- New MCP Tool: research tool enables AI-powered research with project context - Context Integration: Supports task IDs, file paths, custom context, and project tree - Fuzzy Task Discovery: Automatically finds relevant tasks using semantic search - Token Management: Detailed token counting and breakdown by context type - Multiple Detail Levels: Support for low, medium, and high detail research responses - Telemetry Integration: Full cost tracking and usage analytics - Direct Function: researchDirect with comprehensive parameter validation - Silent Mode: Prevents console output interference with MCP JSON responses - Error Handling: Robust error handling with proper MCP response formatting This completes subtasks 94.5 (Direct Function) and 94.6 (MCP Tool) for the research command implementation, providing a powerful research interface for integrated development environments like Cursor. Updated documentation across taskmaster.mdc, README.md, command-reference.md, examples.md, tutorial.md, and docs/README.md to highlight research capabilities and usage patterns.
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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
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 .taskmasterconfig in your project root. 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.
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
# Save research results to a file
task-master research "Database optimization techniques" --save=research/db-optimization.md
The research command is a powerful 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
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