# no-nonsense-tasks

> No-nonsense task manager using SQLite. Track tasks with statuses (backlog, todo, in-progress, done), descriptions, and tags. Use when managing personal tasks, to-do items, project tracking, or any workflow that needs status-based task organization. Supports adding, listing, filtering, updating, moving, and deleting tasks.

- Author: Divya Jain
- Repository: no-nonsense-tools/tasks-skill
- Version: 20260128131732
- Stars: 0
- Forks: 0
- Last Updated: 2026-02-06
- Source: https://github.com/no-nonsense-tools/tasks-skill
- Web: https://mule.run/skillshub/@@no-nonsense-tools/tasks-skill~no-nonsense-tasks:20260128131732

---

---
name: no-nonsense-tasks
description: No-nonsense task manager using SQLite. Track tasks with statuses (backlog, todo, in-progress, done), descriptions, and tags. Use when managing personal tasks, to-do items, project tracking, or any workflow that needs status-based task organization. Supports adding, listing, filtering, updating, moving, and deleting tasks.
---

# No Nonsense Tasks

**No-nonsense task manager.**

Simple SQLite-backed task tracking. No fluff, no complexity, just tasks that get done.

## Prerequisites

- `sqlite3` CLI tool must be installed

## Quick Start

Initialize the database (safe to run multiple times):

```bash
./scripts/init_db.sh
```

The init script uses a migration system - it only applies new schema changes, so you can safely run it anytime.

Add your first task:

```bash
./scripts/task_add.sh "Build task tracker skill" "Create a SQLite-based task manager" "work,urgent" "todo"
```

List all tasks:

```bash
./scripts/task_list.sh
```

## Task Statuses

Tasks flow through four statuses:
- **backlog** - Ideas and future tasks
- **todo** - Ready to work on
- **in-progress** - Currently being worked on
- **done** - Completed tasks

## Commands

### Initialize Database

Safe to run multiple times (uses migration system):

```bash
./scripts/init_db.sh
```

The script:
- Creates `schema_migrations` table to track applied migrations
- Applies only new migrations from `migrations/*.sql`
- Skips already-applied migrations
- Reports what was applied/skipped

Default location: `~/.no-nonsense/tasks.db`  
Override with: `export TASKS_DB=/path/to/tasks.db`

### Add Task

```bash
./scripts/task_add.sh <title> [description] [tags] [status]
```

Examples:
```bash
./scripts/task_add.sh "Fix bug in API"
./scripts/task_add.sh "Review PR #123" "Check the auth changes" "code-review,urgent"
./scripts/task_add.sh "Deploy to prod" "Deploy v2.0" "deploy,critical" "todo"
```

### List Tasks

List all tasks (sorted by status priority):
```bash
./scripts/task_list.sh
```

List tasks by status:
```bash
./scripts/task_list.sh todo
./scripts/task_list.sh in-progress
./scripts/task_list.sh done
```

### Show Task Details

```bash
./scripts/task_show.sh <task_id>
```

Example:
```bash
./scripts/task_show.sh 5
```

### Move Task to Different Status

```bash
./scripts/task_move.sh <task_id> <new_status>
```

Examples:
```bash
./scripts/task_move.sh 3 todo          # Move to todo
./scripts/task_move.sh 7 in-progress   # Start working on it
./scripts/task_move.sh 12 done         # Mark as complete
```

### Update Task Fields

```bash
./scripts/task_update.sh <task_id> <field> <value>
```

Fields: `title`, `description`, `tags`, `status`

Examples:
```bash
./scripts/task_update.sh 5 title "Updated title"
./scripts/task_update.sh 5 description "New description"
./scripts/task_update.sh 5 tags "new,tags,here"
```

### Update Tags (Shortcut)

```bash
./scripts/task_tag.sh <task_id> <tags>
```

Example:
```bash
./scripts/task_tag.sh 8 "urgent,bug,frontend"
```

### Filter by Tag

```bash
./scripts/task_filter.sh <tag>
```

Examples:
```bash
./scripts/task_filter.sh urgent
./scripts/task_filter.sh work
```

### Delete Task

```bash
./scripts/task_delete.sh <task_id>
```

Example:
```bash
./scripts/task_delete.sh 15
```

### View Statistics

```bash
./scripts/task_stats.sh
```

Shows count of tasks by status and total.

## Usage Tips

**Typical workflow:**
1. Add new ideas to backlog: `task_add.sh "Task idea" "" "" "backlog"`
2. Move tasks to todo when ready: `task_move.sh <id> todo`
3. Start work: `task_move.sh <id> in-progress`
4. Complete: `task_move.sh <id> done`

**Tag organization:**
- Use tags for categories: `work`, `personal`, `urgent`, `bug`, `feature`
- Combine tags: `urgent,work,api` or `personal,home,shopping`
- Filter by any tag: `task_filter.sh urgent`

**Status filtering:**
- Focus on current work: `task_list.sh in-progress`
- Plan your day: `task_list.sh todo`
- Review completed items: `task_list.sh done`

## Database Location

By default, the database is stored at `~/.no-nonsense/tasks.db`.

To use a different location, set the environment variable:
```bash
export TASKS_DB=/path/to/custom/tasks.db
```

Add to your shell profile to make it persistent.

## Schema Migrations

The skill uses a migration system for safe schema evolution:

- Migrations live in `migrations/*.sql` (numbered: `001_`, `002_`, etc.)
- `schema_migrations` table tracks which migrations have been applied
- `init_db.sh` automatically applies new migrations and skips old ones
- Safe to run `init_db.sh` anytime - it won't break existing data

**Adding new migrations:**
1. Create `migrations/00X_description.sql` (next number in sequence)
2. Write your SQL schema changes
3. Run `init_db.sh` - it will apply only the new migration
4. The migration is tracked and won't run again

Example migration naming:
- `001_initial_schema.sql`
- `002_add_priority.sql`
- `003_add_due_dates.sql`