Taskmaster — v5 Task Protocol

Purpose

Taskmaster is the default execution protocol for multi-step Codex work. v5 keeps the existing Debug-First core while expanding the skill into three task shapes:

• Single Task — one deliverable, one shared context
• Epic Task — multiple child tasks with dependencies
• Batch Task — homogeneous row-level work executed through spawn_agents_on_csv

Core Principles

1. The current truth artifact on disk wins over memory.
2. No step, subtask, or batch row becomes DONE without explicit validation.
3. Keep verbose reasoning in PROGRESS.md, EPIC.md, or batch output files, not in the chat.
4. Keep failures visible. Do not silently downgrade to manual or serial execution.
5. Keep planning CSVs and batch worker CSVs separate.