Task Father

Generator for file-based task state machines (registry + task folders + lifecycle state + queue files + cron specs/jobs) for long-running work.

Create and manage durable, file-based task state machines under the OpenClaw workspace.

Target filesystem shape:

• TASK_REGISTRY.md (global index)
• tasks/<task_slug>/
  • TASK.md (front matter + purpose/decisions/blockers/changelog + capabilities)
  • TODOS.md (checklist)
  • scripts/
  • crons/
  • artifacts/
  • optional queue-state files (queue.jsonl, done.jsonl, failed.jsonl, lock.json)

Prerequisites

Run on host where OpenClaw is running:

• python3 --version
• openclaw status
• openclaw cron --help

Configuration (portable)

Skill-local config files:

• Example (shareable): config.env.example
• Real machine config: config.env

Keys:

• WORKSPACE_DIR (default: /home/miles/.openclaw/workspace)
• TASKS_DIR (default: tasks)
• REGISTRY_FILE (default: TASK_REGISTRY.md)
• DEFAULT_AGENT_ID (default: main)
• DEFAULT_CRON_TZ (default: America/Indianapolis)

Initialization / Installation / Onboarding

Preferred (chat-first)

Answer in chat:

1. task slug (filesystem-safe)
2. task title
3. task purpose
4. optional skills/plugins/tools expected for this task
5. whether queue files are needed
6. whether a cron job should be created now

Then run:

• python3 scripts/task_father.py init <slug> --title "..." --purpose "..." --skills "a,b" --plugins "x,y" --tools "read,write,exec"
• optional queue mode:
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py enable-queue <slug>
• optional cron setup:
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py cron-add <slug> --cron "*/10 * * * *" --message "<worker prompt>" --name "task-<slug>"

Optional (terminal)

• cp config.env.example config.env
• Edit config.env
• Initialize task:
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py init <slug> --title "..."

Lifecycle commands

• Set task status (updates state.json + changelog):
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py set-state <slug> active
• Append changelog entry:
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py log <slug> "blocked by API quota"
• Enable queue files:
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py enable-queue <slug>
• Add cron:
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py cron-add <slug> --cron "*/5 * * * *" --message "..." --name "task-<slug>"
• Remove cron:
  • python3 scripts/task_father.py cron-rm <slug> --name "task-<slug>"

Task documentation contract

Each task must contain:

1. TASK.md with front matter and sections:

• Purpose
• Important Decisions
• Blockers
• Capabilities (skills/plugins/tools)
• Change Log (timestamp + short description)

2. TODOS.md with checklist items.

3. If queue-style long processing is used:

• queue.jsonl, done.jsonl, failed.jsonl, lock.json.

4. Scripts under:

• <task_folder>/scripts/

5. Cron files under:

• <task_folder>/crons/

Reproducibility notes

• Keep machine-specific values in config.env, not in SKILL.md.
• Keep logs append-only where possible.
• Use small resumable batches for long work.