task-timestamp-convention
Skill2 starsChanged 45 days agoMITView on GitHub
Task directory naming conventions — timestamp format (local timezone)
In this repository15 other files it gives its agents.
- compact-directory-memorySkill
- task-archaeologySkill
- task-artifact-integritySkill
- task-aware-project-workSkill
- task-context-storageSkill
- task-cross-machine-syncSkill
- task-external-repos-patternSkill
- task-frameworkSkill
- task-lifecycle-disciplineSkill
- task-lifecycle-edge-casesSkill
- task-lifecycle-portabilitySkill
- task-nested-subtask-lifecycleSkill
- task-requirement-intakeSkill
- task-root-git-operationsSkill
- task-trackerSkill
The file
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1 rule. About 0 are common, 1 is distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈1
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
0
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 38
When creating task directories, the timestamp must use local time (UTC+8), not UTC.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Task Naming Conventions
Two aspects: timestamp format and name content.
1. Timestamp: Local Timezone
When creating task directories, the timestamp must use local time (UTC+8), not UTC.
# ✅ CORRECT — local timezone
TS=$(date +"%Y%m%d-%H%M%S")
# ❌ WRONG — UTC (off by 8 hours)
TS=$(date -u +"%Y%m%d-%H%M%S")2. Name: Self-Explanatory Content
The task name (after the timestamp) must describe what system/domain and what deliverable type. Generic terms like "architecture-diagram", "analysis", "research" alone are not acceptable.
Pattern
<system-or-domain>-<deliverable-type>Good vs Bad Examples
| ❌ Bad (too generic) | ✅ Good (self-explanatory) |
system-architecture-diagram | <system-name>-architecture |
api-design | eir-health-data-api-design |
bug-fix | user-service-login-500-error-fix |
code-review | heart-health-backend-PR-42-review |
research | memory-retrieval-trigger-mechanisms-research |
Why
Task names appear in tasks/ directory listing, tasks/README.md index, and kanban cards. A name like system-architecture-diagram could mean any system — the agent and user must click into TASK.md to understand what task it is.
Exceptions
Simple one-off actions that live in the task root for <24h may use short names. Anything expected to persist longer must follow the pattern above.
3. Related
- task-framework — parent skill governing task creation lifecycle
- workflow-conditional-branching — decision-fork pattern for multi-phase tasks
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