Task Master

Taskmaster: A task management system for AI-driven development, designed to work seamlessly with any AI chat.

| Docs

By @eyaltoledano & @RalphEcom

A task management system for AI-driven development with Claude, designed to work seamlessly with Cursor AI.

Documentation

📚 View Full Documentation

For detailed guides, API references, and comprehensive examples, visit our documentation site.

Quick Reference

The following documentation is also available in the docs directory:

• Configuration Guide - Set up environment variables and customize Task Master
• Tutorial - Step-by-step guide to getting started with Task Master
• Command Reference - Complete list of all available commands
• Task Structure - Understanding the task format and features
• Example Interactions - Common Cursor AI interaction examples
• Migration Guide - Guide to migrating to the new project structure

Quick Install for Cursor 1.0+ (One-Click)

Note: After clicking the link, you'll still need to add your API keys to the configuration. The link installs the MCP server with placeholder keys that you'll need to replace with your actual API keys.

Claude Code Quick Install

For Claude Code users:

claude mcp add taskmaster-ai -- npx -y task-master-ai

Don't forget to add your API keys to the configuration:

• in the root .env of your Project
• in the "env" section of your mcp config for taskmaster-ai

Requirements

Taskmaster utilizes AI across several commands, and those require a separate API key. You can use a variety of models from different AI providers provided you add your API keys. For example, if you want to use Claude 3.7, you'll need an Anthropic API key.

You can define 3 types of models to be used: the main model, the research model, and the fallback model (in case either the main or research fail). Whatever model you use, its provider API key must be present in either mcp.json or .env.

At least one (1) of the following is required:

• Anthropic API key (Claude API)
• OpenAI API key
• Google Gemini API key
• Perplexity API key (for research model)
• xAI API Key (for research or main model)
• OpenRouter API Key (for research or main model)
• Claude Code (no API key required - requires Claude Code CLI)
• Codex CLI (OAuth via ChatGPT subscription - requires Codex CLI)

Using the research model is optional but highly recommended. You will need at least ONE API key (unless using Claude Code or Codex CLI with OAuth). Adding all API keys enables you to seamlessly switch between model providers at will.

Quick Start

Option 1: MCP (Recommended)

MCP (Model Control Protocol) lets you run Task Master directly from your editor.

1. Add your MCP config at the following path depending on your editor

Editor	Scope	Linux/macOS Path	Windows Path	Key
Cursor	Global	~/.cursor/mcp.json	%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json	mcpServers
	Project	<project_folder>/.cursor/mcp.json	<project_folder>\.cursor\mcp.json	mcpServers
Windsurf	Global	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json	%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json	mcpServers
VS Code	Project	<project_folder>/.vscode/mcp.json	<project_folder>\.vscode\mcp.json	servers
Q CLI	Global	~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json		mcpServers

Manual Configuration

Cursor & Windsurf & Q Developer CLI (mcpServers)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "task-master-ai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "task-master-ai"],
      "env": {
        // "TASK_MASTER_TOOLS": "all", // Options: "all", "standard", "core", or comma-separated list of tools
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_KEY_HERE",
        "MISTRAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_MISTRAL_KEY_HERE",
        "GROQ_API_KEY": "YOUR_GROQ_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY_HERE",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_KEY_HERE",
        "AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_AZURE_KEY_HERE",
        "OLLAMA_API_KEY": "YOUR_OLLAMA_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

🔑 Replace YOUR_…_KEY_HERE with your real API keys. You can remove keys you don't use.

Note: If you see 0 tools enabled in the MCP settings, restart your editor and check that your API keys are correctly configured.

VS Code (servers + type)

{
  "servers": {
    "task-master-ai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "task-master-ai"],
      "env": {
        // "TASK_MASTER_TOOLS": "all", // Options: "all", "standard", "core", or comma-separated list of tools
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_KEY_HERE",
        "MISTRAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_MISTRAL_KEY_HERE",
        "GROQ_API_KEY": "YOUR_GROQ_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY_HERE",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_KEY_HERE",
        "AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_AZURE_KEY_HERE",
        "OLLAMA_API_KEY": "YOUR_OLLAMA_API_KEY_HERE"
      },
      "type": "stdio"
    }
  }
}

🔑 Replace YOUR_…_KEY_HERE with your real API keys. You can remove keys you don't use.

2. (Cursor-only) Enable Taskmaster MCP

Open Cursor Settings (Ctrl+Shift+J) ➡ Click on MCP tab on the left ➡ Enable task-master-ai with the toggle

3. (Optional) Configure the models you want to use

In your editor's AI chat pane, say:

Change the main, research and fallback models to <model_name>, <model_name> and <model_name> respectively.

For example, to use Claude Code (no API key required):

Change the main model to claude-code/sonnet

Table of available models | Claude Code setup

4. Initialize Task Master

In your editor's AI chat pane, say:

Initialize taskmaster-ai in my project

5. Make sure you have a PRD (Recommended)

For new projects: Create your PRD at .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt. For existing projects: You can use scripts/prd.txt or migrate with task-master migrate

An example PRD template is available after initialization in .taskmaster/templates/example_prd.txt.

[!NOTE] While a PRD is recommended for complex projects, you can always create i

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README truncated. View full README on GitHub.