Start Task

What it does

When your agent uses it

• The user says start task-123
• Work on task-123
• Implement task-123
• Invokes /start-task with a task ID

Example prompts

• “start task-123”
• “work on task-123”
• “implement task-123”
• “/start-task”

Requirements

• Node.js
• Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Bash(git checkout:*), Bash(git branch:*), Bash(git status:*), Bash(git pull:*), Bash(git stash:*), Bash(npm run lint:*), Bash(npm run typecheck:*), Bash(npm test:*), Bash(npm run build*), Bash(npx playwright test:*), mcp__backlog__task_view, mcp__backlog__task_edit, mcp__backlog__task_search, mcp__backlog__task_list

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

1. 1Load the task
2. 2Ensure a clean working tree
3. 3Create and switch to a feature branch
4. 4Mark the task as in-progress
5. 5Plan and implement
6. 6Report

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit dd1baf5. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

• Tool permissions

  Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

  • Bash(git checkout:*)
  • Bash(git branch:*)
  • Bash(git status:*)
  • Bash(git pull:*)
  • Bash(git stash:*)
  • Bash(npm run lint:*)
  • Bash(npm run typecheck:*)
  • Bash(npm test:*)
  • Bash(npm run build*)
  • Bash(npx playwright test:*)

  …and 4 more on the same allowed-tools line.

  From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

• Runs code

  Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

  • git
  • npm
  • npx

  From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

• Network

  No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, npm and npx, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

  From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

• Credentials

  Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

  From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Start Task loads about 792 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 54 tokens; SKILL.md has 365 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it

~54

When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches

~792

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from devoxx/DevoxxGenieIDEAPlugin at commit dd1baf5, republished under its MIT licence (© devoxx). 365 words, ~792 tokens.

name

start-task

description

Create a feature branch for a backlog task, switch to it, and start implementation. Use when the user says "start task-123", "work on task-123", "implement task-123", or invokes /start-task with a task ID.

allowed-tools

Bash(git checkout:*), Bash(git branch:*), Bash(git status:*), Bash(git pull:*), Bash(git stash:*), Bash(npm run lint:*), Bash(npm run typecheck:*), Bash(npm test:*), Bash(npm run build*), Bash(npx playwright test:*), mcp__backlog__task_view, mcp__backlog__task_edit, mcp__backlog__task_search, mcp__backlog__task_list

© devoxx, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in .claude/skills/start-task of devoxx/DevoxxGenieIDEAPlugin.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit dd1baf5