benjaminshoemaker/add-todo

Add TODO Skill

Add a new TODO item to TODOS.md with proper formatting that integrates with /list-todos and /run-todos.

Directory Guard

Before starting, check if TODOS.md exists in the current working directory.

• If it exists, read it to understand the current structure
• If it does not exist, create it with the standard template (see below)

TODO Format Reference

TODOs in this system follow a specific format for compatibility with other skills. Basic format: - [ ] **[{Priority} / {Effort}]** {Title} — {Brief description}

See references/format-reference.md for the full format specification including components, tags, status markers, and clarifications sections.

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Add TODO Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Gather information (title, priority, effort, description, section)
- [ ] Step 2: Format the TODO line
- [ ] Step 3: Read current TODOS.md
- [ ] Step 4: Insert TODO into selected section
- [ ] Step 5: Confirm addition

Step 1: Gather Information

Use AskUserQuestion to collect TODO details:

Question 1: Title

Question: "What is the TODO item? (brief, actionable title)"
Header: "Title"
Options:
  - Label: "Enter title"
    Description: "Type your TODO title"

(User will select "Other" and type their title)

Question 2: Priority

Question: "What priority level?"
Header: "Priority"
Options:
  - Label: "P1 / High (Recommended)"
    Description: "Important feature or fix, do soon"
  - Label: "P0 / Critical"
    Description: "Blocking issue, must do immediately"
  - Label: "P2 / Low"
    Description: "Nice to have, do when time permits"

Question 3: Effort

Question: "Estimated effort?"
Header: "Effort"
Options:
  - Label: "Medium (Recommended)"
    Description: "A few hours to a day of work"
  - Label: "Low"
    Description: "Quick task, under an hour"
  - Label: "High"
    Description: "Multiple days or significant complexity"

Question 4: Description (Optional)

Question: "Add a description? (optional details, context, or requirements)"
Header: "Description"
Options:
  - Label: "Skip description"
    Description: "Title is sufficient"
  - Label: "Add description"
    Description: "Include additional context"

If "Add description", prompt for the description text.

Question 5: Section

Question: "Which section should this go in?"
Header: "Section"
Options:
  - Label: "In Progress (Recommended)"
    Description: "Active TODO items for current work"
  - Label: "Future Concepts"
    Description: "Ideas to explore later"

Step 2: Format the TODO

Construct the TODO line:

- [ ] **[{Priority} / {Effort}]** {Title}{if description: — {Description}}

Examples:

Simple:

- [ ] **[P1 / Medium]** Add logout button to navbar

With description:

- [ ] **[P1 / Medium]** Add logout button to navbar — Should redirect to login page after logout

With multiplier (if user specifies):

- [ ] **[P1 / Medium x1.5]** Add logout button to navbar — High user demand

Step 3: Read Current TODOS.md

Read TODOS.md to find the appropriate section.

Section Detection:

• Look for ## In Progress heading
• Look for ## Future Concepts heading
• If neither exists, create the section

Step 4: Insert TODO

Insert the new TODO at the end of the selected section, before the next section heading or end of file.

Use the Edit tool to insert the TODO.

Step 5: Confirm

Output confirmation:

TODO ADDED
==========

Added to: {Section}

{The formatted TODO line}

Next steps:
- Run /list-todos to analyze and prioritize
- Use Q&A to clarify requirements
- Mark [ready] when requirements are clear
- Run /run-todos to implement

TODOS.md Template

If TODOS.md doesn't exist, create it:

# TODO

## In Progress

{new TODO here}

## Future Concepts

(Ideas to explore later)

Error Handling

| Situation | Action | |-----------|--------| | TODOS.md cannot be written | Check file permissions; report the error and suggest touch TODOS.md or check directory permissions | | Existing TODOS.md has unexpected format | Preserve original content, add the new TODO at the end of the file, warn user about non-standard format | | User provides ambiguous priority/effort | Default to P2 / Medium and note the default in the confirmation message | | File is very large (>500 lines) | Warn user that the file is large; suggest archiving completed items to TODOS-ARCHIVE.md | | Target section heading not found in TODOS.md | Create the missing section heading, then insert the TODO beneath it |

Notes

• Preserve existing format — Match the style of existing TODOs in the file
• Don't add [ready] automatically — Let /list-todos Q&A determine readiness
• Default to In Progress — Most new TODOs are active work items
• Keep titles actionable — Start with a verb (Add, Fix, Update, Implement)
• Descriptions are optional — Only add if title alone is ambiguous