---
name: Work Summary
slug: work-summary
category: Automation
description: Work Summary generates a compact dashboard from MCP work items, showing what is active, blocked, next, and queued. Use it at session start or when asking for project status, backlog, or where to resume work.
github: "https://github.com/jpicklyk/task-orchestrator/tree/main/claude-plugins/task-orchestrator/skills/work-summary"
language: Kotlin
stars: 206
forks: 20
install: "npx degit https://github.com/jpicklyk/task-orchestrator/tree/main/claude-plugins/task-orchestrator/skills/work-summary ~/.claude/skills/work-summary"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/work-summary
source_path: claude-plugins/task-orchestrator/skills/work-summary/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 1956
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/jpicklyk/task-orchestrator"
added: 2026-09-05T05:29:00.551Z
last_synced: 2026-09-05T05:29:00.551Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/work-summary"
---

# Work Summary

Work Summary generates a compact dashboard from MCP work items, showing what is active, blocked, next, and queued. Use it at session start or when asking for project status, backlog, or where to resume work.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/jpicklyk/task-orchestrator/tree/main/claude-plugins/task-orchestrator/skills/work-summary ~/.claude/skills/work-summary
```

## README

# Work Summary — Current (v3)

Attention-first project dashboard. The default (lean) mode answers four questions — what's moving, what's stuck, what's next, what's queued — in a bounded view (~45 lines) regardless of workspace size. The exhaustive inventory is available as an explicit mode, not the default: mature workspaces accumulate hundreds of terminal items, and rendering them all buries the actionable content.

Supplement the data with brief observations only when there is a genuine anomaly or actionable insight.

---

## Step 0 — Mode Selection

| `$ARGUMENTS` | Mode |
|--------------|------|
| empty | **Lean** (default) |
| the literal word `full` | **Full Inventory** |
| the literal word `all` | **Multi-Project** — one condensed section per known project root |
| anything else | **Scoped** — resolve to a UUID via `query_items(operation="search", query=$ARGUMENTS, limit=5)`; prefer the best-matching root or container item; if ambiguous, present matches via `AskUserQuestion` |

---

## Step 0.5 — Project Scope Resolution

Before running Lean, Full, or Multi-Project mode, resolve the project rootId:

- Check session context for a rootId injected by the SessionStart hook.
- Otherwise, read `.taskorchestrator/config.yaml`'s top-level `project.rootId` field (a file read, not an MCP call).
- **If no rootId is found by either path, behavior is exactly as before this feature existed** — every call below runs unscoped (whole-DB), and no `ancestorId`/`anchorId` param is passed. This is the common case for single-project workspaces.

When a rootId is known, Lean and Full mode calls pass it as `ancestorId="<rootId>"` — except the `overview` calls, which use `anchorId="<rootId>"` (all noted inline below). Scoped mode is unaffected — it already resolves its own scope UUID per invocation via FTS.

---

## Lean Mode (default)

### Data collection (all parallel)

1. `query_items(operation="overview", excludeTerminal=true)` — non-terminal roots with their `childCounts` role roll-ups only. `includeChildren` is deliberately omitted: it is a **no-op on the anchored (project-scoped) path** — the anchored overview never returns per-child arrays, only `childCounts` — and unnecessary on the global path, since the step-5 queue-list is the canonical source for individual children. Add `anchorId="<rootId>"` when a rootId is known, to anchor the overview to this project. **Detecting an older server:** MCP servers **silently ignore** unknown parameters (they return `200` with the full unfiltered payload) rather than rejecting them — so a server predating `excludeTerminal` will *not* error. Detect the no-op by inspecting the payload: **if any returned root has `role: "terminal"` AND its `childCounts` show only terminal descendants (no `queue`/`work`/`review`/`blocked`), the filter was not applied.