Find Development Tasks

I'll locate all TODO comments and unfinished work markers in your codebase.

Token Optimization

Target Reduction: 70% (2,000-3,000 → 600-900 tokens)

Optimization Status: ✅ Optimized (Phase 2 Batch 3D-F, 2026-01-26)

Key Optimizations

1. •

   Pure Grep-Based Search (No File Reading)

   • •Use Grep tool exclusively for TODO/FIXME/HACK/XXX/NOTE detection
   • •Pattern: "TODO|FIXME|HACK|XXX|NOTE" with case-insensitive search
   • •Grep provides file location, line numbers, and surrounding context
   • •NEVER use Read tool - grep output contains all necessary information
   • •Saves: 1,000-1,500 tokens per search
2. •

   Git Diff Scoping (Smart Defaults)

   • •Default behavior: Search only files changed in current branch
   • •Use git diff --name-only main...HEAD to get changed files
   • •Pass file list to Grep tool with path restriction
   • •Fall back to full codebase search only if no git repo or explicit request
   • •Saves: 500-1,000 tokens for large codebases
3. •

   Head Limit on Results

   • •Limit grep output to first 50 TODO comments using head_limit: 50
   • •Prevents overwhelming results in large codebases
   • •Most actionable TODOs are in recently changed files anyway
   • •User can request "show all" if needed for comprehensive audit
   • •Saves: 500-1,000 tokens for codebases with many TODOs
4. •

   Early Exit Detection

   • •Check if grep finds any TODOs before processing results
   • •If no TODOs found: Immediately report "No TODOs found" and exit
   • •Avoid creating empty task lists or unnecessary analysis
   • •Saves: 200-400 tokens when no TODOs present
5. •

   Progressive Disclosure (Priority-Based)

   • •Sort results by marker type: FIXME/HACK/XXX first, then TODO, then NOTE
   • •Show critical items (FIXME/HACK) in detail with context
   • •Summarize lower-priority items (TODO/NOTE) concisely
   • •Ask user if they want full details on non-critical items
   • •Saves: 300-500 tokens by focusing on high-priority items
6. •

   Result Caching

   • •Cache TODO inventory at .claude/cache/find-todos/todo-inventory.json
   • •Format: {"file": "path", "line": 42, "type": "TODO", "comment": "text", "context": "code"}
   • •Subsequent skills (fix-todos, todos-to-issues) reuse cached data
   • •Cache expires after 1 hour or when git HEAD changes
   • •Saves: 500-1,000 tokens for dependent skills

Usage Patterns

Minimal scope (200-300 tokens):

find-todos path/to/specific/file.ts

Changed files only (400-600 tokens):

find-todos

Full codebase audit (600-900 tokens):

find-todos --all

Expected Token Usage

Caching Behavior

• •Cache location: .claude/cache/find-todos/
• •Cached data: TODO inventory by file with line numbers and context
• •Shared with: /fix-todos, /create-todos, /todos-to-issues skills
• •Cache invalidation: 1 hour timeout or git HEAD change
• •Cache benefits: Enables zero-cost TODO lookups for dependent skills

I'll use the Grep tool to efficiently search for task markers with context:

• •Pattern: "TODO|FIXME|HACK|XXX|NOTE"
• •Case insensitive search across all source files
• •Show surrounding lines for better understanding

For each marker found, I'll show:

1. •File location with line number
2. •The full comment with context
3. •Surrounding code to understand what needs to be done
4. •Priority assessment based on the marker type

When I find multiple items, I'll create a todo list to organize them by priority:

• •Critical (FIXME, HACK, XXX): Issues that could cause problems
• •Important (TODO): Features or improvements needed
• •Informational (NOTE): Context that might need attention

I'll also identify:

• •TODOs that reference missing implementations
• •Placeholder code that needs replacement
• •Incomplete error handling
• •Stubbed functions awaiting implementation

After scanning, I'll ask: "Convert these to GitHub issues?"

• •Yes: I'll create properly categorized issues
• •Todos only: I'll maintain the local todo list
• •Summary: I'll provide organized report

Important: I will NEVER:

• •Add "Created by Claude" or any AI attribution to issues
• •Include "Generated with Claude Code" in descriptions
• •Modify repository settings or permissions
• •Add any AI/assistant signatures or watermarks

This helps track and prioritize unfinished work systematically.