file-todos

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File-Based Todo Tracking

todos/ directory — markdown files with YAML frontmatter for tracking code review feedback, debt, features, and work items.

File Naming

{issue_id}-{status}-{priority}-{description}.md

• issue_id: sequential 3-digit (001, 002...) — never reused
• status: pending (needs triage) | ready (approved) | complete (done)
• priority: p1 (critical) | p2 (important) | p3 (nice-to-have)
• description: kebab-case

Examples: 001-pending-p1-mailer-test.md, 002-ready-p1-fix-n-plus-1.md, 005-complete-p2-refactor-csv.md

YAML Frontmatter

---
status: ready              # pending | ready | complete
priority: p1               # p1 | p2 | p3
issue_id: "002"
tags: [rails, performance, database]
dependencies: ["001"]      # Issue IDs this is blocked by
---

Required Sections

• Problem Statement — what is broken/missing
• Findings — investigation results, root cause
• Proposed Solutions — multiple options with pros/cons, effort, risk
• Recommended Action — filled during triage
• Acceptance Criteria — testable checklist
• Work Log — chronological record

Optional: Technical Details, Resources, Notes. Use template at assets/todo-template.md.

Workflows

Creating a Todo

# 1. Get next ID
ls todos/ | grep -o '^[0-9]\+' | sort -n | tail -1
# 2. Copy template
cp assets/todo-template.md todos/{NEXT_ID}-pending-{priority}-{description}.md
# 3. Fill required sections, add initial Work Log entry

Create todo when: >15-20 min work, needs research/planning, has dependencies, needs approval, part of larger feature, technical debt. Act immediately when: <15 min, complete context, obvious solution, user requests it.

Triaging Pending Items

ls todos/*-pending-*.md
# For each: read Problem + Solutions, decide approve/defer/reprioritize
# Approve: rename pending→ready, update frontmatter, fill Recommended Action

Use /triage for interactive workflow.

Managing Dependencies

# What blocks this todo?
grep "^dependencies:" todos/003-*.md

# What does this todo block?
grep -l 'dependencies:.*"002"' todos/*.md

# Verify blockers complete before starting
for dep in 001 002 003; do
  [ -f "todos/${dep}-complete-*.md" ] || echo "Issue $dep not complete"
done

Work Log Entry Format

### YYYY-MM-DD - Session Title
**By:** Claude Code / Developer Name
**Actions:**
- Specific changes (include file:line refs), commands, tests, investigation results
**Learnings:**
- What worked/didn't, patterns discovered, key insights

Completing a Todo

1. Verify all acceptance criteria checked off
2. Add final Work Log entry
3. mv {file}-ready-{pri}-{desc}.md {file}-complete-{pri}-{desc}.md
4. Update frontmatter: status: complete
5. Check for unblocked work: grep -l 'dependencies:.*"002"' todos/*-ready-*.md
6. git commit -m "feat: resolve issue 002"

Quick Reference Commands

# Next issue ID
ls todos/ | grep -o '^[0-9]\+' | sort -n | tail -1 | awk '{printf "%03d", $1+1}'

# Unblocked p1 work
grep -l 'dependencies: \[\]' todos/*-ready-p1-*.md

# Pending triage
ls todos/*-pending-*.md

# Count by status
for status in pending ready complete; do
  echo "$status: $(ls -1 todos/*-$status-*.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l)"
done

# By tag / priority / full-text
grep -l "tags:.*rails" todos/*.md
ls todos/*-p1-*.md
grep -r "payment" todos/

Integration

| Trigger | Flow | |---------|------| | Code review | /clavain:quality-gates → findings → /clavain:triage → todos | | PR comments | /clavain:resolve → fixes + todos | | Planning | brainstorm → create todo → work → complete |

Key Distinctions

• This system (todos/): markdown files, dev/project tracking, used by humans + agents
• Rails Todo model (app/models/todo.rb): database model, user-facing feature — unrelated
• TodoWrite tool: in-memory session tracking only, not persisted