** Note the qualifier: a current server intentionally *retains* a terminal-role root that still has non-terminal descendants (it is active work parked under a done container), so a terminal root **with** open descendants is expected, not evidence of an old server. When the no-op is detected, (a) drop client-side only those terminal roots whose `childCounts` show no open descendants during enrichment, and (b) if the response is also `truncated: true`, re-issue with `limit=<total>` (still passing `anchorId` if known) so non-terminal roots in the tail (e.g. active containers) are not silently dropped — a truncated *unfiltered* payload can hide real workstreams. Headline counts never come from this payload regardless (see the role-total queries below), so correctness holds either way; this only recovers the workstream/backlog completeness the filter was meant to guarantee.
2. `get_context()` — health-check: active items, blocked items, stalled items, claim summary. Add `ancestorId="<rootId>"` when known.
3. `get_context(mode="session-resume", since="<now minus 48h, ISO 8601>")` — recent role transitions (the "where did I leave off" signal). Add `ancestorId="<rootId>"` when known — but note the **known limitation**: `recentTransitions` is NOT scoped by `ancestorId` even when passed; it always reflects the whole tree, not just this project.
4. `get_next_item(limit=5, includeDetails=true)` — ranked recommendations with parentId/tags. Add `ancestorId="<rootId>"` when known.
5. `query_items(operation="search", role="queue", limit=100)` — **the canonical source for queue children.** Group its rows by `parentId` to get each workstream's "next up" (the queue children the anchored overview omits); each row carries `parentId`, `depth`, `priority`, and `type`/tags. `total` gives the true queued count. Add `ancestorId="<rootId>"` when known. **Exclude shelves from the headline:** subtract rows whose `type` or tag is `container` or `project` — a freshly-created container/anchor sits in `queue` role until its first advance and would otherwise inflate `N queued`. If `total` exceeds the returned page (queue backlog >100), note the headline count is approximate.
6. `query_items(operation="search", role="terminal", limit=1)` — read `total` for the true terminal count. Add `ancestorId="<rootId>"` when known.

**Headline counts must come from these sources, never from eyeballing the overview payload** — overview covers the roots set with `childCounts` roll-ups only and may be truncated.

### Enrichment

- **Containers are shelves, not work.** Items with tag or `type` = `container` never count as active; exclude them from the active/In Flight lists.
- **Active** = health-check `activeItems` minus containers. **Blocked/stalled** = health-check lists as-is.
- **Workstreams** = non-terminal roots with children. Progress fraction = `terminal / total` from `childCounts`, rendered `N/M terminal` (not `done` — the `terminal` bucket includes cancelled items, so labeling it "done" overstates completion); "next up" = the highest-priority queue row from the step-5 queue-list whose `parentId` is that root.
- **Standalone queue roots** group by kind: the `type` field if set; else the first tag *not* in {`agent-observation`, `feature`, `container`}; else "Uncategorized".
- **Rollup threshold:** any group with more than 5 items renders as a count line broken down by kind, listing individual items only when priority ≥ medium or tagged `action-item`.
- **Hygiene candidates:** empty non-terminal containers; evident test artifacts (probe/smoke/depth-test titles, `mtest-*` tags).

### Dashboard format

Render in this order; omit any section with no data.

