TASK_MASTER_PROJECT_ROOT` env var and package directory fallback. Retained CWD search and cache check for CLI compatibility.
- **Fix `reportProgress` Usage:** Corrected parameters in `add-dependency.js`.
This change makes project root determination more robust for the MCP server while preserving discovery mechanisms for the standalone CLI.
- Enhance MCP server robustness and usability:
- Implement smart project root detection with hierarchical fallbacks
- Make projectRoot parameter optional across all MCP tools
- Add comprehensive PROJECT_MARKERS for reliable project detection
- Improve error messages and logging for better debugging
- Split monolithic core into focused direct-function files
- Implement full suite of MCP commands:
- Add task management: update-task, update-subtask, generate
- Add task organization: expand-task, expand-all, clear-subtasks
- Add dependency handling: add/remove/validate/fix dependencies
- Add analysis tools: analyze-complexity, complexity-report
- Rename commands for better API consistency (list-tasks → get-tasks)
- Enhance documentation and developer experience:
- Create and bundle new taskmaster.mdc as comprehensive reference
- Document all tools with natural language patterns and examples
- Clarify project root auto-detection in documentation
- Standardize naming conventions across MCP components
- Add cross-references between related tools and commands
- Improve UI and progress tracking:
- Add color-coded progress bars with status breakdown
- Implement cancelled/deferred task status handling
- Enhance status visualization and counting
- Optimize display for various terminal sizes
This major update significantly improves the robustness and usability
of the MCP server while providing comprehensive documentation for both
users and developers. The changes make Task Master more intuitive to
use programmatically while maintaining full CLI functionality.
- Update subtask 23.10 with details on resource and resource template implementation
- Add resource management section to architecture.mdc with proper directory structure
- Create comprehensive resource implementation guide in mcp.mdc with examples and best practices
- Document proper integration of resources in FastMCP server initialization
Split monolithic task-master-core.js into separate function files within
the mcp-server/src/core/direct-functions/ directory. This change:
- Creates individual files for each direct function implementation
- Moves findTasksJsonPath to a dedicated utils/path-utils.js file
- Converts task-master-core.js to be a simple import/export hub
- Improves maintainability and organization of the codebase
- Reduces potential merge conflicts when multiple developers contribute
- Follows standard module separation patterns
Each function is now in its own self-contained file with clear imports and
focused responsibility, while maintaining the same API endpoints.
This commit introduces a major refactoring of the MCP server implementation to prioritize direct function calls over CLI execution, enhancing performance and reliability. It also includes substantial updates to documentation for consistency and interlinking.
**MCP Server & Core Logic Refactoring:**
1. **Introduce Direct Function Wrappers ():**
* Created to house direct wrappers for core Task Master functions (imported from ).
* Implemented as the first wrapper, calling .
* Added utility within to centralize file location logic, removing duplication.
* Established the map for registering these wrappers.
2. **Enhance MCP Utilities ():**
* Added : A primary utility function to streamline MCP tool methods. It handles logging, argument processing (incl. project root normalization), calling the direct action function (e.g., ), processing results via , and formatting the final MCP response.
* Added : Standardizes processing of objects returned by direct function wrappers.
* Added : Filters sensitive/large fields (like , ) from responses sent to the MCP client.
* Added , , to support the new workflow.
* Refactored to use internally, simplifying its usage (though it's now primarily a fallback).
3. **Update MCP Tools (, ):**
* Refactored to use with , significantly simplifying the tool's method.
* Updated (initially) to use the improved (Note: further refactoring to use a direct wrapper for would follow the pattern).
**Documentation Enhancements:**
4. **Comprehensive Interlinking:** Added links across rule files (, , , , , ) to connect related guidelines, improving navigation.
5. **Standardize CLI Syntax ():** Removed legacy ℹ️ Initialized Perplexity client with OpenAI compatibility layer examples, reinforcing ℹ️ Initialized Perplexity client with OpenAI compatibility layer
_____ _ __ __ _
|_ _|_ _ ___| | __ | \/ | __ _ ___| |_ ___ _ __
| |/ _` / __| |/ / | |\/| |/ _` / __| __/ _ \ '__|
| | (_| \__ \ < | | | | (_| \__ \ || __/ |
|_|\__,_|___/_|\_\ |_| |_|\__,_|___/\__\___|_|
by https://x.com/eyaltoledano
╭────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ │
│ Version: 0.9.30 Project: Task Master │
│ │
╰────────────────────────────────────────────╯
╭─────────────────────╮
│ │
│ Task Master CLI │
│ │
╰─────────────────────╯
╭───────────────────╮
│ Task Generation │
╰───────────────────╯
parse-prd --input=<file.txt> [--tasks=10] Generate tasks from a PRD document
generate Create individual task files from tasks…
╭───────────────────╮
│ Task Management │
╰───────────────────╯
list [--status=<status>] [--with-subtas… List all tasks with their status
set-status --id=<id> --status=<status> Update task status (done, pending, etc.)
