Executing Tasks From Any Source

Overview

The /project:do:task workflow supports both GitHub issues and Basic Memory artifacts through intelligent source detection. This skill explains the dual-source execution pattern.

Core principle: Detect input format → Fetch from appropriate source → Execute unified workflow → Update both channels.

When to Use This Skill

•Executing tasks from GitHub issues (traditional issue-based workflow)
•Executing tasks from Basic Memory artifacts (Johnny Decimal format: 5.1.1-task-*)
•Switching between task sources within the same project
•Building tools/agents that need to support both task sources

Quick Reference: Source Detection

Input Format	Example	Source	Worktree Name
Issue number	`123` or `#123`	GitHub API	`feature/123-auth-implementation`
Johnny Decimal	`5.1.1-task-auth`	Basic Memory	`feature/5.1.1-task-auth`

Detection logic:

bash

if [[ $ARGUMENTS =~ ^#?[0-9]+$ ]]; then
  # GitHub issue - pure digits with optional #
  ISSUE_NUM=$(echo $ARGUMENTS | tr -d '#')
  SOURCE="github"
elif [[ $ARGUMENTS =~ ^[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)+.* ]]; then
  # Basic Memory artifact - Johnny Decimal format
  ARTIFACT_ID=$ARGUMENTS
  SOURCE="basicmemory"
else
  echo "Error: Invalid task format. Use GitHub issue (#123) or Johnny Decimal artifact (5.1.1-task-name)"
  exit 1
fi

GitHub Issue Execution Path

Step 1: Fetch Issue Details

bash

# Fetch issue using GitHub CLI
gh issue view $ISSUE_NUM --json title,body,author,labels,assignees,linkedIssues

# Extract components:
# - Title: Issue headline
# - Body: Full description with acceptance criteria
# - Author: Original creator
# - Labels: Topic tags (feature, bug, etc)
# - Assignees: Current assignee
# - LinkedIssues: Related/parent issues

Step 2: Worktree Creation

Pass to using-git-worktrees skill:

code

feature_identifier: "{ISSUE_NUM}-{slug}"
Example: "123-add-user-authentication"

Step 3: Status Updates (In-Progress)

bash

# Add in-progress label
gh issue edit $ISSUE_NUM --add-label "in-progress"

# Add comment
gh issue comment $ISSUE_NUM -b "Implementation started. Tracking in worktree."

# Remove ready/todo labels
gh issue edit $ISSUE_NUM --remove-label "ready,todo"

Step 4: Status Updates (Completed)

bash

# Update labels
gh issue edit $ISSUE_NUM --remove-label "in-progress"
gh issue edit $ISSUE_NUM --add-label "completed"

# Add completion comment with PR link
gh issue comment $ISSUE_NUM -b "Completed in PR #{PR_NUMBER}. See changes above."

Basic Memory Artifact Execution Path

Artifact Structure

Tasks in Basic Memory use this structure:

markdown

---
title: "5.1.1-task-user-authentication"
folder: "5-tasks"
entity_type: "task"
entity_metadata:
  tags: ["authentication", "user-system"]
  status: "pending"
  priority: "high"
  epic_id: "2.1.1-epic-auth-system"
  dependencies: []
---

# Task: Implement User Authentication

## Description
Detailed task description...

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2

## Dependencies
- depends_on [[2.1.0-epic-auth-system]]

Step 1: Fetch Artifact Details

bash

# Use basicmemory_read_note with Johnny Decimal lookup
# Tool extracts: title, content, frontmatter (status, epic_id, dependencies)
# from 5-tasks folder matching the artifact ID

# Frontmatter fields parsed:
# - status: "pending" | "in-progress" | "completed"
# - epic_id: Parent epic reference (e.g., "2.1.1-epic-auth")
# - priority: "high" | "medium" | "low"
# - dependencies: List of related artifacts

Step 2: Worktree Creation

Pass to using-git-worktrees skill:

code

feature_identifier: "{JOHNNY_DECIMAL}-{slug}"
Example: "5.1.1-task-user-authentication"

Step 3: Status Updates (In-Progress)

bash

# Use basicmemory_edit_note to update frontmatter
basicmemory_edit_note(
  identifier: "5.1.1-task-auth",
  operation: "find_replace",
  find_text: "status: pending",
  content: "status: in-progress"
)

# Add implementation note
basicmemory_edit_note(
  identifier: "5.1.1-task-auth",
  operation: "append",
  content: "\n## Implementation Log\n- Started implementation in worktree\n"
)

