Introduction
# TaskMaster: AI Project Manager & Task Delegation
Transform complex projects into managed workflows with smart model selection and sub-agent orchestration.
## Core Capabilities
**🎯 Smart Task Triage** - Analyze complexity → assign appropriate model (Haiku/Sonnet/Opus) - Break large projects into smaller, manageable tasks - Prevent over-engineering (don't use Opus for simple web searches)
**🤖 Sub-Agent Orchestration** - Spawn isolated sub-agents with specific model constraints - Run tasks in parallel for faster completion - Consolidate results into coherent deliverables
**💰 Budget Management** - Track token costs per task and total project - Set budget limits to prevent runaway spending - Optimize model selection for cost-efficiency
**📊 Progress Tracking** - Real-time status of all active tasks - Failed task retry with escalation - Final deliverable compilation
## Quick Start
### 1. Basic Task Delegation ```markdown TaskMaster: Research PDF processing libraries - Budget: $2.00 - Priority: medium - Deadline: 2 hours ```
### 2. Complex Project Breakdown ```markdown TaskMaster: Build recipe app MVP - Components: UI mockup, backend API, data schema, deployment - Budget: $15.00 - Timeline: 1 week - Auto-assign models based on complexity ```
## Model Selection Rules
**Haiku ($0.25/$1.25)** - Simple, repetitive tasks: - Web searches & summarization - Data formatting & extraction - Basic file operations - Status checks & monitoring
**Sonnet ($3/$15)** - Most development work: - Research & analysis - Code writing & debugging - Documentation creation - Technical design
**Opus ($15/$75)** - Complex reasoning: - Architecture decisions - Creative problem-solving - Code reviews & optimization - Strategic planning
## Advanced Usage
### Custom Model Assignment Override automatic selection when you know better: ```markdown TaskMaster: Debug complex algorithm [FORCE: Opus] ```
### Parallel Execution Run multiple tasks simultaneously: ```markdown TaskMaster: Multi-research project - Task A: Library comparison - Task B: Performance benchmarks - Task C: Security analysis [PARALLEL: true] ```
### Budget Controls Set spending limits: ```markdown TaskMaster: Market research - Max budget: $5.00 - Escalate if >$3.00 spent - Stop if any single task >$1.00 ```
## Key Resources
- **Model Selection**: See [references/model-selection-rules.md](references/model-selection-rules.md) for detailed complexity guidelines - **Task Templates**: See [references/task-templates.md](references/task-templates.md) for common task patterns - **Delegation Engine**: Uses `scripts/delegate_task.py` for core orchestration logic
## Implementation Notes
**Sessions Management**: Each sub-agent gets isolated session with specific model constraints. No cross-talk unless explicitly designed.
**Error Handling**: Failed tasks automatically retry once on Sonnet, then escalate to human review.
**Result Aggregation**: TaskMaster compiles all sub-agent results into a single, coherent deliverable for the user.
**Token Tracking**: Real-time cost monitoring with alerts when approaching budget limits.