Suggested fix for #2278 / PR #2292

The current PR introduces {{TASKS_TEMPLATE}} (not a recognized placeholder),
dot-sources setup scripts inside check-prerequisites.ps1, and has a broken
repo-root fallback. The fix needs a different approach.

Since check-prerequisites is shared by 6 commands, template resolution
should live in a dedicated setup-tasks script — the same pattern used by
setup-plan.sh / setup-plan.ps1 for the plan command.

Overview

1. Create scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh
2. Create scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1
3. Update templates/commands/tasks.md frontmatter to use the new scripts
4. Update templates/commands/tasks.md body to reference the resolved path

1. scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh

Model this on scripts/bash/setup-plan.sh. It resolves feature paths,
validates the branch, ensures prerequisites (plan.md), resolves the tasks
template, copies it to the feature dir, and emits JSON.

#!/usr/bin/env bash

set -e

# Parse command line arguments
JSON_MODE=false

for arg in "$@"; do
    case "$arg" in
        --json) JSON_MODE=true ;;
        --help|-h)
            echo "Usage: $0 [--json]"
            echo "  --json    Output results in JSON format"
            echo "  --help    Show this help message"
            exit 0
            ;;
        *) echo "ERROR: Unknown option '$arg'" >&2; exit 1 ;;
    esac
done

# Source common functions
SCRIPT_DIR="$(CDPATH="" cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
source "$SCRIPT_DIR/common.sh"

# Get feature paths
_paths_output=$(get_feature_paths) || { echo "ERROR: Failed to resolve feature paths" >&2; exit 1; }
eval "$_paths_output"
unset _paths_output

# Validate branch
check_feature_branch "$CURRENT_BRANCH" "$HAS_GIT" || exit 1

# Validate prerequisites
if [[ ! -d "$FEATURE_DIR" ]]; then
    echo "ERROR: Feature directory not found: $FEATURE_DIR" >&2
    echo "Run /speckit.specify first to create the feature structure." >&2
    exit 1
fi

if [[ ! -f "$IMPL_PLAN" ]]; then
    echo "ERROR: plan.md not found in $FEATURE_DIR" >&2
    echo "Run /speckit.plan first to create the implementation plan." >&2
    exit 1
fi

# Build available docs list
docs=()
[[ -f "$RESEARCH" ]] && docs+=("research.md")
[[ -f "$DATA_MODEL" ]] && docs+=("data-model.md")
if [[ -d "$CONTRACTS_DIR" ]] && [[ -n "$(ls -A "$CONTRACTS_DIR" 2>/dev/null)" ]]; then
    docs+=("contracts/")
fi
[[ -f "$QUICKSTART" ]] && docs+=("quickstart.md")

# Resolve tasks template through override stack
TASKS_TEMPLATE=$(resolve_template "tasks-template" "$REPO_ROOT") || true
if [[ -z "$TASKS_TEMPLATE" ]] || [[ ! -f "$TASKS_TEMPLATE" ]]; then
    echo "Warning: Tasks template not found" >&2
    TASKS_TEMPLATE=""
fi

# Output results
if $JSON_MODE; then
    if has_jq; then
        if [[ ${#docs[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
            json_docs="[]"
        else
            json_docs=$(printf '%s\n' "${docs[@]}" | jq -R . | jq -s .)
        fi
        jq -cn \
            --arg feature_dir "$FEATURE_DIR" \
            --argjson docs "$json_docs" \
            --arg tasks_template "${TASKS_TEMPLATE:-}" \
            '{FEATURE_DIR:$feature_dir,AVAILABLE_DOCS:$docs,TASKS_TEMPLATE:$tasks_template}'
    else
        if [[ ${#docs[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
            json_docs="[]"
        else
            json_docs=$(for d in "${docs[@]}"; do printf '"%s",' "$(json_escape "$d")"; done)
            json_docs="[${json_docs%,}]"
        fi
        printf '{"FEATURE_DIR":"%s","AVAILABLE_DOCS":%s,"TASKS_TEMPLATE":"%s"}\n' \
            "$(json_escape "$FEATURE_DIR")" "$json_docs" "$(json_escape "${TASKS_TEMPLATE:-}")"
    fi
else
    echo "FEATURE_DIR: $FEATURE_DIR"
    echo "TASKS_TEMPLATE: ${TASKS_TEMPLATE:-not found}"
    echo "AVAILABLE_DOCS:"
    check_file "$RESEARCH" "research.md"
    check_file "$DATA_MODEL" "data-model.md"
    check_dir "$CONTRACTS_DIR" "contracts/"
    check_file "$QUICKSTART" "quickstart.md"
fi

2. scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1

#!/usr/bin/env pwsh

[CmdletBinding()]
param(
    [switch]$Json,
    [switch]$Help
)

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

if ($Help) {
    Write-Output "Usage: setup-tasks.ps1 [-Json] [-Help]"
    exit 0
}

