expand-tasks
Expand all TaskMaster tasks with deep research before coding begins. Reads tasks.json, launches parallel research agents per task in waves using the research-expander agent. Writes findings back to tasks.json. Part of the prd-taskmaster toolkit. Use after PRD is parsed and before implementation. Invoke with /expand-tasks.
npx skills add anombyte93/prd-taskmaster --skill expand-tasks --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Expand Tasks with Research v1.0 Expands TaskMaster tasks with research before coding begins. Deterministic operations handled by `script.py`; AI handles judgment. **Script location**: `skills/expand-tasks/script.py` (relative to plugin root) **Part of**: `prd-taskmaster` plugin **Depends on**: `research-expander` agent (parallel research worker), any research provider configured via `task-master models --set-research` or registered as an MCP research tool. ## When to Use Activate when user says: expand tasks, research tasks, research before coding for all, expand subtasks. Do NOT activate for: single task research (use /research-before-coding), PRD generation (use /prd:go). ## Native-parallel first (token economy) Before launching agent waves, check the cheaper path: the native engine expands tasks in parallel for free. Prefer `python3 script.py expand` — backend op expand (native api) — or the `expand_tasks` MCP tool: it runs structured `expand` across pending tasks concurrently (inheriting the engine's ThreadPoolExecutor) on economy-tier models / keyless host CLIs and merges atomically. Use THIS skill's agent waves when: no provider/CLI is available, native expand reports failu
- When to Use
- Native-parallel first (token economy)
- Prerequisites
- Workflow (5 Steps)
- Step 1: Preflight
- Step 2: Choose Scope
- Step 3: Generate Research Prompts
- Step 4: Launch Parallel Research Agents
- Step 5: Collect and Write Results
- Research Agent Prompt Pattern
- Error Handling
- Output
- Integration with prd-taskmaster
- Tips
python3 skills/expand-tasks/script.py read-tasks python3 skills/expand-tasks/script.py gen-prompt --task-id <ID> cat > /tmp/research-task-<ID>.md <<'EOF' python3 skills/expand-tasks/script.py write-research --task-id <ID> --research /tmp/research-task-<ID>.md python3 skills/expand-tasks/script.py status
What does the expand-tasks skill do?
Expand all TaskMaster tasks with deep research before coding begins. Reads tasks.json, launches parallel research agents per task in waves using the research-expander agent. Writes findings back to tasks.json. Part of the prd-taskmaster toolkit. Use after PRD is parsed and before implementation. Invoke with /expand-tasks.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add anombyte93/prd-taskmaster --skill expand-tasks --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From anombyte93/prd-taskmaster, a repository with 586 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.