add-task — Claude Code skill: task drafts in .specs
Turns your request into a task file under .specs/tasks/draft/, with a verb-first title, a type and your original wording. The first step of a spec-driven workflow.
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill add-task -a claude-codeWhat add-task does
Pass the skill a task description and it writes a draft. The title opens with a verb such as Add, Fix, Implement, Update, Remove or Refactor and says what exactly changes. The type lands in the file extension: feature, bug, refactor, test, docs, chore or ci. The name comes from the title in lowercase joined by hyphens, three to five words, shaped as <short-name>.<issue-type>.md.
Before writing, it runs bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/create-folders.sh. That script sets up draft, todo, in-progress, done, scratchpad, analysis and reports inside .specs and adds scratchpad to .gitignore. No script? You build the folders yourself and edit .gitignore by hand. Then the skill checks every status folder for an existing file with the same name so nothing gets overwritten.
The task file holds the title, an optional depends_on list and your exact request under “Initial User Prompt”. The description stays a placeholder for a later stage; the skill does not fill it in and does not call the planner. Handy when your project keeps tasks as folders in the repo, because every record ends up looking the same.
What it helps with
- turn a one-line chat request into a tracked task file
- tag each task with its type in the file name
- keep the original wording verbatim
- make sure a new file name is free across status folders
- set up
.specsfolders and keepscratchpadout of git
Example prompts for the agent
- Add a task: fix the login timeout on slow connections
- Create a task to refactor the auth module
- Add a task for writing parser config tests
How to install add-task
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill add-task -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/add-task/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/add-task/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill add-task -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/add-task/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill add-task -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/add-task/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit add-task2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/add-task/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill add-task -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --path skills/add-taskManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/add-task/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill add-task -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about add-task
How do I install add-task in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill add-task -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/add-task/SKILL.md.
What does add-task do?
It writes a draft task to .specs/tasks/draft/ with a verb-first title, the type encoded in the file name and your request in the body.
What goes inside the task file?
A title, depends_on when dependencies exist, and an “Initial User Prompt” section holding your request as typed. The description is left as a placeholder.
