task-manager-mcp
A lightweight MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for task management with intelligent status tracking and next task discovery based on preconditions.
Features
- Task Status Management: Set and track task status with support for subtasks
- Smart Task Discovery: Find the next executable task based on priorities and dependencies
- Precondition Checking: Automatic validation of task dependencies before execution
- Flexible Configuration: Configure via task JSON files with customizable structure
- Standalone: No external dependencies, ready for independent deployment
Quick Start
⚠️ Important: /task-manager-mcp:get-task-rules (MCP) is the main entry point for the entire MCP system to function properly. Start with this prompt to get comprehensive guidance for all task management operations.
Installation
git clone https://github.com/localSummer/task-manager-mcp.git
MCP Client Configuration
Cursor IDE Configuration
Add the following configuration to your .cursor/mcp.json file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"task-manager": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/task-manager-mcp/src/index.mjs"],
"env": {
"TASK_CONFIG_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/your/tasks.json"
}
}
}
}
Task Configuration Format
Your task configuration file should follow this structure:
{
"meta": {
"projectName": "My Project", // Project name (string)
"description": "Project task management", // Project description (string)
"version": "1.0.0", // Configuration version (string)
"tasksResultOutputDir": "src/task-results" // Directory path for storing task result files (string, optional)
},
"tasks": [
{
"number": 1, // Task number (float, e.g., 1, 1.1, 2.5) - Unique identifier for the task
"key": "setup-project", // Task key (string) - Unique identifier for the task
"title": "Project Setup", // Task title (string)
"description": "Initialize project structure", // Task description (string) - Brief description of the task
"status": "pending", // Task status (string) - Must be one of: pending, done, in-progress, review, deferred, cancelled
"precondition": [], // Array of task keys or numbers that must be completed before this task can be executed (array of strings/numbers)
"priority": "high", // Task priority (string) - Must be one of: low, medium, high
"details": "", // Additional task details (string, optional) - Detailed explanation or file path for task requirements
"result": "", // Expected result of the task (string, optional)
"testStrategy": "", // Strategy for testing this task (string, optional)
"subtasks": [
// Array of subtasks (array, optional)
{
"number": 1.1, // Subtask number (float) - Unique identifier for the subtask
"key": "create-folders", // Subtask key (string) - Unique identifier for the subtask
"title": "Create Folder Structure", // Subtask title (string)
"description": "Set up the basic directory structure", // Subtask description (string) - Brief description of the subtask
"details": "", // Additional subtask details (string, optional) - Detailed explanation or file path for subtask requirements
"status": "pending", // Subtask status (string) - Must be one of: pending, done, in-progress, review, deferred, cancelled
"precondition": [], // Array of task/subtask keys or numbers that must be completed before this subtask can be executed (array of strings/numbers)
"priority": "high", // Subtask priority (string) - Must be one of: low, medium, high
"result": "", // Expected result of the subtask (string, optional)
"testStrategy": "" // Strategy for testing this subtask (string, optional)
}
]
}
]
}
Field Value Enumerations
- status:
pending,done,in-progress,review,deferred,cancelled - priority:
low,medium,high
Field Descriptions
- description: Brief description of the task or subtask
- details: Detailed explanation or file path for task/subtask requirements (supports path format for referencing external documents)
Available Tools
set_task_status
Update the status of one or more tasks or subtasks.
Parameters:
identifier: Task key or number (supports comma-separated multiple values)status: New status (pending|done|in-progress|review|deferred|cancelled)
next_task
Find the next executable task based on priorities and preconditions.
Returns the highest priority task that has all dependencies satisfied.
initialize_tasks
Initialize project by resetting all tasks and subtasks status to "pending" and result to empty string.
This tool will:
- Reset all task and subtask
statusfields to"pending" - Reset all task and subtask
resultfields to empty string"" - Save the updated configuration automatically
No parameters required.
Available MCP Prompts
get-task-rules
Retrieves complete task management system rules and guidelines with dynamic configuration replacement.
This prompt provides comprehensive documentation for task management operations, automatically replacing configuration placeholders with values from your task configuration file.
Usage: Use /task-manager-mcp:get-task-rules (MCP) and follow the provided instructions to execute task management operations.
⚠️ Important: /task-manager-mcp:get-task-rules (MCP) is the main entry point for the entire MCP system to function properly. Start with this prompt to get comprehensive guidance for all task management operations.
Related Projects
This project draws inspiration from claude-task-master by @eyaltoledano, a comprehensive AI-powered task management system for development with Claude.
Key Differences
While both projects focus on task management for AI-driven development, this task-manager-mcp project has a different scope:
| Feature | claude-task-master | task-manager-mcp |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Full-featured CLI tool with AI integration | Lightweight MCP server focused on protocol compliance |
| Scope | Complete task management ecosystem with PRD parsing, AI research, and code generation | Core task status tracking and dependency resolution |
| AI Integration | Built-in support for multiple AI providers (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, etc.) | Protocol-agnostic, works with any MCP-compatible AI client |
| Dependencies | Rich feature set with external API dependencies | Standalone with minimal dependencies |
| Target Use Case | End-to-end project management and AI-assisted development | Simple task tracking service for integration into existing workflows |
When to Choose Which
- Choose claude-task-master if you want a complete AI-powered development workflow with PRD parsing, research capabilities, and direct AI integration
- Choose task-manager-mcp if you need a lightweight, protocol-compliant task management service that integrates with your existing MCP setup
Both projects complement each other in the ecosystem of AI-assisted development tools.
License
ISC