update --from=<id> --prompt="<context>" Update tasks based on new requirements
add-task --prompt="<text>" [--dependencies=… Add a new task using AI
add-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id> Add a dependency to a task
remove-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id> Remove a dependency from a task
╭──────────────────────────╮
│ Task Analysis & Detail │
╰──────────────────────────╯
analyze-complexity [--research] [--threshold=5] Analyze tasks and generate expansion re…
complexity-report [--file=<path>] Display the complexity analysis report
expand --id=<id> [--num=5] [--research] [… Break down tasks into detailed subtasks
expand --all [--force] [--research] Expand all pending tasks with subtasks
clear-subtasks --id=<id> Remove subtasks from specified tasks
╭─────────────────────────────╮
│ Task Navigation & Viewing │
╰─────────────────────────────╯
next Show the next task to work on based on …
show <id> Display detailed information about a sp…
╭─────────────────────────╮
│ Dependency Management │
╰─────────────────────────╯
validate-dependenci… Identify invalid dependencies without f…
fix-dependencies Fix invalid dependencies automatically
╭─────────────────────────╮
│ Environment Variables │
╰─────────────────────────╯
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Your Anthropic API key Required
MODEL Claude model to use Default: claude-3-7-sonn…
MAX_TOKENS Maximum tokens for responses Default: 4000
TEMPERATURE Temperature for model responses Default: 0.7
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY Perplexity API key for research Optional
PERPLEXITY_MODEL Perplexity model to use Default: sonar-pro
DEBUG Enable debug logging Default: false
LOG_LEVEL Console output level (debug,info,warn,error) Default: info
DEFAULT_SUBTASKS Default number of subtasks to generate Default: 3
DEFAULT_PRIORITY Default task priority Default: medium
PROJECT_NAME Project name displayed in UI Default: Task Master
_____ _ __ __ _
|_ _|_ _ ___| | __ | \/ | __ _ ___| |_ ___ _ __
| |/ _` / __| |/ / | |\/| |/ _` / __| __/ _ \ '__|
| | (_| \__ \ < | | | | (_| \__ \ || __/ |
|_|\__,_|___/_|\_\ |_| |_|\__,_|___/\__\___|_|
by https://x.com/eyaltoledano
╭────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ │
│ Version: 0.9.30 Project: Task Master │
│ │
╰────────────────────────────────────────────╯
╭─────────────────────╮
│ │
│ Task Master CLI │
│ │
╰─────────────────────╯
╭───────────────────╮
│ Task Generation │
╰───────────────────╯
parse-prd --input=<file.txt> [--tasks=10] Generate tasks from a PRD document
generate Create individual task files from tasks…
╭───────────────────╮
│ Task Management │
╰───────────────────╯
list [--status=<status>] [--with-subtas… List all tasks with their status
set-status --id=<id> --status=<status> Update task status (done, pending, etc.)
update --from=<id> --prompt="<context>" Update tasks based on new requirements
add-task --prompt="<text>" [--dependencies=… Add a new task using AI
add-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id> Add a dependency to a task
remove-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id> Remove a dependency from a task
╭──────────────────────────╮
│ Task Analysis & Detail │
╰──────────────────────────╯
analyze-complexity [--research] [--threshold=5] Analyze tasks and generate expansion re…
complexity-report [--file=<path>] Display the complexity analysis report
expand --id=<id> [--num=5] [--research] [… Break down tasks into detailed subtasks
expand --all [--force] [--research] Expand all pending tasks with subtasks
clear-subtasks --id=<id> Remove subtasks from specified tasks
╭─────────────────────────────╮
│ Task Navigation & Viewing │
╰─────────────────────────────╯
next Show the next task to work on based on …
show <id> Display detailed information about a sp…
╭─────────────────────────╮
│ Dependency Management │
╰─────────────────────────╯
validate-dependenci… Identify invalid dependencies without f…
fix-dependencies Fix invalid dependencies automatically
╭─────────────────────────╮
│ Environment Variables │
╰─────────────────────────╯
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Your Anthropic API key Required
MODEL Claude model to use Default: claude-3-7-sonn…
MAX_TOKENS Maximum tokens for responses Default: 4000
TEMPERATURE Temperature for model responses Default: 0.7
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY Perplexity API key for research Optional
PERPLEXITY_MODEL Perplexity model to use Default: sonar-pro
DEBUG Enable debug logging Default: false
LOG_LEVEL Console output level (debug,info,warn,error) Default: info
DEFAULT_SUBTASKS Default number of subtasks to generate Default: 3
DEFAULT_PRIORITY Default task priority Default: medium
PROJECT_NAME Project name displayed in UI Default: Task Master as the primary CLI.
6. **Add MCP Architecture & Workflow Sections:** Added detailed sections in and explaining MCP server structure and the workflow for adding new MCP tool integrations using the direct function pattern.
7. **Clarify MCP Role:** Updated and to better explain the MCP server's role and its specific utilities.
Overall, this establishes a cleaner, more performant, and maintainable pattern for integrating Task Master functionality with the MCP server, supported by improved documentation.
