About update
A productivity skill for keeping task lists and memory current. Its default mode syncs external tasks, triages stale items, and finds memory gaps; `--comprehensive` also scans recent chats, email, calendars, and documents. New tasks and memories are added only with confirmation.
Key features
- 01Sync external tasks against TASKS.md
- 02Flag overdue and long-running tasks
- 03Find unknown people and projects in tasks
- 04Extract links, status changes, and deadlines
- 05Scan recent activity for missed todos in comprehensive mode
Use cases
- 01Reconcile task lists with project trackers
- 02Review stale tasks and decide what to do next
- 03Find untracked action items in chats and email
- 04Fill gaps in people and project memory
MCP support
When MCP is available, the skill can sync tasks from project trackers. Comprehensive mode also gathers activity from available MCP sources such as chat, email, documents, and calendars.
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ anthropics/ knowledge-work-plugins --skill updateAfter installing, type/updatein Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEUpdate Command
If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.
Keep your task list and memory current. Two modes:
- Default: Sync tasks from external tools, triage stale items, check memory for gaps
--comprehensive: Deep scan chat, email, calendar, docs — flag missed todos and suggest new memories
Usage
/productivity:update
/productivity:update --comprehensive
Default Mode
1. Load Current State
Read TASKS.md and memory/ directory. If they don't exist, suggest /productivity:start first.
2. Sync Tasks from External Sources
Check for available task sources:
- Project tracker (e.g. Asana, Linear, Jira) (if MCP available)
- GitHub Issues (if in a repo):
gh issue list --assignee=@me
If no sources are available, skip to Step 3.
Fetch tasks assigned to the user (open/in-progress). Compare against TASKS.md:
| External task | TASKS.md match? | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Found, not in TASKS.md | No match | Offer to add |
| Found, already in TASKS.md | Match by title (fuzzy) | Skip |
| In TASKS.md, not in external | No match | Flag as potentially stale |
| Completed externally | In Active section | Offer to mark done |
Present diff and let user decide what to add/complete.
3. Triage Stale Items
Review Active tasks in TASKS.md and flag:
- Tasks with due dates in the past
- Tasks in Active for 30+ days
- Tasks with no context (no person, no project)
Present each for triage: Mark done? Reschedule? Move to Someday?
4. Decode Tasks for Memory Gaps
For each task, attempt to decode all entities (people, projects, acronyms, tools, links):
Task: "Send PSR to Todd re: Phoenix blockers"
Decode:
- PSR → ✓ Pipeline Status Report (in glossary)
- Todd → ✓ Todd Martinez (in people/)
- Phoenix → ? Not in memory
Track what's fully decoded vs. what has gaps.
5. Fill Gaps
Present unknown terms grouped:
I found terms in your tasks I don't have context for:
1. "Phoenix" (from: "Send PSR to Todd re: Phoenix blockers")
→ What's Phoenix?
2. "Maya" (from: "sync with Maya on API design")
→ Who is Maya?
Add answers to the appropriate memory files (people/, projects/, glossary.md).
6. Capture Enrichment
Tasks often contain richer context than memory. Extract and update:
- Links from tasks → add to project/people files
- Status changes ("launch done") → update project status, demote from CLAUDE.md
- Relationships ("Todd's sign-off on Maya's proposal") → cross-reference people
- Deadlines → add to project files
7. Report
Update complete:
- Tasks: +3 from project tracker (e.g. Asana), 1 completed, 2 triaged
- Memory: 2 gaps filled, 1 project enriched
- All tasks decoded ✓
Comprehensive Mode (--comprehensive)
Everything in Default Mode, plus a deep scan of recent activity.
Extra Step: Scan Activity Sources
Gather data from available MCP sources:
- Chat: Search recent messages, read active channels
- Email: Search sent messages
- Documents: List recently touched docs
- Calendar: List recent + upcoming events
Extra Step: Flag Missed Todos
Compare activity against TASKS.md. Surface action items that aren't tracked:
## Possible Missing Tasks
From your activity, these look like todos you haven't captured:
1. From chat (Jan 18):
"I'll send the updated mockups by Friday"
→ Add to TASKS.md?
2. From meeting "Phoenix Standup" (Jan 17):
You have a recurring meeting but no Phoenix tasks active
→ Anything needed here?
3. From email (Jan 16):
"I'll review the API spec this week"
→ Add to TASKS.md?
Let user pick which to add.
Extra Step: Suggest New Memories
Surface new entities not in memory:
## New People (not in memory)
| Name | Frequency | Context |
|------|-----------|---------|
| Maya Rodriguez | 12 mentions | design, UI reviews |
| Alex K | 8 mentions | DMs about API |
## New Projects/Topics
| Name | Frequency | Context |
|------|-----------|---------|
| Starlight | 15 mentions | planning docs, product |
## Suggested Cleanup
- **Horizon project** — No mentions in 30 days. Mark completed?
Present grouped by confidence. High-confidence items offered to add directly; low-confidence items asked about.
Notes
- Never auto-add tasks or memories without user confirmation
- External source links are preserved when available
- Fuzzy matching on task titles handles minor wording differences
- Safe to run frequently — only updates when there's new info
--comprehensivealways runs interactively