Skill: Todo List Management

Guidelines for managing the Claude Code todo list during sessions.

Core Principles

1. Only Track Active Work

The todo list should only contain:

• Tasks currently in progress
• Tasks to be done in the current session
• Recently completed tasks (for context)

2. Future-Dated Tasks

Do NOT add future-dated tasks to the todo list.

Tasks with due dates in the future should:

• Be stored in the vault as Task notes (using /task skill)
• Be tracked in Jira/external systems
• Only appear in the todo list on or after their due date

Why: The todo list is for immediate work tracking, not a calendar or reminder system.

3. When to Add Tasks

Add to todo list when:

• User explicitly asks you to do something now
• Breaking down a complex current task into steps
• Tracking multi-step work in the current session

Do NOT add when:

• Task is scheduled for a future date
• Task is a reminder/calendar item
• Task belongs in an external system (Jira, calendar)

4. Cleaning Up

Regularly clean the todo list:

• Remove completed tasks after they're no longer relevant for context
• Remove tasks that have been deferred to future dates
• Keep the list focused on current work

Examples

Good Usage

User: "Help me refactor the authentication module"

Todo list:
- [in_progress] Analyse current auth module structure
- [pending] Identify refactoring opportunities
- [pending] Implement changes
- [pending] Update tests

Bad Usage

User: "Remind me to review the ADR process in April"

❌ Don't add: [pending] Review ADR process (due 2026-04-07)
✅ Do: Create a Task note with due date, or note it will surface when due

Integration with Task Notes

For future tasks, use the /task skill instead:

/task Review ADR process due 2026-04-07

This creates a proper Task note in the vault that can be:

• Queried by Dataview
• Shown in daily notes when due
• Tracked properly with full metadata

Summary

Task Type	Where to Track
Current session work	Todo list
Today's tasks	Todo list
Future dated	Task note in vault
Recurring reminders	Task note or calendar
Project work items	Jira + Task notes