Work On Next Task

Next Task Skill

Finds the next uncompleted task from {{specs_dir}}/tasks/ (or {{specs_dir}}/tasks.md) and delegates execution to the work-on skill.

Pre-flight: Model Recommendation

Your current effort level is {{effort_level}}.

Skip this step silently if effort is high, xhigh, or max (the scale is low "You're working from ` (inside **[cwd-project]**), but the selected Groundwork project is **[selected-project]** ([selected-project-path]/). What would you like to do?" > - "Switch to [cwd-project]" > - "Stay with [selected-project]" If the user switches, invoke Skill(skill="groundwork:select-project")`.

• If CWD doesn't match any project → proceed without warning (shared directory).

1. Proceed with the resolved project context. All {{specs_dir}}/ paths will resolve to the correct location.

Step 1: Load Task Index

Read only the task index to find available tasks — do NOT read individual task files:

• Directory mode: {{specs_dir}}/tasks/_index.md (preferred — contains status table)
• Single file fallback: {{specs_dir}}/tasks.md

Detection: Check for {{specs_dir}}/tasks/_index.md first, then {{specs_dir}}/tasks.md. Do NOT aggregate all task files — the index contains the status table with all the information needed to find the next task.

Step 2: Find Next Task

Parse the status table in _index.md to find the next task:

| # | Task | Milestone | Status | Blocked by |
|---|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| TASK-001 | Auth setup | M1 | Complete | None |
| TASK-002 | Login UI | M1 | In Progress | TASK-001 |
| TASK-003 | Dashboard | M2 | Not Started | TASK-002 |

1. Look for all rows with Status = Not Started
2. Check dependencies — filter to unblocked tasks (all tasks in Blocked by column are Complete)
3. Detect ambiguity:

• Let candidates = unblocked not-started tasks
• Let next_sequential = lowest numbered candidate (e.g., TASK-004)
• Let completed_after = any complete task with number > next_sequential

1. If ambiguous (completed tasks exist after candidates):

Present options to user with context about the gap:

> "Multiple tasks are available. Tasks 1,2,3,5 are complete. > - TASK-004: [Title] - Earlier in sequence, may have been skipped intentionally > - TASK-006: [Title] - Next sequential after completed work > > Which would you like to work on? (or use /groundwork:work-on N to select a specific task)"

Wait for user selection before proceeding.

1. If unambiguous: Select the first unblocked, not-started task

Dependency check: A task is blocked if its Blocked by column lists any task that is not Complete in the status table.

Fallback: If _index.md has no status table, read individual task files to find statuses (legacy single-file format).

Tip: For direct task selection, use /groundwork:work-on N to work on a specific task by number.

Step 3: Handle Edge Cases

| Situation | Response | |-----------|----------| | No specs/ directory | "No specs directory found. Run /groundwork:design-product to start defining your project." | | Missing tasks file | "Tasks file not found. Run /groundwork:create-tasks to generate tasks from your PRD and architecture." | | No tasks found | "No tasks found in {{specs_dir}}/tasks/. The directory may need to be regenerated with /groundwork:create-tasks." | | All tasks complete | "All tasks complete! Consider running /groundwork:source-product-specs-from-code to update documentation or plan the next phase." | | Only blocked tasks | "All remaining tasks are blocked. Blocked tasks: [list]. Would you like to override and work on one anyway?" | | Parse error | "Could not parse tasks.md. Expected format: ### TASK-NNN: Title with **Status:** field." |

Step 4: Delegate to Execute Task

You MUST call the Skill tool now: Skill(skill="groundwork:work-on", args="")

Replace ` with the identified task identifier (e.g., TASK-004`).

Do NOT load project context, explore the codebase, present summaries, or begin task execution yourself. The work-on skill handles the complete workflow including worktree setup, TDD, and validation.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: etr
• Source: etr/groundwork
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.