Master-plan: A Minimal Terminal Task System Built for Claude Code Users

A developer has created master-plan, a minimal task management system designed specifically for use with Claude Code. The tool runs entirely in the terminal and addresses the challenge of capturing spontaneous ideas during coding sessions without breaking flow.

How It Works

The system consists of four slash commands that operate on a MASTER_PLAN.md file:

• /task — Brain dump. Log an idea, bug, or feature in one line and continue working.
• /next — Claude reads your MASTER_PLAN.md, scores everything by priority, and shows a picker. It highlights in-progress tasks to encourage completion.
• /save — End of session? Creates a WIP commit and push. When you return on a different machine, /next picks up exactly where you left off.
• /done — Runs tests, commits, pushes, and marks the task complete.

Technical Implementation

The entire system runs on a markdown file and git, requiring no external infrastructure, accounts, or synchronization services. The MASTER_PLAN.md file serves as the project history. The tool auto-detects your test runner (npm, pytest, cargo, go), uses conventional commits, and works across machines. It's built on the Agent Skills open standard for compatibility.

The developer also mentions building Dev Maestro, a full task management suite for projects, but master-plan represents the minimal in-terminal implementation designed for immediate use during coding sessions.

The key benefit described is the ability to capture ideas in approximately 5 seconds mid-session without context switching to external tools like Jira or Linear, eliminating the mental load of remembering tasks while maintaining focus on current work.