Step 4: Status Updates (Completed)

bash

# Update status to completed
basicmemory_edit_note(
  identifier: "5.1.1-task-auth",
  operation: "find_replace",
  find_text: "status: in-progress",
  content: "status: completed"
)

# Add PR link to artifact
basicmemory_edit_note(
  identifier: "5.1.1-task-auth",
  operation: "append",
  content: "\n- Completed in PR: https://github.com/repo/pulls/123\n"
)

Unified Workflow Steps (Apply to Both Sources)

Once task is fetched from its source, the remaining workflow is identical:

•
Deep Technical Analysis (Step 2)
- •Extract user story
- •Map acceptance criteria
- •Determine technical scope
- •Check dependencies
- •Consider edge cases
•
System Impact Assessment (Step 3)
- •Frontend changes needed?
- •Backend changes needed?
- •Database migrations?
- •Testing strategy?
•
Human Validation Check (Step 4)
- •Stop and ask if architectural decisions needed
- •Stop and ask if security/performance critical
- •Wait for explicit approval
•
Implementation (Steps 6-12)
- •Design test strategy
- •Plan implementation approach
- •Execute core implementation
- •Run comprehensive tests
- •Update documentation
- •Quality validation
•
Completion (Steps 13-15)
- •Update task status (source-specific)
- •Create pull request linking to task
- •Monitor code review
- •After merge: update parent issue/epic

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Check task dependencies before starting

GitHub:

bash

# Get linked issues that are blockers
gh issue view $ISSUE_NUM --json linkedIssues --jq '.linkedIssues[] | select(.url | contains("blocked"))'

Basic Memory:

bash

# Read the artifact to find depends_on relations
basicmemory_read_note("5.1.1-task-auth")
# Check frontmatter: dependencies: [...] or look for "depends_on [[...]]" in content

Pattern 2: Get parent context

GitHub:

bash

# Find linked parent issue (PRD/Feature)
gh issue view $ISSUE_NUM --json linkedIssues \
  | jq '.linkedIssues[] | select(.title | contains("Feature") or contains("PRD"))'

Basic Memory:

bash

# Fetch parent epic using epic_id from frontmatter
basicmemory_read_note("2.1.1-epic-auth-system")

Pattern 3: Update related items after completion

GitHub:

bash

# Update parent issue with progress
gh issue comment $PARENT_ISSUE_NUM -b "Completed task #{ISSUE_NUM}"

# Link completed task to parent
gh issue edit $ISSUE_NUM --add-label "merged"

Basic Memory:

bash

# Update parent epic
basicmemory_edit_note(
  identifier: "2.1.1-epic-auth",
  operation: "append",
  content: "\n- Completed: [[5.1.1-task-user-authentication]]\n"
)

Error Handling

Invalid Task Format

bash

if [[ ! $ARGUMENTS =~ ^(#?[0-9]+|[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)+.*)$ ]]; then
  echo "❌ Invalid task format"
  echo "GitHub issue: 123 or #123"
  echo "Basic Memory: 5.1.1-task-name"
  exit 1
fi

GitHub Issue Not Found

bash

if ! gh issue view $ISSUE_NUM 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "❌ GitHub issue #$ISSUE_NUM not found"
  echo "Check the issue number and try again"
  exit 1
fi

Basic Memory Artifact Not Found

bash

if ! basicmemory_read_note($ARTIFACT_ID) 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "❌ Basic Memory artifact $ARTIFACT_ID not found in 5-tasks/"
  echo "Check the artifact ID matches Johnny Decimal format: N.N.N-task-*"
  exit 1
fi

Integration Points

Called by:

•/project:do:task workflow (main entry point)
•Agent task execution systems
•Task queuing systems

Pairs with:

•using-git-worktrees - Creates isolated workspace
•executing-plans - For comprehensive implementation
•subagent-driven-development - For delegated work
•finishing-a-development-branch - For cleanup after completion

Best Practices

•Always verify task exists before starting workflow
•Check dependencies before implementing
•Use consistent worktree naming - helps with resumption
•Update status in source before creating worktree
•Document completion in both PR comment and task artifact
•Keep frontmatter clean - avoid manual formatting in Basic Memory
•Link related tasks - use relations/dependencies properly

Red Flags

Never:

•Start implementation without fetching task details first
•Ignore dependency warnings
•Proceed with failing tests without asking
•Forget to update task status when switching sources
•Mix GitHub and Basic Memory references inconsistently

Always:

•Detect source format before proceeding
•Fetch complete task context
•Verify dependencies before starting
•Update task status at start and completion
•Link PR to task in both channels