Task Master AI Integration

AI-powered task management system that parses PRDs, tracks hierarchical tasks, analyzes complexity, and integrates seamlessly with Claude Code workflows.

Overview

Task Master AI helps manage software development projects by:

Key Files & Structure

```

project/

├── .taskmaster/

│ ├── tasks/

│ │ ├── tasks.json # Main task database

│ │ └── task-*.md # Auto-generated task files

│ ├── docs/

│ │ └── prd.txt # Product Requirements Document

│ ├── reports/

│ │ └── task-complexity-report.json

│ └── config.json # AI model configuration

├── .env # API keys

├── .mcp.json # MCP server config

└── CLAUDE.md # Auto-loaded context

```

Instructions

1. Initial Project Setup

When starting with Task Master AI:

1. **Initialize the project**:

```bash

task-master init

```

2. **Create or obtain PRD**: PRD files should be stored at `.taskmaster/docs/prd.txt` or `docs/project-name.prd.txt`

3. **Parse PRD into tasks**:

```bash

task-master parse-prd .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt

```

4. **Configure AI models** (requires at least one API key):

```bash

task-master models --setup

```

Required API keys: `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` (recommended), `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY` (for research), or others (OpenAI, Google, Mistral, etc.)

5. **Analyze and expand**:

```bash

task-master analyze-complexity --research

task-master expand --all --research

```

2. Daily Development Workflow

Follow this loop for each development session:

1. **Get next task**:

```bash

task-master next

```

2. **Review task details**:

```bash

task-master show <id>

```

3. **Mark as in-progress**:

```bash

task-master set-status --id=<id> --status=in-progress

```

4. **During implementation**, log progress:

```bash

task-master update-subtask --id=<id> --prompt="implementation notes and decisions"

```

5. **Complete task**:

```bash

task-master set-status --id=<id> --status=done

```

6. **Repeat** from step 1

3. Task Management Operations

**Add new tasks**:

```bash

task-master add-task --prompt="description" --research

```

**Expand task into subtasks**:

```bash

task-master expand --id=<id> --research --force

```

**Update existing tasks**:

```bash

task-master update-task --id=<id> --prompt="changes"

task-master update --from=<id> --prompt="bulk changes to future tasks"

```

**Manage dependencies**:

```bash

task-master add-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id>

task-master validate-dependencies

```

**Reorganize hierarchy**:

```bash

task-master move --from=<id> --to=<id>

```

4. Analysis & Planning

**Complexity analysis**:

```bash

task-master analyze-complexity --research

task-master complexity-report

```

**Expand all eligible tasks**:

```bash

task-master expand --all --research

```

5. MCP Integration

Configure `.mcp.json` for Claude Code integration:

```json

{

"mcpServers": {

"task-master-ai": {

"command": "npx",

"args": ["-y", "--package=task-master-ai", "task-master-ai"],

"env": {

"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "your_key_here",

"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your_key_here"

}

}

}

}

```

**Key MCP tools** (equivalent to CLI commands):

6. Task Structure Reference

**Task ID format**:

**Status values**:

7. PRD-First Development Mandate

**Critical workflow rule**: PRD completion is mandatory before any development begins.

**PRD Template Structure**:

```markdown

<context>

Overview

[High-level product overview, problem statement, target users]

Core Features

[Main features with descriptions and importance]

User Experience

[User personas, key flows, UI/UX considerations]

</context>

<PRD>

Technical Architecture

[System components, data models, APIs, infrastructure]

Development Roadmap

[MVP requirements, future enhancements, phased scope]

Logical Dependencies

[Task ordering and prerequisites]

</PRD>

```

Store PRDs at: `.taskmaster/docs/prd.txt` or `docs/project-name.prd.txt`

8. Best Practices

**Context management**:

**Implementation logging**:

**Git integration**:

**Parallel development**:

```bash

git worktree add ../project-feature1 feature/feature1

git worktree add ../project-feature2 feature/feature2

Run Claude Code in each worktree for parallel work

```

9. Troubleshooting

**AI commands failing**:

**MCP connection issues**:

**Task file sync issues**:

```bash

task-master generate # Regenerate from tasks.json

task-master fix-dependencies # Fix dependency issues

```

**Important**: Never manually edit `tasks.json` or `.taskmaster/config.json` - always use commands.

10. Appending to Existing Tasks

If tasks already exist and you need to add more from a new PRD:

```bash

task-master parse-prd --append .taskmaster/docs/additional-features.prd.txt

```

Important Notes

Example Usage

```bash

Complete workflow example

task-master init

task-master parse-prd docs/feature.prd.txt

task-master analyze-complexity --research

task-master expand --all --research

task-master next

task-master show 1.1

task-master set-status --id=1.1 --status=in-progress

... implement feature ...

task-master update-subtask --id=1.1 --prompt="Implemented auth middleware with JWT validation"

task-master set-status --id=1.1 --status=done

task-master next

```