task-analyzer

What this skill does

# Task Analyzer

Provides metacognitive task analysis and skill selection guidance.

## Skills Index

### Skills Index Reference

Load skills metadata from the project-local `skills-index.yaml` for tag-based matching. Use the `tags` field to match against task keywords and the `typical_use` field to validate relevance.

The skills-index.yaml is a **project-local file** maintained by the `/sync-skills` command at `.claude/skills/task-analyzer/references/skills-index.yaml`. It is NOT inside the plugin — each project maintains its own copy.

A default template is bundled with the plugin at **[skills-index.yaml](${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/task-analyzer/references/skills-index.yaml)** as a starting point. Run `/sync-skills` to generate or update the local version.

## Task Analysis Process

### 1. Understand Task Essence

Identify the fundamental purpose beyond surface-level work:

| Surface Work | Fundamental Purpose |
|--------------|---------------------|
| "Fix this bug" | Problem solving, root cause analysis |
| "Implement this feature" | Feature addition, value delivery |
| "Refactor this code" | Quality improvement, maintainability |
| "Update this file" | Change management, consistency |

**Key Questions:**
- What problem are we really solving?
- What is the expected outcome?
- What could go wrong if we approach this superficially?

### 2. Estimate Task Scale

| Scale | File Count | Indicators |
|-------|------------|------------|
| Small | 1-2 | Single function/component change |
| Medium | 3-5 | Multiple related components |
| Large | 6+ | Cross-cutting concerns, architecture impact |

**Scale affects skill priority:**
- Larger scale → process/documentation skills more important
- Smaller scale → implementation skills more focused

### 3. Identify Task Type

| Type | Characteristics | Key Skills |
|------|-----------------|------------|
| Implementation | New code, features | coding-principles, testing-principles |
| Fix | Bug resolution | ai-development-guide, testing-principles |
| Refactoring | Structure improvement | coding-principles, ai-development-guide |
| Design | Architecture decisions | documentation-criteria, implementation-approach |
| Quality | Testing, review | testing-principles, integration-e2e-testing |

### 4. Tag-Based Skill Matching

Extract relevant tags from task description and match against the project-local `skills-index.yaml`:

```yaml
Task: "Implement user authentication with tests"
Extracted tags: [implementation, testing, security]
Matched skills:
  - coding-principles (implementation, security)
  - testing-principles (testing)
  - ai-development-guide (implementation)
```

### 5. Implicit Relationships

Consider hidden dependencies:

| Task Involves | Also Include |
|---------------|--------------|
| Error handling | debugging, testing |
| New features | design, implementation, documentation |
| Performance | profiling, optimization, testing |
| Frontend | typescript-rules, typescript-testing |
| API/Integration | integration-e2e-testing |

## Output Format

Return structured analysis with skill metadata from the project-local `skills-index.yaml`:

```yaml
taskAnalysis:
  essence: <string>  # Fundamental purpose identified
  type: <implementation|fix|refactoring|design|quality>
  scale: <small|medium|large>
  estimatedFiles: <number>
  tags: [<string>, ...]  # Extracted from task description

selectedSkills:
  - skill: <skill-name>  # From skills-index.yaml
    priority: <high|medium|low>
    reason: <string>  # Why this skill was selected
    # Pass through metadata from skills-index.yaml
    tags: [...]
    typical-use: <string>
    size: <small|medium|large>
    sections: [...]  # All sections from yaml, unfiltered
```

**Note**: Section selection (choosing which sections are relevant) is done after reading the actual SKILL.md files.

## Skill Selection Priority

1. **Essential** - Directly related to task type
2. **Quality** - Testing and quality assurance
3. **Process** - Workflow and documentation
4. **Supplementary** - Reference and best practices

## Metacognitive Question Design

Generate 3-5 questions according to task nature:

| Task Type | Question Focus |
|-----------|----------------|
| Implementation | Design validity, edge cases, performance |
| Fix | Root cause (5 Whys), impact scope, regression testing |
| Refactoring | Current problems, target state, phased plan |
| Design | Requirement clarity, future extensibility, trade-offs |

## Warning Patterns

Detect and flag these patterns:

| Pattern | Warning | Mitigation |
|---------|---------|------------|
| Large change at once | High risk | Split into phases |
| Implementation without tests | Quality risk | Follow TDD |
| Immediate fix on error | Root cause missed | Pause, analyze |
| Coding without plan | Scope creep | Plan first |