Task Master

By @eyaltoledano, @RalphEcom & @jasonzhou1993

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

Documentation

For more detailed information, check out the documentation 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)

📋 Click the copy button (top-right of code block) then paste into your browser:

cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=taskmaster-ai&config=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

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.

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)

Using the research model is optional but highly recommended. You will need at least ONE API key. 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`

Manual Configuration

Cursor & Windsurf (mcpServers)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "taskmaster-ai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "--package=task-master-ai", "task-master-ai"],
      "env": {
        "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",
        "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.

VS Code (servers + type)

{
  "servers": {
    "taskmaster-ai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "--package=task-master-ai", "task-master-ai"],
      "env": {
        "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",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY_HERE",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_KEY_HERE",
        "AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_AZURE_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.

Table of available models

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 individual tasks by asking "Can you help me implement [description of what you want to do]?" in chat.

Always start with a detailed PRD.

The more detailed your PRD, the better the generated tasks will be.

6. Common Commands

Use your AI assistant to:

Parse requirements: Can you parse my PRD at scripts/prd.txt?
Plan next step: What's the next task I should work on?
Implement a task: Can you help me implement task 3?
View multiple tasks: Can you show me tasks 1, 3, and 5?
Expand a task: Can you help me expand task 4?
Research fresh information: Research the latest best practices for implementing JWT authentication with Node.js
Research with context: Research React Query v5 migration strategies for our current API implementation in src/api.js

More examples on how to use Task Master in chat

Option 2: Using Command Line

Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g task-master-ai

# OR install locally within your project
npm install task-master-ai

Initialize a new project

# If installed globally
task-master init

# If installed locally
npx task-master init

This will prompt you for project details and set up a new project with the necessary files and structure.

Common Commands

# Initialize a new project
task-master init

# Parse a PRD and generate tasks
task-master parse-prd your-prd.txt

# List all tasks
task-master list

# Show the next task to work on
task-master next

# Show specific task(s) - supports comma-separated IDs
task-master show 1,3,5

# Research fresh information with project context
task-master research "What are the latest best practices for JWT authentication?"

# Generate task files
task-master generate

Troubleshooting

If `task-master init` doesn't respond

Try running it with Node directly:

node node_modules/claude-task-master/scripts/init.js

Or clone the repository and run:

git clone https://github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master.git
cd claude-task-master
node scripts/init.js

Contributors

Star History

Licensing

Task Master is licensed under the MIT License with Commons Clause. This means you can:

✅ Allowed:

Use Task Master for any purpose (personal, commercial, academic)
Modify the code
Distribute copies
Create and sell products built using Task Master

❌ Not Allowed:

Sell Task Master itself
Offer Task Master as a hosted service
Create competing products based on Task Master

See the LICENSE file for the complete license text and licensing details for more information.

This server cannot be installed

security - not tested

license - not found

quality - not tested

How are these scores calculated?

remote-capable server

The server can be hosted and run remotely because it primarily relies on remote services or has no dependency on the local environment.

A task management system for AI-driven development with Claude, designed to work seamlessly with Cursor AI and other code editors via MCP.

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Task Master

Task Master

By @eyaltoledano, @RalphEcom & @jasonzhou1993

Documentation

Quick Install for Cursor 1.0+ (One-Click)

Requirements

Quick Start

Option 1: MCP (Recommended)

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

Manual Configuration

2. (Cursor-only) Enable Taskmaster MCP

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

4. Initialize Task Master

5. Make sure you have a PRD (Recommended)

6. Common Commands

Option 2: Using Command Line

Installation

Initialize a new project

Common Commands

Troubleshooting

If `task-master init` doesn't respond

Contributors

Star History

Licensing

Related MCP Servers

Todoist MCP Server

Todoist MCP Server

MCP Claude Code

Claudeus Plane MCP

New MCP Servers

MCP directory API

Task Master

By @eyaltoledano, @RalphEcom & @jasonzhou1993

Documentation

Quick Install for Cursor 1.0+ (One-Click)

Requirements

Quick Start

Option 1: MCP (Recommended)

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

Manual Configuration

2. (Cursor-only) Enable Taskmaster MCP

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

4. Initialize Task Master

5. Make sure you have a PRD (Recommended)

6. Common Commands

Option 2: Using Command Line

Installation

Initialize a new project

Common Commands

Troubleshooting

If task-master init doesn't respond

Contributors

Star History

Licensing

Related MCP Servers

Todoist MCP Server

Todoist MCP Server

MCP Claude Code

Claudeus Plane MCP

New MCP Servers

MCP directory API

If `task-master init` doesn't respond