Task Prioritization
Analyze all ready tasks and recommend a priority ordering.
Steps
1. Gather context
Run these commands to understand the current state:
bash
emdx task ready --json emdx epic list
2. Fetch task details
For each ready task, get full details:
bash
emdx task view <id>
Focus on: description, epic membership, category, dependencies, age, and any work log entries.
3. Analyze and rank
Consider these factors when ranking tasks:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Epic progress | Tasks in nearly-complete epics should be prioritized to close out the epic |
| Blocked-by chains | Tasks that unblock other tasks should be done first |
| Category | FIX > FEAT > ARCH > DOCS > CHORE (bugs before features) |
| Age | Older tasks may indicate forgotten work or growing tech debt |
| Description clarity | Well-defined tasks are easier to execute and should be prioritized |
4. Present recommendations
Show the user a ranked table like:
code
Priority ID Title Reasoning ──────── ──────── ───────────────────────────── ────────────────────── 1 (P1) FEAT-8 Implement auto-linking Unblocks 3 downstream tasks 2 (P1) TUI-10 Wire QA presenter Nearly completes QA epic (7/8) 3 (P2) FEAT-13 Add --issue flag to delegate Quick win, small scope ...
Priority scale:
- •P1 (value 1): Critical — do this now
- •P2 (value 2): High — do this soon
- •P3 (value 3): Normal — default priority (unchanged)
- •P4 (value 4): Low — nice to have
- •P5 (value 5): Backlog — defer indefinitely
5. Apply priorities
After the user confirms (or adjusts), apply priorities:
bash
emdx task priority <id> <1-5>
Only set priorities that differ from the default (3). Skip tasks the user wants left at normal priority.
Important
- •Always show your reasoning before applying changes
- •Let the user adjust the ranking before applying
- •Only change priorities the user agrees with
- •If the user provides additional context (e.g., "we're shipping feature X next week"), factor that into the ranking