name: task-clarity-scanner description: Scans daily notes using Personal Kanban structure. Clarifies tasks, manages Today's 3 vs Ready, flags stale items, manages Waiting For items, and helps swap between columns. Use when reviewing todos, scanning task lists, or managing your Kanban board. allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Edit, Write, AskUserQuestion

Task Clarity Scanner

What This Does

Scans your daily note, identifies unclear or vague tasks, manages the Personal Kanban flow (Today's 3 ↔ Ready), flags stale items, and updates the file once you approve changes.

When to Use

• "Scan my tasks"
• "Review my daily note"
• "Clarify my todos"
• "Check my task list for today"
• "What can you help me with today?"
• "Swap tasks" / "Update my Today's 3"

Default Daily Note Location

Ed's daily notes live in Obsidian at:

/Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/YYYY-MM-DD.md

When invoked without a specific file, check today's date and look for that file automatically.

Daily Note Structure (Personal Kanban)

The daily note has this structure:

## Ship This = Win Day
[Single focus - WIP limit 1]

## Today's 3
[Active work - pulled from Ready, WIP limit 3]

## Ready
[Backlog - all carried-forward tasks live here]

## Waiting For
[Blocked/delegated items with dates]

## Done Today
[Completed items]

## Captures
[Links to docs created today]

## Scratch
[Quick notes]

Waiting For System

Folder: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Waiting For/

File naming: WAITING - [Person Name] - [Topic].md

Daily note format:

## Waiting For
- [[WAITING - John Smith - Contract Review]] - Follow up 01-12 (01-09)

Name Consistency (Fuzzy Match)

Critical: Before creating any Waiting For item, check for existing names to prevent fragmentation.

Process:

1. User provides a name (e.g., "Jon Smith")
2. Grep existing Waiting For docs + CONTACT files for similar names:

   Glob: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Waiting For/WAITING - *.md
   Glob: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/CONTACT - *.md
   

3. Extract person names from filenames
4. If similar names found (case-insensitive, partial match), show options:

   I found similar names in your system:
   1. John Smith (2 existing Waiting For items)
   2. Jonathan Smithson (1 contact)
   3. New person: "Jon Smith"
   
   Which one?
   

5. If user selects existing → use that exact spelling
6. If new person → use user's spelling as canonical

Why: Prevents "John" vs "Jon" fragmentation. First occurrence sets canonical spelling.

Instructions

This skill uses the Batch Pattern - clarify all tasks first, then execute work.

Note: If you need to triage mobile captures first, use the daily-review agent which runs inbox-triage before this skill.

PASS 0: Kanban Health Check

Before clarifying tasks, assess the board:

1. Count Today's 3 - Are there exactly 3 tasks? More? Fewer?
2. Check for stale items - Any tasks marked [STALE]?
3. Review Ready size - Is the backlog growing out of control?
4. Check Waiting For items - Read individual docs, check follow-up dates

Waiting For Check:

Glob: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Waiting For/WAITING - *.md

For each file, read frontmatter to get follow-up date. Categorize:

• Overdue - follow-up date before today
• Due today - follow-up date is today
• Upcoming - follow-up date in future

Report findings:

## Board Status
- Today's 3: [N] tasks (target: 3)
- Ready: [N] tasks
- Stale items: [N] (rolling 3+ days)
- Waiting For: [N] items ([M] need follow-up: [X] overdue, [Y] due today)

If Today's 3 has more than 3 items, offer to help prioritize. If stale items exist, flag them for decision (do, delegate, drop). If Waiting For items are due, PASS 1.6 will handle them.

PASS 1: Clarify (One by One)

Step 1: Read the Daily Note If no file specified, use today's date to find the daily note in the Zettelkasten folder. Look for tasks in ## Today's 3 and ## Ready sections.

Step 2: Quick Triage (Background OK)

This step can run in background. Scan and categorize all tasks before surfacing to user.

Briefly categorize tasks:

• Clear - Ready to act on
• Unclear - Needs clarification
• Stale - Rolling 3+ days, needs decision
• Done - Already completed, can skip

Complete the full triage before presenting results to user.

Step 3: Clarify One at a Time Present each unclear task individually using this format:

**Task:** "[the task]"

- **Issue:** [what's unclear]
- **Suggested rewrite:** "[agentic-ready version]"
- **What's needed:** [missing context]

Then ask ONE question with options:

1. Clarify - "Here's what I mean: [context]"
2. Accept rewrite - Use the suggested version
3. Skip - Leave as-is for now
4. Someday/Maybe - Move to Someday-Maybe.md (see Step 3d)
5. Create project file - Start a living doc for this task
6. Move to Ready - Not for today, but keep visible
7. Move to Waiting For - This is blocked/delegated (see Step 3c)

Move to the next task after each response. Keep momentum.

