split-task

Split Task

Must read: ../pack-shared/standards.md. Apply the Taste and Architecture sections of AGENTS.md this turn before splitting lanes or folders. Do not skip.

Ask style: ../pack-shared/asking.md

This skill is a worker step for /task or /just-do-it, not a typical user start.

Split one task or goal into small, ordered inline slice contracts. Keep the result in chat under the shared execution context; do not write an INDEX, plan path, status file, or workspace state.

Slices must name entry/folder per architecture and nest new files in that folder; do not split in a way that forks a service or primitive or lands mixed siblings.

If the user explicitly asks to save the split, get or honor an approved destination and write only that requested artifact.

Smart zone

A slice fits the smart zone when:

• one clear what a specialist can finish without rediscovering the goal;
• the job is one seam or even one function;
• 1–3 binary checks that verify it alone;
• the brief plus working set stay around 30% of the context window after harness, skills, rules, and MCP (already about half);
• little needed history beyond the injected brief and blockers.

The slice names what, not how. If it still needs “and then also…”, or the worker would have to re-map the repo, split it again. Parallel-ready slices with no blockers are useful; do not merge them merely for efficiency.

Process

1. Capture the parent in chat

Normalize the request using the active execution context:

# Parent
**Outcome:** <one-line verifiable outcome>
**Ticket / PR:** <reference | none>
**Lane:** <areas, paths, or symbols>
**Non-goals:** <explicit exclusions>
**Done when:**
1. <binary check>
**Active Rules:** <relevant INV IDs>

If the parent is vague, batch only the real clarifying questions using asking.md. Do not invent scope.

2. Split ruthlessly

Break the parent into the smallest ordered slices that still deliver value. Each inline slice contract includes:

Field	Rule
Title	Imperative and specific
Outcome	One sentence: what becomes true when this slice is done
Lane	Narrower than the parent when possible
Entry / folder	Expected entry point and owning folder when files are added; no mixed-parent dump
Active Rules	Rules implemented or preserved by this slice
Done when	1–3 binary checks for this slice only
Blocked by	Earlier slice IDs, or none
Why this size	Why it fits the smart zone or cannot shrink further

Split further when a slice touches more than one major concern, needs more than one explore pass, has independent Done-when rows, or would force a long plan into working memory. For wide refactors, expand, migrate in small batches, then contract.

3. Order and announce

List blockers first and mark the frontier. The agent owns the split, so do not ask yes/no for it. If other real product, UX, architecture, or taste questions remain, send a Questions-only batch per asking.md (no Locked heading). After those are settled — or immediately when nothing is open — announce the numbered split in a separate Locked in (tell me if this is wrong) message.

If the user corrects the split, revise the in-chat contracts and continue. Do not implement until /task asks.

4. Hand off

Copy the frontier and dependencies into Current slices of the execution context. Expand implementation-ready slices with an inline plan contract, then /design for user-facing frontier work and /implement for non-UI. Do not create an INDEX or rely on an automatic artifact.

Output template

# Split: <parent title>

## Parent Done when
1. …

## Slices

### 1 — <title>
- **Outcome:** …
- **Lane:** …
- **Entry / folder:** …
- **Rules that must stay true:** Rule 1, …
- **Done when:** …
- **Blocked by:** none
- **Why this size:** …

### 2 — <title>
- **Outcome:** …
- **Lane:** …
- **Rules that must stay true:** Rule 2, …
- **Done when:** …
- **Blocked by:** 1
- **Why this size:** …

## Frontier
- 1 — ready now

Anti-patterns

• Horizontal layers when vertical thin slices fit
• Mega-slices that push workers out of the smart zone
• Slice contracts that prescribe how (step lists, patches) instead of what
• Vague titles without binary Done when
• Landing a slice as mixed siblings with no owning folder
• Writing an automatic INDEX, plan file, status file, or resume state
• Implementing before the split is announced and any Questions-only batch is answered
• Asking yes/no to confirm the split
• Publishing to a tracker unless the user asks