Complex Task Executor

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when a task meets ANY of the following criteria:

• Requires more than 3 distinct steps to complete

• Involves multiple tools or information sources

• Has dependencies between steps (step B needs output from step A)

• Requires research before execution

• Could benefit from a documented plan others can review

• The user explicitly asks for a thorough or systematic approach

DO NOT use this for simple tasks like answering a question, reading a single file, or performing one tool call.

Workflow

Phase 1: Task Analysis (THINK before acting)

Before creating any files, analyze the task:

• Understand the goal: What is the final deliverable? What does "done" look like?

• Assess complexity: How many steps? What tools are needed?

• Identify dependencies: Which steps depend on others?

• Identify risks: What could go wrong? What information is missing?

• Estimate scope: Is the task feasible with available tools/skills?

Phase 2: Create Task Plan

Create a task folder and plan file in the workspace:

workspace/<task-name>/plan.md

The plan.md MUST follow this exact format:

Task: <Clear title>

Objective

<One-sentence description of the desired outcome>

Steps

• 1. <First step — verb-noun format>
  • Details: <What specifically to do>
  • Output: <What this step produces>
• 2. <Second step>
  • Details: <...>
  • Depends on: Step 1
• 3. <Third step>
  • Details: <...>

Status

• Created: <timestamp>
• Current Step: Not started
• Progress: 0/<total>

Notes

<Any assumptions, risks, or open questions>

Rules for writing the plan:

• Each step should be completable in 1-3 tool calls

• Use verb-noun format: "Research competitors", "Draft report", "Validate data"

• Mark dependencies explicitly

• Include expected outputs for each step

Phase 3: Execute Step-by-Step

For EACH step in the plan:

• Read the plan — Call read_file on workspace/<task>/plan.md to check current state

• Mark as in-progress — Update the checkbox from [ ] to [/] and update the "Current Step" field

• Execute the step — Do the actual work (tool calls, analysis, writing)

• Record output — Save results to workspace/<task>/ (e.g., intermediate files, data)

• Mark as complete — Update the checkbox from [/] to [x] and update "Progress" counter

• Proceed to next step — Move to the next uncompleted step

Phase 4: Completion

When all steps are done:

• Update plan.md status to "✅ Completed"

• Create a workspace/<task>/summary.md with:

• What was accomplished

• Key results and deliverables

• Any follow-up items

• Present the final result to the user

Adaptive Replanning

If during execution you discover:

• A step is impossible → Mark it [!] with a reason, add alternative steps

• New steps are needed → Add them to the plan with [+] prefix

• A step produced unexpected results → Add a note and adjust subsequent steps

• The plan needs major changes → Create a new section "## Revised Plan" and follow it

Always update plan.md BEFORE changing course, so the plan stays the source of truth.

Error Handling

• If a tool call fails, retry once. If it fails again, mark the step as blocked and note the error.

• Never silently skip a step. Always update the plan to reflect what happened.

• If you're stuck, tell the user what's blocking and ask for guidance.

Example Scenarios

Example 1: "Research our top 3 competitors and write a comparison report"

Plan would be:

• 1. Identify the user's company/product context
• 2. Research Competitor A — website, pricing, features
• 3. Research Competitor B — website, pricing, features
• 4. Research Competitor C — website, pricing, features
• 5. Create comparison matrix
• 6. Write analysis and recommendations
• 7. Compile final report

Example 2: "Analyze our Q4 sales data and prepare a board presentation"

Plan would be:

• 1. Read and understand the sales data files
• 2. Calculate key metrics (revenue, growth, trends)
• 3. Identify top insights and anomalies
• 4. Create data summary tables
• 5. Draft presentation outline
• 6. Write each presentation section
• 7. Add executive summary
• 8. Review and polish final document

Key Principles

• Plan is the source of truth — Always update it before moving on

• One step at a time — Don't skip ahead or batch too many steps

• Show your work — Save intermediate results to the task folder

• Communicate progress — The user can read plan.md at any time to see status

• Be adaptive — Plans change; that's OK if you update the plan first