Step 3a: Stale Item Handling For tasks marked [STALE]:

**Stale Task:** "[STALE] [task text] (MM-DD)"
This has been rolling for [N] days.

Options:
1. **Do it now** - Move to Today's 3, commit to finishing
2. **Delegate** - Move to Waiting For with context
3. **Drop** - Remove entirely (it's not happening)
4. **Reframe** - Break into smaller pieces
5. **Someday** - Move to Someday-Maybe.md (see Step 3d)

Step 3b: Project File Creation When user selects "Create project file":

1. Create in Obsidian Zettelkasten at: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/PROJECT - [Task Name].md

2. Seed the file with this template:

---
type: project
status: planning
created: YYYY-MM-DD
linked-from: [[YYYY-MM-DD]]
---
# PROJECT: [Task Name]

## What We're Building
[One paragraph describing the goal and why it matters]

## Constraints & Scope
- In scope: ...
- Out of scope: ...
- Dependencies: ...

## Context Gathered
[Brainstorming notes, research findings, decisions made so far]

## Steps (when ready)
- [ ] Step 1
- [ ] Step 2

## Done State
[How we know this is complete]

## Open Questions
- [ ] Question 1

3. Update daily note - Replace original task with: - [ ] [[PROJECT - Task Name]] - [brief description]

4. Offer to continue brainstorming in the project file right now

Step 3c: Create Waiting For Item When user selects "Move to Waiting For":

1. Gather info using AskUserQuestion:

   • Who are you waiting on?
   • What are you waiting for? (brief description)
   • When should you follow up? (suggest 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks)

2. Run name fuzzy-match (see Name Consistency section above)

3. Create the Waiting For doc at: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Waiting For/WAITING - [Person] - [Topic].md

   Using this template:

   ---
   type: waiting-for
   person: [Name]
   topic: [Brief description]
   delegated: [Today's date]
   follow-up: [Follow-up date]
   status: waiting
   call-links: []
   tags: [waiting-for]
   ---
   
   # WAITING: [Person] - [Topic]
   
   ## What I'm Waiting For
   [Description from user input]
   
   ## Context
   - **Delegated:** [Today]
   - **Follow-up:** [Follow-up date]
   - **Original task:** [The task being moved]
   
   ## Call History
   <!-- Future: Auto-populated by bb-meeting-summary -->
   
   ## Interaction Log
   - [Today]: Created - [context]
   
   ## Notes on [Person]
   <!-- Add observations as you learn them -->
   

4. Update daily note:

   • Remove original task from Today's 3 or Ready
   • Add to ## Waiting For section: - [[WAITING - Person - Topic]] - Follow up [date] ([today])

5. Confirm: "Created Waiting For item. Will surface for follow-up on [date]."

Step 3d: Move to Someday-Maybe When user selects "Someday/Maybe":

1. Classify by mission area using these categories:

   Category	What Goes Here
   BlackBelt	Coaching program tools, client work
   Powerhouse	AI Amplified program, member tools
   Newsletter	The Little Blue Report ideas, articles
   Skill Building	Prototyping, tool development
   Daily Workflow	Personal productivity, systems
   Research	Topics to explore later

2. Update Someday-Maybe.md at: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Someday-Maybe.md

   Add to the appropriate category section:

   - [ ] [Task description] #someday (parked MM-DD)
   

3. Remove from daily note - Delete the original task line

4. Confirm: "Moved to Someday-Maybe (category: [category]). Will surface in weekly review."

Step 4: Rewrite Principles When suggesting rewrites:

• State the specific action
• Include context needed
• Define the done state
• Make it agent-handoff ready
• Include URLs/links so tasks are self-contained
• Preserve date suffix - Keep (MM-DD) for staleness tracking

Example:

• Before: "Make Google Drive AI Ready"
• After: "Organize Google Drive for AI access: Create 'AI-Ready' folder, move key docs, document what each folder contains (01-04)"

Step 4b: Flag Task Dependencies While clarifying, watch for blocking relationships:

- [ ] Convert project to skill ← Do first
  - [ ] Upload skill ZIP ← Blocked by above

Suggest marking blocked items in Waiting For section.

Step 4c: Surfaced Tasks Clarifying one task often surfaces additional tasks. Track these as you go:

• New research needed
• Dependencies discovered
• Related updates required

These go to the Ready section when updating the file.

Step 4d: Final Check Before moving to PASS 2, ask: "Did we miss anything?"

PASS 1.5: Kanban Swaps (Optional)

If user wants to adjust Today's 3:

Swap Interface:

## Current Today's 3:
1. [Task A]
2. [Task B]
3. [Task C]

## Ready (available to pull):
1. [Task D]
2. [Task E]
3. [Task F]

What would you like to do?
- Swap: "swap 2 with D" - Replace Task B with Task D
- Add: "add E" - Pull Task E into Today's 3 (if under limit)
- Remove: "remove 1" - Move Task A back to Ready
- Done: "done 2" - Mark Task B complete, move to Done Today

Apply changes and confirm.

PASS 1.6: Waiting For Check

Run this if PASS 0 found items due for follow-up.

