File-Based Todo Tracking Skill

Overview

The todos/ directory contains a file-based tracking system for managing code review feedback, technical debt, feature requests, and work items. Each todo is a markdown file with YAML frontmatter and structured sections.

Use this skill when creating new todos, managing lifecycle (pending -> ready -> complete), triaging pending items, checking dependencies, or converting PR comments into tracked work.

File Naming Convention

{issue_id}-{status}-{priority}-{description}.md

issue_id: Sequential number (001, 002, 003...) -- never reused
status: pending (needs triage), ready (approved), complete (done)
priority: p1 (critical), p2 (important), p3 (nice-to-have)
description: kebab-case, brief description

Examples: 001-pending-p1-mailer-test.md, 002-ready-p1-fix-n-plus-1.md, 005-complete-p2-refactor-csv.md

File Structure

Use todo-template.md as a starting point. YAML frontmatter:

---
status: ready              # pending | ready | complete
priority: p1               # p1 | p2 | p3
issue_id: "002"
tags: [rails, performance, database]
dependencies: ["001"]      # Issue IDs this is blocked by
---

Required sections: Problem Statement, Findings, Proposed Solutions, Recommended Action, Acceptance Criteria, Work Log

Optional sections: Technical Details, Resources, Notes

Key Distinctions

File-todos system (this skill): Markdown files in todos/ directory for development/project tracking. Used by humans and agents.

Application Todo model: Database model for user-facing task management. Different from this file-based system.

TodoWrite tool: In-memory task tracking during agent sessions. Temporary, not persisted to disk.

References