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

task-father

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

Target filesystem shape:

• TASK_REGISTRY.md (global index)
• tasks//

- 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 --title "..." --purpose "..." --skills "a,b" --plugins "x,y" --tools "read,write,exec"
• optional queue mode:

- python3 scripts/task_father.py enable-queue

• optional cron setup:

- python3 scripts/task_father.py cron-add --cron "/10 *" --message "" --name "task-"

Optional (terminal)

• cp config.env.example config.env
• Edit config.env
• Initialize task:

- python3 scripts/task_father.py init --title "..."

Lifecycle commands

• Set task status (updates state.json + changelog):

- python3 scripts/task_father.py set-state active

• Append changelog entry:

- python3 scripts/task_father.py log "blocked by API quota"

• Enable queue files:

- python3 scripts/task_father.py enable-queue

• Add cron:

- python3 scripts/task_father.py cron-add --cron "/5 *" --message "..." --name "task-"

• Remove cron:

- python3 scripts/task_father.py cron-rm --name "task-"

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:

• /scripts/

5) Cron files under:

• /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.