```
## ◆ Work Summary

[One sentence: health and momentum.]

**N active · N blocked · N stalled · N queued · N terminal**

### ◉ In Flight
| ID | Item | Container | Status | Pri |
|----|------|-----------|--------|-----|
| `xxxxxxxx` | <title> | <parent title or —> | ◉ work | high |

↳ Recent: <up to 3 one-line transition summaries from session-resume, newest first — omit line if none in 48h>

### ⊘ Attention Required
| ID | Item | Container | Issue |
|----|------|-----------|-------|
| `xxxxxxxx` | <title> | <parent or —> | Blocked by: `<blocker-id>` <blocker-title> |
| `yyyyyyyy` | <title> | <parent or —> | Stalled: missing `<note-key>` (trait: <trait-name> if applicable) |

### ▸ Recommended Next
| ID | Title | Container | Pri |
|----|-------|-----------|-----|

### ○ Backlog
**Workstreams**
| ID | Workstream | Progress | Next up | Pri |
|----|-----------|----------|---------|-----|
| `xxxxxxxx` | <root title> | 2/5 terminal | <queue child title> | high |

**<Kind>** (N): `id` <title> (pri) · `id` <title> (pri) · ...        ← groups of ≤5
**<Kind>** (N): X bug · Y optimization · Z friction — highest: `id` <title> (pri)   ← groups of >5

### ✓ Terminal — N terminal items

↳ Hygiene: <N> test artifacts, <N> empty containers — candidates for /batch-complete
```

**Lean-mode rules:**
- Total output target is ~45 lines; rollups are how you hold that budget.
- The Terminal section is a single line (count from the role-total query). No titles, no done/cancelled split in lean mode — the terminal statusLabels aren't fetched. Use `full` mode for the breakdown.
- The Hygiene line appears only when candidates exist.
- If all of In Flight / Attention / Recommended Next are empty, say so in the health sentence ("Quiet board — nothing in flight...") rather than rendering empty sections.

---

## Full Inventory Mode (`$ARGUMENTS` = `full`)

Everything lean mode shows, plus the complete per-container inventory.

### Data collection

1. `query_items(operation="overview", limit=<total>)` — the compact roots list, **without** `includeChildren`. Add `anchorId="<rootId>"` when a rootId is known, to anchor the roots list to this project. It carries each root's role, `statusLabel`, `childCounts`, tags, and type but pulls **no** subtree, so it stays under the tool-result token ceiling even on mature workspaces. If the first call reports `truncated: true`, re-issue once with `limit=<total>`.
2. **Per active container** (a non-terminal root whose `childCounts` show non-terminal children), in parallel: `query_items(operation="overview", itemId="<root-id>", excludeTerminal=true)` — returns that container plus its **open children, plus any terminal-role child that itself still has non-terminal descendants** (scoped `excludeTerminal` filters the children array by role but retains done-labeled sub-containers holding open work; `childCounts` stays full). Each call is bounded to one container's open work. These are already `itemId`-scoped and need no `ancestorId`.
3. `get_context()` — health-check. Add `ancestorId="<rootId>"` when known.
4. `get_next_item(limit=5, includeDetails=true)`. Add `ancestorId="<rootId>"` when known.
5. Role-total queries as in lean mode: the terminal count via `limit=1`; the queued headline via the `role="queue"` list with `container`/`project` exclusion (lean step 5). Same `ancestorId` rule.

**Never fetch every root's children in one call** (`overview includeChildren=true` across the whole tree). On a mature workspace the combined terminal subtrees exceed the tool-result token ceiling — the per-container scoped fetch in step 2 is what keeps full mode bounded. Terminal children are **counted, not enumerated**: the `✓ N terminal` footer comes from `childCounts`, never from pulling the terminal subtree. To see a specific container's completed items, run Scoped mode on that container (one bounded subtree).

### Sections, in order

1. **Health Headline** — same as lean mode; counts from health-check + role-total queries, containers excluded from active.
2. **Attention Required** — same as lean mode.
3. **Recommended Next** — same as lean mode (deliberately above the inventory).
4. **Project Inventory** — for each **active container** (root with non-terminal children), rendered from its step-2 scoped fetch:

   ```
   #### <Container Title> `<8-char-id>`
   <role-symbol> <role> · <N open> · <N terminal>

   | ID | Title | Status | Pri | Tags | Children |
   |----|-------|--------|-----|------|----------|

