Close-Task 150 Protocol

Core Principle: One task, one status, one location. Status matches reality. Artifacts prove completion. No duplicates anywhere.

What This Skill Does

When you invoke this skill, you're asking AI to:

• Track status accurately — Status reflects real state
• Align artifacts — Deliverables match status claims
• Prevent duplicates — No task in multiple places
• Enforce lifecycle — Proper state progression
• Maintain integrity — Cross-system consistency

The 150% Tracking Rule

Dimension	100% Core	+50% Enhancement
Status	Correct state	+ Transition reason documented
Artifacts	Match status	+ Quality verified
Duplicates	None found	+ Cross-system check
Audit	Changes logged	+ Full history preserved

Task Lifecycle States

🔥 ACTIVE WORKFLOW
├── Pending: Task defined but not started
├── In Progress: Currently being worked on
├── Blocked: Waiting for dependencies
└── Review: Ready for verification

✅ COMPLETION WORKFLOW
├── Completed: Successfully finished
├── Verified: Quality checks passed
├── Archived: Moved to long-term storage
└── Cancelled: No longer needed

State Transition Rules

Valid Transitions:

Pending → In Progress (work started)
Pending → Cancelled (no longer needed)

In Progress → Blocked (waiting on dependency)
In Progress → Review (ready for check)
In Progress → Cancelled (abandoned)

Blocked → In Progress (blocker resolved)
Blocked → Cancelled (no longer needed)

Review → In Progress (changes requested)
Review → Completed (approved)
Review → Cancelled (rejected entirely)

Completed → Verified (quality confirmed)
Completed → In Progress (issues found)

Verified → Archived (stored long-term)

When to Use This Skill

• Updating task status — Any state change
• Claiming completion — Before marking done
• Checking integrity — Audit task systems
• Preventing confusion — Multiple tracking systems
• Progress reporting — Accurate status needed

Execution Protocol

Step 1: CURRENT STATE VERIFICATION

📋 **TASK STATE CHECK**

**Task:** [Task ID and title]
**Current Status:** [What system says]
**Actual State:** [What reality shows]
**Match:** ✅ Aligned | ❌ Mismatch

Step 2: ARTIFACT VALIDATION

📦 **ARTIFACT CHECK**

**Status Claimed:** [e.g., Completed]
**Artifacts Required:** [What should exist]
**Artifacts Found:**
- [ ] [Artifact 1]: [Exists/Missing]
- [ ] [Artifact 2]: [Exists/Missing]

**Alignment:** ✅ Match | ❌ Gap

Step 3: DUPLICATE CHECK

🔍 **DUPLICATE SCAN**

**Locations Checked:**
- [ ] [System 1]: [Found/Not Found]
- [ ] [System 2]: [Found/Not Found]
- [ ] [System 3]: [Found/Not Found]

**Duplicates Found:** [None / List them]
**Action Required:** [None / Consolidate]

Step 4: STATUS TRANSITION

🔄 **STATUS UPDATE**

**From:** [Previous status]
**To:** [New status]
**Reason:** [Why changing]
**Valid Transition:** ✅ Yes | ❌ No

**Changes Made:**
- [System 1]: Updated
- [Artifacts]: Verified
- [Documentation]: Logged

Step 5: INTEGRITY CONFIRMATION

✅ **INTEGRITY VERIFIED**

**Single Status:** ✅ One status only
**Artifacts Match:** ✅ Deliverables align
**No Duplicates:** ✅ Single location
**Audit Trail:** ✅ Change documented

Output Format

For status updates:

📋 **TASK-TRACK 150 UPDATE**

**Task:** [ID] — [Title]

**Status Change:**
├── From: [Previous]
├── To: [New]
└── Reason: [Why]

**Artifacts:**
├── 📄 [Deliverable 1]: [Location] ✅
├── 📊 [Deliverable 2]: [Location] ✅
└── Coverage: [X]%

**Integrity:**
├── Single Status: ✅
├── Artifacts Match: ✅
├── No Duplicates: ✅
└── Audit Logged: ✅

**Confirmation Required?** [Yes/No]

For integrity audits:

🔍 **TASK-TRACK 150 AUDIT**

**Scope:** [What was checked]

**Findings:**
├── Tasks Checked: [N]
├── Status Correct: [N] ✅
├── Status Mismatch: [N] ⚠️
├── Duplicates Found: [N] 🔴
└── Missing Artifacts: [N] ⚠️

**Issues:**
1. [Task X]: [Problem] → [Fix]
2. [Task Y]: [Problem] → [Fix]

**Actions Taken:**
- [Action 1]
- [Action 2]

**System Integrity:** [✅ Clean | ⚠️ Issues Fixed | 🔴 Needs Attention]

Task Status Format

🔥 **[ID] — [Task Title]**

**Status:** [Current State] | **Priority:** [Level]
**Created:** [Date] | **Due:** [Date]

**Progress:**
- [x] Step 1: [Description] ✅ [Date]
- [x] Step 2: [Description] ✅ [Date]
- [ ] Step 3: [Description]

**Artifacts:**
- 📄 [Deliverable 1]: [Location/Link]
- 📊 [Deliverable 2]: [Location/Link]

**Blockers:** [None / List]
**Notes:** [Updates, context, next steps]

Operational Rules

1. STATUS ACCURACY: Status always reflects reality
2. ARTIFACT ALIGNMENT: Deliverables must match status
3. DUPLICATE PREVENTION: Strict control, one location only
4. LIFECYCLE ENFORCEMENT: Follow valid transitions
5. DOCUMENTATION: Log all status changes with reasons
6. CROSS-SYSTEM SYNC: Consistent across all systems

Failure Modes & Recovery

Failure	Detection	Recovery
Duplicate Tasks	Same task in multiple places	Consolidate, remove duplicates
Status Mismatch	Status doesn't match artifacts	Correct status or complete work
Lifecycle Violation	Invalid state transition	Return to correct state
Missing Audit	No change documentation	Document all changes now

Examples

❌ Without Task-Track

Task UT-015:
- In "Active" section: "In Progress"
- In "Completed" section: "Done"
- In sprint board: "Review"

Result: Confusion, task worked on twice, wasted effort

✅ With Task-Track 150

📋 TASK-TRACK 150 UPDATE

Task: UT-015 — Implement user authentication

Status Change:
├── From: In Progress
├── To: Completed
└── Reason: All acceptance criteria met, tests passing

Artifacts:
├── 📄 auth.service.ts: /src/services/ ✅
├── 📊 auth.test.ts: /tests/ ✅ (94% coverage)
├── 📝 API docs: /docs/auth.md ✅
└── Coverage: 100%

Integrity:
├── Single Status: ✅ (only in Completed)
├── Artifacts Match: ✅ (all deliverables present)
├── No Duplicates: ✅ (removed from Active)
└── Audit Logged: ✅ (change documented)

Status: ✅ Verified

Relationship to Other Skills

• action-plan-150 → Creates tasks with clear steps
• gated-exec-150 → Executes tasks with control
• task-track-150 → Manages task lifecycle
• integrity-check-150 → Validates before completion

Session Log Entry (MANDATORY)

After completing this skill, write to .sessions/SESSION_[date]-[name].md:

### [HH:MM] Close-Task 150 Complete
**Task:** <task updated>
**New Status:** <status>
**Reason:** <transition reason>
**Artifacts:** <verified deliverables>

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Remember: Task tracking isn't bureaucracy — it's clarity. One status, one location, artifacts that prove completion. When everyone knows the real state, work flows smoothly.