RTaskmaster MCP

A task master MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for AI-driven development in VS Code, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible editors.

npm version

Features

📋 Task Management: Create, update, list, and organize tasks
🎯 Subtasks: Break down complex tasks into manageable subtasks
📊 Status Tracking: Track progress with status updates (pending, in-progress, done, blocked, deferred)
🏷️ Priority Levels: Organize by priority (high, medium, low)
🔗 Dependencies: Define task dependencies
💾 JSON Storage: Simple file-based storage in .rtaskmaster/tasks.json
🤖 AI-Ready: Designed to work seamlessly with GitHub Copilot, Claude, and other AI assistants

Quick Install for VS Code

Option 1: NPX (Recommended - No Install Required)

Add to your VS Code MCP configuration at .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "rtaskmaster": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "rtaskmaster-mcp"],
      "type": "stdio"
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Global Install

npm install -g rtaskmaster-mcp

Then add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "rtaskmaster": {
      "command": "rtaskmaster-mcp",
      "type": "stdio"
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Cursor IDE

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json or your project's .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rtaskmaster": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "rtaskmaster-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

📖 AI Agent Instructions

For AI agents (GitHub Copilot, Claude, etc.) to work effectively with RTaskmaster, reference the instructions file:

Location: .github/instructions.md in this repository

The instructions file provides:

✅ Getting started workflow
✅ Task lifecycle management
✅ Best practices for AI agents
✅ TASKS.md checklist format
✅ Example sessions

Quick Workflow for AI Agents

Initialize: rtaskmaster_init at project start
Create tasks: Break down requirements into tasks
Generate checklist: rtaskmaster_generate_tasks_md for human-readable view
Work loop: rtaskmaster_next_task → work → rtaskmaster_set_status → repeat
Track progress: rtaskmaster_stats to see completion

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description
`rtaskmaster_init`	Initialize RTaskmaster in a project
`rtaskmaster_get_tasks`	Get all tasks with optional filtering
`rtaskmaster_get_task`	Get a specific task by ID
`rtaskmaster_create_task`	Create a new task
`rtaskmaster_update_task`	Update an existing task
`rtaskmaster_delete_task`	Delete a task
`rtaskmaster_set_status`	Update task status
`rtaskmaster_add_subtask`	Add a subtask to a task
`rtaskmaster_next_task`	Get the next task to work on
`rtaskmaster_stats`	Get project statistics
`rtaskmaster_generate_tasks_md`	Generate a human-readable TASKS.md checklist
`rtaskmaster_parse_prd`	Parse requirements/PRD files to create tasks
`rtaskmaster_bulk_status`	Update multiple task statuses at once

📋 TASKS.md Checklist File

RTaskmaster can generate a human-readable TASKS.md file that serves as a visual checklist:

# Project Tasks

## 📊 Progress

| Status         | Count |
| -------------- | ----- |
| ✅ Done        | 2     |
| 🔄 In Progress | 1     |
| ⏳ Pending     | 3     |
| **Total**      | **6** |

**Completion: 33%**

---

## ✅ Tasks

### 🔴 High Priority

- [x] Set up project structure (#1)
- [ ] 🔄 Implement authentication (#2)
  - [x] Set up OAuth (#2.1)
  - [ ] Add JWT tokens (#2.2)

### 🟡 Medium Priority

- [ ] Add user profile page (#3)

Generate this file anytime using rtaskmaster_generate_tasks_md.

Task Structure

Tasks are stored in .rtaskmaster/tasks.json:

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "projectName": "My Project",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "id": "1",
      "title": "Implement authentication",
      "description": "Add user authentication system",
      "status": "pending",
      "priority": "high",
      "dependencies": [],
      "subtasks": [
        {
          "id": "1",
          "title": "Set up OAuth",
          "status": "pending"
        }
      ],
      "details": "Implementation notes here...",
      "testStrategy": "How to verify this task...",
      "createdAt": "2026-01-13T10:00:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-01-13T10:00:00.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "lastUpdated": "2026-01-13T10:00:00.000Z"
}

Usage Examples

Once configured, interact through your AI assistant:

Initialize taskmaster in this project

Create a task to implement user authentication with high priority

Show me all pending tasks

What's the next task I should work on?

Mark task 1 as in-progress

Add a subtask to task 1: "Set up database schema"

Task Statuses

Status	Description
`pending`	Task not yet started
`in-progress`	Currently being worked on
`done`	Completed
`blocked`	Cannot proceed (waiting on something)
`deferred`	Postponed for later

Priority Levels

Priority	Description
`high`	Urgent/critical tasks
`medium`	Normal priority (default)
`low`	Can wait

Development

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/RagnarPitla/RTaskmaster-rbuildai-mcp.git
cd RTaskmaster-rbuildai-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Watch mode for development
npm run dev

# Test with MCP Inspector
npm run inspector

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT

Author

RBuildAI - GitHub