Task Master VS Code Extension

A powerful VS Code extension that provides seamless integration with Claude Task Master, an AI-powered task management system. This extension brings task management directly into your development environment with rich tree views, status bar integration, and comprehensive task operations.

Overview

The Task Master VS Code Extension wraps the Claude Task Master CLI to provide:

• Interactive Task Tree View - Visualize tasks and subtasks in VS Code's sidebar
• Status Bar Integration - Quick access to next tasks and progress tracking
• Tag Management - Organize tasks by context and switch between different tag views
• Dependency Management - Handle task dependencies with visual indicators
• AI-Powered Operations - Leverage AI for task expansion, complexity analysis, and updates

Features

🌳 Task Tree View

• Hierarchical display of tasks and subtasks
• Status indicators with color-coded icons
• Dependency information in tooltips
• Context menus for quick actions
• Current and next task highlighting

📊 Status Bar Integration

• Next actionable task display
• Progress tracking with completion percentages
• Dependency status overview
• Priority breakdown
• Clickable cycling through different views

🏷️ Tag Management

• Multiple tag contexts for organizing tasks
• Quick tag switching via command palette
• Tag-specific task filtering
• Tag creation and deletion

🔗 Dependency Management

• Add and remove task dependencies
• Dependency validation and automatic fixing
• Visual dependency indicators
• Blocked task identification

🤖 AI-Powered Features

• Task expansion into subtasks
• Complexity analysis and recommendations
• AI-powered task updates and creation
• Research-backed task generation

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Install Claude Task Master CLI:

   npm install -g task-master-ai
   

2. Verify Installation:

   task-master --version
   

Extension Installation

1. From VS Code Marketplace (when published):

   • Search for "Task Master" in VS Code Extensions
   • Click Install

2. From Github Artifact:

   • Go for the latest release https://github.com/roeyazroel/task-master-vscode-extension/releases
   • Download the vsix, and install the file

3. From Source:

   git clone https://github.com/roeyazroel/task-master-vscode-extension.git
   cd task-master-vscode-extension
   npm install
   npm run compile
   

Quick Start

1. Initialize Task Master in your project:

   task-master init
   

2. Set up AI models (optional but recommended):

   task-master models --setup
   

3. Create a PRD file (optional):

   • Create .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt with your project requirements

4. Generate initial tasks:

   task-master parse-prd --input=.taskmaster/docs/prd.txt
   

5. Open VS Code and enjoy the integrated task management!

Usage

Command Palette Commands

Access these commands via Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac):

• Task Master: Refresh Tasks - Reload task data
• Task Master: Show Next Task - Display the next actionable task
• Task Master: Add Task - Create a new task with AI assistance
• Task Master: Filter by Status - Filter tasks by completion status
• Task Master: Select Tag - Switch between tag contexts
• Task Master: Analyze Complexity - Run AI complexity analysis
• Task Master: Expand All Tasks - Break down all tasks into subtasks

Tree View Operations

Right-click on tasks in the Task Master tree view for context menus:

Task Operations:

• Mark as Complete/In Progress/Blocked
• Show Details
• Update Task
• Expand into Subtasks
• Delete Task
• Add/Remove Dependencies

Subtask Operations:

• Update Subtask
• Change Status
• Remove Subtask

Status Bar

Click the status bar item to cycle through different views:

1. Next Task - Shows the next actionable task
2. Progress - Overall completion percentage
3. Dependencies - Ready vs blocked task counts
4. Priority - High/medium/low priority breakdown

Configuration

VS Code Settings

Configure the extension through VS Code settings:

{
  "taskMaster.cliPath": "task-master",
}

Development

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/roeyazroel/task-master-vscode-extension.git
cd task-master-vscode-extension

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

Running Tests

# Run all tests
npm test

Troubleshooting

CLI Not Found

# Check if CLI is in PATH
which task-master

# Install globally if missing
npm install -g task-master-ai

# Or set custom path in VS Code settings

Permission Issues

• Ensure workspace is trusted (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Trust Workspace")
• Check CLI executable permissions
• Verify API keys are properly configured

Task Sync Issues

• Use "Refresh Tasks" command
• Check .taskmaster/tasks/tasks.json file permissions
• Verify CLI and extension are using same task file

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Related Projects

• Claude Task Master CLI - The underlying CLI tool
• Task Master Documentation - Comprehensive documentation

Support

• 🐛 Report Issues
• 💬 Discussions
• 📚 Documentation

Made with ❤️ for developers who love organized, AI-powered task management