New Work
Create and manage todo tracking documents for features, bugs, and multi-step tasks.
Install
npx skills add posit-dev/skills --skill new-work -g -a claude-code -y- Repository
- posit-dev/skills551
- Category
- Engineering
- Updated
- 7d ago
- License
- MIT
- Context cost
- Lightabout 541 tokens
- Runs scripts
- No, instructions only
What it does
Create and manage todo tracking documents for features, bugs, and multi-step tasks. Use when starting new work that benefits from a persistent record of decisions, progress, and context.
New Work
Todo notes track work items as markdown files with YAML front matter capturing status, context, and progress.
Storage Location
Use _dev/todos/ if it exists in the repository root; otherwise ask the user where to store todo notes before creating anything. It contains two subdirectories: pending/ (active) and done/ (finished).
File Naming
YYYY-MM-DD_short-kebab-slug.md, e.g. 2026-02-18_add-oauth-support.md.
File Contents
YAML front matter plus a markdown body. Only status is required.
---
status: pending # pending | in progress | review | blocked | done
issue: https://github.com/org/repo/issues/123 # optional
pr: https://github.com/org/repo/pull/456 # optional
---
# Title
Overview of what this is about and why it matters.
## Key Files
- `src/relevant-file.ts`, what it does
- `src/other-file.ts:functionName()`, why it matters
## Work Items
- [ ] First thing to do
- [ ] Second thing to do
## Design Decisions
Context, constraints, or choices worth capturing.
## Decision Log
<!--
### YYYY-MM-DD, Short Decision Title
**Decision:** What was decided?
**Rationale:** Why?
-->
Lifecycle
- Create: make
pending/if needed, create the date-prefixed file withstatus: pending, and write enough context to resume later. - In progress: update
status; addissue/prlinks when they exist; check off Work Items (- [ ]→- [x]); record significant decisions in the Decision Log. - Complete: set
status: doneandmvthe file frompending/todone/.
Keeping the Document Current
Treat the todo as a living record for the rest of the session. Update it after any decision, newly discovered problem or requirement, issue raised/resolved, significant implementation work, or commit. When in doubt, update it.