# Source common functions
. "$PSScriptRoot/common.ps1"

# Get feature paths and validate branch
$paths = Get-FeaturePathsEnv

if (-not (Test-FeatureBranch -Branch $paths.CURRENT_BRANCH -HasGit:$paths.HAS_GIT)) {
    exit 1
}

# Validate prerequisites
if (-not (Test-Path $paths.FEATURE_DIR -PathType Container)) {
    Write-Output "ERROR: Feature directory not found: $($paths.FEATURE_DIR)"
    Write-Output "Run /speckit.specify first to create the feature structure."
    exit 1
}

if (-not (Test-Path $paths.IMPL_PLAN -PathType Leaf)) {
    Write-Output "ERROR: plan.md not found in $($paths.FEATURE_DIR)"
    Write-Output "Run /speckit.plan first to create the implementation plan."
    exit 1
}

# Build available docs list
$docs = @()
if (Test-Path $paths.RESEARCH) { $docs += 'research.md' }
if (Test-Path $paths.DATA_MODEL) { $docs += 'data-model.md' }
if ((Test-Path $paths.CONTRACTS_DIR) -and (Get-ChildItem -Path $paths.CONTRACTS_DIR -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -First 1)) {
    $docs += 'contracts/'
}
if (Test-Path $paths.QUICKSTART) { $docs += 'quickstart.md' }

# Resolve tasks template through override stack
$tasksTemplate = Resolve-Template -TemplateName 'tasks-template' -RepoRoot $paths.REPO_ROOT
if (-not $tasksTemplate) {
    Write-Warning "Tasks template not found"
    $tasksTemplate = ''
}

# Output results
if ($Json) {
    [PSCustomObject]@{
        FEATURE_DIR    = $paths.FEATURE_DIR
        AVAILABLE_DOCS = $docs
        TASKS_TEMPLATE = $tasksTemplate
    } | ConvertTo-Json -Compress
} else {
    Write-Output "FEATURE_DIR: $($paths.FEATURE_DIR)"
    Write-Output "TASKS_TEMPLATE: $(if ($tasksTemplate) { $tasksTemplate } else { 'not found' })"
    Write-Output "AVAILABLE_DOCS:"
    Test-FileExists -Path $paths.RESEARCH -Description 'research.md' | Out-Null
    Test-FileExists -Path $paths.DATA_MODEL -Description 'data-model.md' | Out-Null
    Test-DirHasFiles -Path $paths.CONTRACTS_DIR -Description 'contracts/' | Out-Null
    Test-FileExists -Path $paths.QUICKSTART -Description 'quickstart.md' | Out-Null
}

3. templates/commands/tasks.md — frontmatter change

 scripts:
-  sh: scripts/bash/check-prerequisites.sh --json
-  ps: scripts/powershell/check-prerequisites.ps1 -Json
+  sh: scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh --json
+  ps: scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1 -Json

4. templates/commands/tasks.md — body change (line 61 and line 79)

Update the setup step to mention the new output field:

-1. **Setup**: Run `{SCRIPT}` from repo root and parse FEATURE_DIR and AVAILABLE_DOCS list. All paths must be absolute.
+1. **Setup**: Run `{SCRIPT}` from repo root and parse FEATURE_DIR, TASKS_TEMPLATE, and AVAILABLE_DOCS list. All paths must be absolute.

Update the generate step to reference the resolved path:

-4. **Generate tasks.md**: Use `templates/tasks-template.md` as structure, fill with:
+4. **Generate tasks.md**: Read the tasks template from TASKS_TEMPLATE (from the JSON output above) and use it as structure. If TASKS_TEMPLATE is empty, fall back to `.specify/templates/tasks-template.md`. Fill with:

What NOT to do

• Do NOT introduce {{TASKS_TEMPLATE}} — it's not a recognized placeholder
• Do NOT dot-source setup scripts inside check-prerequisites.ps1
• Do NOT modify check-prerequisites.sh — it's shared by 6 commands
• Do NOT modify docs/reference/presets.md — the override stack already
  applies generically to any template name; no doc change needed

Why this works

• Mirrors the setup-plan.sh pattern exactly

• resolve_template / Resolve-Template already walk the full priority
  stack (overrides → presets → extensions → core) and already handle
  tasks-template — no one was calling them for it

• check-prerequisites stays untouched and generic

• The agent gets an absolute path to the resolved template via JSON, same
  as how plan gets IMPL_PLAN

  Written with the help of Copilot

Hi @mnriem, thank you for the detailed feedback. I've rewritten the PR from scratch following your suggested approach:

What changed:

• Removed {{TASKS_TEMPLATE}} — it was not a recognized placeholder. The agent now reads the resolved path from the JSON output instead.
• Added scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh mirroring the setup-plan.sh pattern exactly — resolves feature paths, validates prerequisites, walks the override stack, and emits TASKS_TEMPLATE in JSON.
• Added scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1 mirroring setup-plan.ps1 — uses Get-RepoRoot from common.ps1 instead of the broken $PSScriptRoot/../.. fallback.
• Updated templates/commands/tasks.md frontmatter to point to the new dedicated setup scripts instead of check-prerequisites.
• Updated Step 1 and Step 4 in the tasks command body to reference the resolved TASKS_TEMPLATE path from JSON output, with a fallback to .specify/templates/tasks-template.md.
• check-prerequisites.ps1, check-prerequisites.sh, and docs/reference/presets.md are all left untouched.

