What is track-management?

This Claude skill provides a robust framework for managing the end-to-end lifecycle of project tracks. It automates the creation, tracking, and archiving of tasks using standardized naming conventions, status markers, and structured metadata, ensuring consistent project organization and progress visibility.

When should I use track-management?

track-management is useful in the following scenarios: • Automating the setup of new development features by generating unique track IDs and creating standardized directory structures (metadata, specs, and plans). • Synchronizing project progress by parsing markdown-based plan files to extract task statuses, phase checkpoints, and associated git commit SHAs. • Maintaining a centralized project dashboard (tracks.md) that automatically updates as individual sub-tasks and implementation phases are completed. • Preventing project clutter and duplication by checking existing track IDs and managing the archiving or deletion of completed lifecycle stages.

name	track-management
description	Track lifecycle management patterns. Use when creating tracks, updating track status, generating track IDs, parsing plan files, or managing track metadata.

Track Management

This skill provides patterns for managing Conductor tracks throughout their lifecycle.

Track ID Generation

Format

Track IDs follow the pattern: shortname_YYYYMMDD

Rules

Derive shortname from track description (lowercase, underscores, no special characters)
Use current date in YYYYMMDD format
Keep shortname concise (2-4 words max)

Examples

"Add user authentication" → user_auth_20260110
"Fix login page bug" → login_bug_20260110
"Create dashboard UI" → dashboard_ui_20260110

Status Markers

Conductor uses checkbox-style markers to track status:

Marker	Status	Description
`[ ]`	Pending	Not yet started
`[~]`	In Progress	Currently being worked on
`[x]`	Completed	Finished successfully

Usage in tracks.md

- [ ] **Track: Add user authentication**
- [~] **Track: Create dashboard UI**
- [x] **Track: Fix login bug**

Usage in plan.md

# Phase 1: Setup

- [x] Task: Initialize project structure
    - [x] Create directory layout
    - [x] Set up package.json
- [~] Task: Configure testing framework
    - [x] Install Jest
    - [ ] Write initial test
- [ ] Task: Conductor - User Manual Verification 'Phase 1: Setup' (Protocol in workflow.md)

Track File Structure

Each track is stored in conductor/tracks/<track_id>/ with these files:

conductor/tracks/<track_id>/
├── metadata.json    # Track metadata
├── spec.md          # Feature specification
└── plan.md          # Implementation plan

Metadata Schema

The metadata.json file contains:

{
  "track_id": "user_auth_20260110",
  "type": "feature",
  "status": "new",
  "created_at": "2026-01-10T14:30:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-01-10T14:30:00Z",
  "description": "Add user authentication with login and registration"
}

Fields

Field	Type	Values	Description
`track_id`	string	-	Unique identifier
`type`	string	`feature`, `bug`, `chore`, `refactor`	Category of work
`status`	string	`new`, `in_progress`, `completed`, `cancelled`	Current state
`created_at`	string	ISO 8601 datetime	Creation timestamp
`updated_at`	string	ISO 8601 datetime	Last update timestamp
`description`	string	-	Brief description

Plan Parsing

Reading Tasks

When parsing plan.md:

Look for phase headings (e.g., # Phase 1: Setup)
Find task lines matching - [ ] Task: or - [~] Task: or - [x] Task:
Find sub-tasks indented under tasks (4 spaces): - [ ] ...

Extracting Status

Line: "- [~] Task: Configure testing framework"
Status: in_progress
Task: "Configure testing framework"

Finding Commit SHAs

Completed tasks may have commit SHAs appended:

- [x] Task: Initialize project (abc1234)

Extract SHA: abc1234

Phase Checkpoints

Completed phases have checkpoint markers:

# Phase 1: Setup [checkpoint: def5678]

tracks.md Format

The main tracks file (conductor/tracks.md) lists all tracks:

# Project Tracks

This file tracks all major tracks for the project. Each track has its own detailed plan in its respective folder.

---

- [ ] **Track: Add user authentication**
  *Link: [./conductor/tracks/user_auth_20260110/](./conductor/tracks/user_auth_20260110/)*

---

- [~] **Track: Create dashboard UI**
  *Link: [./conductor/tracks/dashboard_ui_20260110/](./conductor/tracks/dashboard_ui_20260110/)*

Parsing tracks.md

Split content by --- separator
For each section, find:
- Status marker: - [ ], - [~], or - [x]
- Description: Text after **Track: and before **
- Link: Path in *Link: [...](...)*

Track Lifecycle

1. Creation

Generate unique track ID
Create directory structure
Write metadata.json, spec.md, plan.md
Add entry to tracks.md

2. Implementation

Update tracks.md status to [~]
Execute tasks from plan.md
Update plan.md as tasks complete
Commit changes with git notes

3. Completion

Update tracks.md status to [x]
Synchronize project documentation
Offer archive/delete options

4. Archive (Optional)

Move track folder to conductor/archive/
Remove entry from tracks.md
Commit changes

5. Delete (Optional)

Permanently delete track folder
Remove entry from tracks.md
Commit changes

Duplicate Prevention

Before creating a new track:

List existing tracks in conductor/tracks/
Extract shortnames from existing track IDs
If proposed shortname matches an existing one, halt and suggest alternatives

Example check:

ls conductor/tracks/
# Output: user_auth_20260108  dashboard_ui_20260109

# If user wants "user_auth", warn that it already exists

track-management

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases