Work Queue Skill
Manage work items in .agent/queue/ for cross-platform agent compatibility.
When to Invoke (Automatic)
| Trigger | Action |
|---|---|
| Large task detected | Break down into work items |
| Work item completed | Check for next item |
| User asks "what's left?" | List remaining items |
| Multiple tasks identified | Queue for sequential/parallel execution |
Directory Structure
.agent/
└── queue/
├── 001-pending-implement-auth.md
├── 002-pending-write-tests.md
└── 003-completed-setup-db.md
Setup (Automatic)
On first use, the skill ensures:
- Create directory:
mkdir -p .agent/queue - Add to .gitignore (if not present):
# Agent work queue (local, not committed) .agent/
Work Item Format
Each work item is a simple markdown file:
# [Title]
**Status**: pending | in_progress | completed | blocked
**Priority**: high | medium | low
**Assignee**: @Developer | @Reviewer | etc.
## Description
What needs to be done.
## Success Criteria
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
## Notes
Any relevant context.
File Naming Convention
NNN-STATUS-short-description.md
Examples:
001-pending-implement-auth.md002-in_progress-write-tests.md003-completed-setup-database.md
Operations
Add Work Item
# Create new work item
echo "# Implement authentication" > .agent/queue/001-pending-implement-auth.md
Update Status
# Rename to reflect status change
mv .agent/queue/001-pending-implement-auth.md .agent/queue/001-in_progress-implement-auth.md
List Pending Work
ls .agent/queue/*-pending-*.md 2>/dev/null
List All Work
ls -la .agent/queue/
Complete Work Item
mv .agent/queue/001-in_progress-implement-auth.md .agent/queue/001-completed-implement-auth.md
Platform Behavior
| Platform | Primary Tracking | .agent/queue/ |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | TodoWrite (display) | Persistence |
| Gemini CLI | File-based | Primary |
| Codex CLI | File-based | Primary |
| Others | File-based | Primary |
Workflow Integration
- PM breaks down story → Creates work items in queue
- Agent picks next item → Updates status to
in_progress - Work completes → Updates status to
completed - Autonomy skill checks → Continues to next pending item
Queue Commands
Check queue status:
What work is in the queue?
Show pending work items
Add to queue:
Add "implement login" to work queue
Queue these tasks: auth, tests, deploy
Process queue:
Work through the queue
Execute next work item
Integration
Works with:
- autonomy skill - Automatic continuation through queue
- process skill - Quality gates between items
- pm skill - Story breakdown into queue items