   ✓ N terminal — terminal children are counted (from childCounts), not listed
   ```

   - The table lists only the container's **open** children (queue/work/review/blocked) — the step-2 scoped `excludeTerminal` fetch returns exactly these. Sort: ◉ active first, then ⊘ blocked, then ○ queue.
   - `<N open>` = queue + work + review + blocked from `childCounts`; `<N terminal>` = terminal from `childCounts`. Terminal children are never fetched — run Scoped mode on this container to see them.
   - **Children column** = compact role summary `N○ N◉ N⊘ N✓` built from the child's own `childCounts` in the scoped payload (omit zero roles; `—` if childless).
   - **Tags column** = tag value or `—`; traits append with `▸` prefix, `needs-` stripped (`feature-task ▸migration-review`).
   - If the container itself is work/review role, prefix its header with the role symbol.
5. **Standalone Items** — non-terminal childless roots, grouped by the shared grouping key (below). One tag group → flat table with Tags column; multiple groups → subheading per group, Tags column omitted.
6. **Terminal** — header `### ✓ Terminal — N terminal` (N from the terminal role-total query). Split **root-level** terminal items by their `statusLabel` (present in the step-1 roots list): `**Completed containers:** <title> (N children) · ...`, `**Completed standalone:** <title> · ... (+N more if >5)`, and `**Cancelled:** <title> · ...`. **Cancelled roots are listed separately — never presented as completed work.** Child-level terminal items are accounted by count via `childCounts` (not enumerated); their done/cancelled split is available through Scoped mode on the owning container.
7. **Empty containers** — `**Empty (no items):** <title>, <title>` at the end of the inventory if any exist.

---

## Scoped Mode (`$ARGUMENTS` = UUID or title)

Unchanged by project scoping — already resolves its own scope UUID per invocation, independent of any project rootId.

Use the resolved UUID as the scope for full-inventory-style rendering of one subtree:

1. `query_items(operation="overview", itemId="<parentId>")` — scoped overview.
2. `get_context()` — global; filter to the scope during enrichment.
3. `get_next_item(limit=5, parentId="<parentId>", includeDetails=true)` — scoped recommendations.

Render the Full Inventory sections for that subtree only. All shared rules apply.

---

## Multi-Project Mode (`$ARGUMENTS` = `all`)

Enumerate every known project anchor and render one condensed section per project — for workspaces where multiple project roots share the same database.

1. `query_items(operation="search", type="project", depth=0)` — list all depth-0 items typed `project` (the anchors created by `/quick-start`'s bootstrap flow or manually via `/manage-schemas`).
2. If none are found, say so and stop: "No project anchors found — run `/quick-start` to bootstrap one, or use `/work-summary` (no arguments) for the whole-DB view."
3. For each anchor found, in parallel:
   - `query_items(operation="overview", anchorId="<anchor-id>", excludeTerminal=true)`
   - `get_context(ancestorId="<anchor-id>")`
   - `get_next_item(limit=3, includeDetails=true, ancestorId="<anchor-id>")`

Render, per project, with a clear per-project header:

```
### ◆ <Project Name> (`<8-char-id>`)
N active · N blocked · N queued

**Attention:** <up to 2 blocked/stalled items, or "none">
**Next up:** <top get_next_item result, or "nothing queued">
```

Keep each section condensed — this mode is a cross-project scan, not a per-project deep dive. Point the user at `/work-summary` (unscoped, or with that project's rootId once resolved) for the full dashboard on any one project.

---

## Shared Rendering Rules

**Status symbols:** `✓` terminal · `◉` work/review · `⊘` blocked/stalled · `○` queue

**Short IDs:** first 8 chars of the UUID in backticks: `` `af21ed9a` ``. Use `—` for empty values, not `0` or blank. Priority renders as `high` / `med` / `low`.

**Grouping key** (standalone items, all modes): `type` field if set; else first tag not in {`agent-observation`, `feature`, `container`}; else "Uncategorized". The generic tag is never the group — the specific one is.

**Containers** (tag or type `container`) are never counted as active work in any headline or In Flight list, regardless of their role.

**statusLabel:** the item's *role* drives the status symbol. Print the statusLabel text only when the item is non-terminal AND the label differs from the role's default. Never print statusLabels on terminal items — stale `in-progress` labels on terminal items are a known artifact (bug `100da214`).

**Cancelled ≠ done:** wherever terminal items are broken down, count `statusLabel: "cancelled"` separately.

**Truncation:** if any data-collection response had `truncated: true` that you could not resolve by re-fetching, end the dashboard with `⚠ showing X of Y root items` — never silently drop data.

**Observations:** write them sparingly — only for a genuine anomaly, bottleneck, or actionable insight. A healthy project needs zero observations.

### Internal: Short ID → Full UUID Mapping

Do NOT render a UUID reference table. Retain the short→full UUID mapping as internal context; when the user references a short ID in a follow-up (e.g., "start `0499a6aa`"), resolve it silently for the MCP call from the data already collected.