The bash script also now fails fast with a non-zero exit and a clear error message if the template cannot be resolved, as suggested by Copilot.

Please let me know if anything needs further adjustment. Thank you!

Thanks for the review @mnriem and Copilot.

Fixed:

• Removed the stray EOF token from the end of scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh
• Removed the stray EOF token from the end of scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1

These were leftover artifacts from the heredoc used to write the files and would have caused a EOF: command not found error at runtime.

Not changed:

• docs/reference/presets.md — left untouched as directed in the original review. The override stack already applies generically to any template name, so no doc update is needed.

Please address Copilot feedback

Thanks again @mnriem and Copilot.

Fixed:

• scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh: Changed error prefix from Error: to ERROR: to match the rest of the script, and added a remediation hint pointing to .specify/templates/tasks-template.md and suggesting specify init to restore it.
• scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1: Expanded the error message to include the expected core template path ($expectedCoreTemplate) and a concrete next step for the user to self-remediate.

Please address Test & Lint errors

Hi @mnriem, addressed the Test & Lint failures.

The file inventory tests across 6 integration test files (test_integration_base_skills.py, test_integration_base_markdown.py, test_integration_base_toml.py, test_integration_base_yaml.py, test_integration_copilot.py, test_integration_generic.py) were asserting an exact list of installed files and did not include the two new scripts. Updated all of them to include:

• .specify/scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh
• .specify/scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1

The 6 remaining failures in test_manifest.py and test_workflows.py are pre-existing and unrelated to this PR (symlink handling and workflow engine tests with no reference to our changes).

All 1388 previously passing tests continue to pass.

Hi @mnriem, addressed the Copilot feedback.

Fixed:

• scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh: Updated the error message when tasks-template cannot be resolved to accurately reflect that the full override stack was searched (overrides, presets, extensions, and shared core), and updated the remediation hint to mention both adding an override at .specify/templates/tasks-template.md and running specify init to restore the shared core template.

Looks like the last hurdle is the Test & Lint errors that need to be fixed

Hi @mnriem, I've investigated the Test & Lint failures and confirmed they are all pre-existing on main and unrelated to this PR.

Running the same failing tests against main directly produces identical failures:

• test_manifest.py (3 failures): symlink tests fail with WinError 1314 — a Windows privilege issue that prevents symlink creation without elevated permissions. This is an environment constraint, not a code issue.
• test_workflows.py (4 failures): workflow engine tests fail due to environment-specific conditions (Invalid API key, Unknown skill: speckit-specify).

None of these 7 tests reference setup-tasks.sh, setup-tasks.ps1, or tasks-template in any way. Our changes do not introduce any new failures — 1387 tests pass on our branch, the same set that passes on main.

I will have to put it on my task list for next week then as I cannot merge unless it is all green across the board

@mnriem i m checking this what about my other fix(powershell): ensure UTF-8 templates are written without BOM

Hi @mnriem, identified and fixed the CI failure.

The branch was behind github/spec-kit main by 357 commits. After rebasing onto the latest github/main, a new TestCopilotSkillsMode test class introduced in a recent commit was missing .specify/scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh from its expected file inventory. Added it in the latest commit.

Also confirmed that all remaining failures (test_manifest.py symlink tests, test_registrar_path_traversal.py symlink test, and test_workflows.py workflow engine tests) reproduce identically on github/main — they are pre-existing Windows privilege (WinError 1314) and environment issues unrelated to this PR.

All 1476 non-symlink/non-workflow tests pass on our branch.

Hi @mnriem, addressed the actionable Copilot feedback.

Fixed:

• scripts/bash/setup-tasks.sh: Replaced the unconditional check_feature_branch call with the same conditional used in setup-plan.sh branch validation is now skipped when .specify/feature.json pins a valid FEATURE_DIR, so /tasks works correctly on custom branches in the pinned-feature-dir flow.
• scripts/powershell/setup-tasks.ps1: Same fix mirroring setup-plan.ps1 wrapped Test-FeatureBranch inside a Test-FeatureJsonMatchesFeatureDir guard.

Not applicable:

• Override path in error message: .specify/templates/tasks-template.md is the correct core location. The message already mentions the full override stack in the first line and points to the core path as the restore target, which is accurate.
• Missing tests for template resolution: Out of scope for this PR which mirrors the existing setup-plan pattern. setup-plan.sh also has no dedicated template resolution tests.