For each item that's overdue or due today:

### Follow-up Due

**[[WAITING - John Smith - Contract Review]]**
- **Waiting for:** Contract signature
- **Delegated:** 01-05
- **Due:** 01-09 (today)
- **Days waiting:** 4

Options:
1. **Follow up now** - I'll add to Interaction Log, set new follow-up date
2. **Snooze 3 days** - Push follow-up to [new date]
3. **Snooze 1 week** - Push follow-up to [new date]
4. **Resolve** - Item complete, move to Done Today
5. **Skip** - Deal with this later

If user selects "Follow up now":

1. Ask: "What's the new follow-up date?" (suggest 3 days, 1 week)
2. Ask: "Brief note on follow-up action?" (optional)
3. Update the Waiting For doc:
   • Add to ## Interaction Log: - [Today]: Followed up - [note]
   • Update frontmatter follow-up: to new date
4. Update daily note link with new follow-up date

If user selects "Resolve":

1. Ask: "Brief resolution note?" (optional)
2. Update the Waiting For doc:
   • Add to ## Interaction Log: - [Today]: Resolved - [note]
   • Update frontmatter status: to resolved
3. Update daily note:
   • Remove from ## Waiting For section
   • Add to ## Done Today: - [x] Resolved: [[WAITING - Person - Topic]]

If user selects "Snooze":

1. Update frontmatter follow-up: to new date
2. Update daily note link with new date
3. Confirm: "Snoozed to [date]"

PASS 2: Update the File

Step 5: Batch the Changes After all tasks are clarified, summarize:

Ready to update your daily note:

## Today's 3 Changes:
- [Task moved in from Ready]
- [Task rewritten]

## Ready Changes:
- Task 1: [original] → [rewrite]
- Task 2: Skipped
- Task 3: → Moved to Someday-Maybe.md (Skill Building)

## Stale Items:
- [Task] → Dropped
- [Task] → Moved to Waiting For

## Waiting For Changes:
- [[WAITING - Person - Topic]] → Followed up, new date [date]
- [[WAITING - Person - Topic]] → Resolved
- [[WAITING - Person - Topic]] → Snoozed to [date]
- New: [[WAITING - Person - Topic]] created

## New Tasks (surfaced):
- [New task discovered]

Get final approval before making edits.

Step 6: Apply Edits

• Use Edit tool to modify the original file
• Keep tasks in their proper sections (Today's 3 vs Ready)
• Move completed items to Done Today
• Move blocked items to Waiting For
• Move parked items to Someday-Maybe.md (removes from daily note)
• Preserve all other content exactly
• Confirm: "Updated [N] tasks."

PASS 3: Execute (Future)

Step 7: Spin Up Agents For tasks marked "Ready to Go", offer to spin up agents:

These tasks are ready for agents:
- [task 1] - I can do this now
- [task 2] - Needs a research agent
- [task 3] - I can do this now

Want me to start working on these?

Execute approved tasks, report back when done.

Guidelines

1. Respect the Kanban structure - Today's 3 = active work, Ready = backlog
2. Don't over-engineer - A slightly vague task that's obvious to Ed doesn't need rewriting
3. Preserve voice - Rewrites should sound like Ed, not corporate jargon
4. Flag unknowns honestly - If you don't know what something means, say so
5. Suggest, don't assume - Always get approval before modifying
6. Keep the human in the loop - Help Ed move faster, don't take over
7. Preserve date suffixes - The (MM-DD) format enables staleness tracking

The Project File Pattern

For tasks that are too big to clarify inline, create a project file instead:

• The file is a living document that grows over sessions
• Daily note links to the project file (keeps it visible)
• When ready to execute, the project file IS the spec
• If parked for 1+ week, move to [[Someday-Maybe]] file

When to suggest a project file:

• Task involves multiple sub-tasks
• Needs research before execution
• Will take multiple sessions to complete
• Has dependencies on other work
• User says "let me think about this"

Research Task Pattern

Research tasks have a distinct completion format:

Format:

- [x] ~~[Research Topic]~~ → **Finding:** [Summary]. See [[Document Name]]

Research Swarm Bundling: When you see 3+ related research tasks, suggest: "These research tasks are related and could run in parallel. Consider bundling as 'Research Swarm - [Topic] - YYYY-MM-DD'"

Examples

Input (from daily note):

## Today's 3
- [ ] Review PR for auth changes (01-02)
- [ ] [STALE] Fix the login bug (12-30)
- [ ] Write newsletter intro

## Ready
- [ ] Convert Offer Diamond to skill (01-03)
- [ ] Set up Gmail App Password (01-01)
- [ ] Research API options

Output (report):

## Board Status
- Today's 3: 3 tasks (target: 3) ✓
- Ready: 3 tasks
- Stale items: 1 (Fix the login bug - 5 days)
- Waiting For: 0

## Needs Attention

### Stale Item
**Task:** "[STALE] Fix the login bug (12-30)"
Rolling for 5 days. Decision needed:
1. Do it now
2. Delegate
3. Drop
4. Reframe
5. Someday

### Unclear Task
**Task:** "Write newsletter intro"
- Issue: Which newsletter? What's the topic?
- Suggested rewrite: "Write intro for LBR article on [topic] - 2-3 sentences, hook + promise (01-04)"
- What's needed: Article topic and angle

### Ready to Go
- "Review PR for auth changes" - Clear, actionable
- "Convert Offer Diamond to skill" - Clear process exists