Task Move Command

Move tasks between status folders following the task management protocol.

Usage

/task-move TASK-ID new-status [reason]

Description

Updates task status by moving files between status folders and updating tracking information. Follows all protocol rules including validation and audit trails.

Basic Commands

Start Working on a Task

/task-move TASK-001 in_progress

Moves from todos → in_progress

Complete Implementation

/task-move TASK-001 qa "Implementation complete, ready for testing"

Moves from in_progress → qa

Task Passed QA

/task-move TASK-001 completed "All tests passed"

Moves from qa → completed

Block a Task

/task-move TASK-004 on_hold "Waiting for TASK-001 API completion"

Moves to on_hold with reason

Unblock a Task

/task-move TASK-004 todos "Dependencies resolved"

Moves from on_hold → todos

Failed QA

/task-move TASK-001 in_progress "Failed integration test - fixing null pointer"

Moves from qa → in_progress

Bulk Operations

Move Multiple Tasks

/task-move TASK-001,TASK-002,TASK-003 in_progress

Move by Filter

/task-move --filter "priority:high status:todos" in_progress

Move with Pattern

/task-move TASK-00* qa "Batch testing ready"

Validation Rules

The command enforces:

1. Valid Transitions: Only allowed status changes
2. One Task Per Agent: Warns if agent has task in_progress
3. Dependency Check: Warns if dependencies not met
4. File Existence: Verifies task exists before moving

Status Transition Map

todos ──────→ in_progress ──────→ qa ──────→ completed
  ↓               ↓               ↓
  └───────────→ on_hold ←─────────┘
                  ↓
                todos/in_progress

Options

Force Move

/task-move TASK-001 completed --force

Bypasses validation (use with caution)

Dry Run

/task-move TASK-001 qa --dry-run

Shows what would happen without executing

With Assignment

/task-move TASK-001 in_progress --assign dev-frontend

Assigns task to specific agent

With Time Estimate

/task-move TASK-001 in_progress --estimate 4h

Updates time estimate when starting

Error Handling

Task Not Found

Error: TASK-999 not found in any status folder
Suggestion: Use /task-status to see available tasks

Invalid Transition

Error: Cannot move from 'completed' to 'todos'
Valid transitions from completed: None (terminal state)

Agent Conflict

Warning: dev-frontend already has TASK-002 in progress
Continue? (y/n)

Dependency Block

Warning: TASK-004 depends on TASK-001 (currently in_progress)
Moving to on_hold instead? (y/n)

Automation

Auto-move on Completion

/task-move TASK-001 --auto-progress

Automatically moves to next status when conditions met

Scheduled Moves

/task-move TASK-005 in_progress --at "tomorrow 9am"

Conditional Moves

/task-move TASK-007 qa --when "TASK-006 completed"

Examples

Example 1: Developer Workflow

# Start work
/task-move TASK-001 in_progress

# Complete and test
/task-move TASK-001 qa "Implementation done, tests passing"

# After review
/task-move TASK-001 completed "Code review approved"

Example 2: Handling Blocks

# Block due to dependency
/task-move TASK-004 on_hold "Waiting for auth API from TASK-001"

# Unblock when ready
/task-move TASK-004 todos "TASK-001 now in QA, API available"

Example 3: QA Workflow

# QA picks up task
/task-move TASK-001 qa --assign qa-engineer

# Found issues
/task-move TASK-001 in_progress "Bug: handling empty responses"

# Fixed and retesting
/task-move TASK-001 qa "Bug fixed, ready for retest"

Status Update Details

Each move updates:

1. File Location: Physical file movement
2. Status Tracker: TASK-STATUS-TRACKER.yaml entry
3. Task Metadata: Status field in task file
4. Execution Tracker: Overall progress metrics

Best Practices

1. Always Provide Reasons: Especially for blocks and failures
2. Check Dependencies: Before moving to in_progress
3. Update Estimates: When starting work
4. Clear Block Reasons: Help others understand delays

Integration

• Use after /task-status to see available tasks
• Updates reflected in /task-report
• Triggers notifications if configured
• Logs all moves for audit trail

Notes

• Moves are atomic - either fully complete or rolled back
• Status history is permanent and cannot be edited
• Timestamp uses current time in ISO-8601 format
• Agent name is automatically detected from context