Tracking Task Status Explicitly

Using structured files and GitHub issues to maintain context across work sessions.

What It Provides

  • Persistent task state that survives session boundaries
  • Clear scope definition for multi-session work
  • Progress tracking and session continuity
  • Natural integration with existing development workflows

Two Approaches

GitHub Issues (Current)

Using GitHub issues as living documents with specific conventions. Each substantial feature gets a tracking issue where the Original Post maintains current status and comments capture session details.

.ongoing Files (Legacy)

File-based approach where each ongoing task gets a dedicated .ongoing file in the project directory to track progress and context.

Key Benefits

This explicit context management works well because both human and AI can reference and update the same structured information, providing reliable continuity across sessions without requiring specialized infrastructure.

Custom Prompt Integration

Status

Working approach - Explicit task tracking has proven effective for maintaining context. The GitHub issues approach is currently preferred over the older file-based system.