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

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