claude-task-master/assets/claude/commands/tm/setup/install-taskmaster.md

Check if Task Master is installed and install it if needed.

This command helps you get Task Master set up globally on your system.

Detection and Installation Process

1. Check Current Installation

   # Check if task-master command exists
   which task-master || echo "Task Master not found"
   
   # Check npm global packages
   npm list -g task-master-ai
   

2. System Requirements Check

   # Verify Node.js is installed
   node --version
   
   # Verify npm is installed  
   npm --version
   
   # Check Node version (need 16+)
   

3. Install Task Master Globally If not installed, run:

   npm install -g task-master-ai
   

4. Verify Installation

   # Check version
   task-master --version
   
   # Verify command is available
   which task-master
   

5. Initial Setup

   # Initialize in current directory
   task-master init
   

6. Configure AI Provider Ensure you have at least one AI provider API key set:

   # Check current configuration
   task-master models --status
   
   # If no API keys found, guide setup
   echo "You'll need at least one API key:"
   echo "- ANTHROPIC_API_KEY for Claude"
   echo "- OPENAI_API_KEY for GPT models"
   echo "- PERPLEXITY_API_KEY for research"
   echo ""
   echo "Set them in your shell profile or .env file"
   

7. Quick Test

   # Create a test PRD
   echo "Build a simple hello world API" > test-prd.txt
   
   # Try parsing it
   task-master parse-prd test-prd.txt -n 3
   

Troubleshooting

If installation fails:

Permission Errors:

# Try with sudo (macOS/Linux)
sudo npm install -g task-master-ai

# Or fix npm permissions
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

Network Issues:

# Use different registry
npm install -g task-master-ai --registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

Node Version Issues:

# Install Node 18+ via nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

Success Confirmation

Once installed, you should see:

✅ Task Master v0.16.2 (or higher) installed
✅ Command 'task-master' available globally
✅ AI provider configured
✅ Ready to use slash commands!

Try: /project:task-master:init your-prd.md

Next Steps

After installation:

1. Run /project:utils:check-health to verify setup
2. Configure AI providers with /project:task-master:models
3. Start using Task Master commands!