eyaltoledano
feat: Task Master Web Dashboard
Feature Proposal: Task Master Web Dashboard
"Create a GitHub web UI similar to Trello where you can move tasks over dashboard, expand and collapse subtasks, and other ideas for good web UI for this application. Currently it only has MCP server and CLI implementation."
Motivation
Task Master currently offers powerful task management capabilities through CLI and MCP server integration, but lacks a visual interface for project management. Users who prefer visual task management, team collaboration, or quick task overview would benefit from a web-based dashboard. A Trello-like interface would:
- Provide intuitive drag-and-drop task management
- Enable visual project progress tracking
- Support real-time collaboration for development teams
- Offer mobile-responsive access to tasks
- Complement existing CLI/MCP workflows without replacing them
Proposed Solution
A modern web dashboard built as a companion interface to the existing Task Master ecosystem, featuring:
- Kanban Board Interface: Visual columns for different task statuses (Pending, In Progress, Review, Done)
- Drag-and-Drop Task Management: Move tasks between status columns
- Hierarchical Task Visualization: Expandable/collapsible subtasks with nested views
- Real-time Synchronization: WebSocket integration for live updates
- GitHub Integration: Deploy as GitHub Pages or standalone web app
- API Backend: RESTful API leveraging existing MCP server infrastructure
Technology Stack:
- Frontend: React/Next.js with TypeScript
- UI Components: React DnD for drag-and-drop, Tailwind CSS for styling
- Backend: Express.js API server utilizing existing task-manager.js modules
- Real-time: WebSocket integration for live updates
- Deployment: GitHub Pages, Vercel, or Docker containers
High-Level Workflow
-
Phase 1: API Development (2-3 weeks)
- Create RESTful API endpoints using existing task management modules
- Implement WebSocket server for real-time updates
- Add CORS and authentication middleware
-
Phase 2: Core UI Components (3-4 weeks)
- Build Kanban board layout with status columns
- Implement drag-and-drop functionality for task movement
- Create task card components with essential information display
-
Phase 3: Advanced Features (2-3 weeks)
- Add hierarchical subtask visualization
- Implement task filtering and search capabilities
- Build task creation/editing modal interfaces
-
Phase 4: Integration & Polish (2 weeks)
- Connect to existing MCP server and CLI workflows
- Add responsive design for mobile devices
- Implement GitHub Pages deployment pipeline
Key Elements
Core Dashboard Features:
- Kanban board with customizable status columns (Pending, In Progress, Review, Done, Deferred, Cancelled)
- Drag-and-drop task movement between status columns
- Task cards showing ID, title, priority indicator, dependency status icons
- Expandable subtask tree views within parent task cards
- Real-time updates when tasks change via CLI or MCP
Task Management UI:
- Task creation modal with all current task fields (title, description, details, testStrategy, dependencies, priority)
- In-line task editing capabilities
- Dependency visualization with connecting lines or badges
- Priority color coding (High=Red, Medium=Yellow, Low=Green)
- Status indicators for dependencies (✅ completed, ⏱️ pending)
Advanced Functionality:
- Task filtering by status, priority, assignee, or dependencies
- Search functionality across task titles and descriptions
- Bulk task operations (move multiple tasks, set status)
- Task complexity indicators from existing analysis features
- Export capabilities (CSV, JSON)
Integration Points:
- RESTful API endpoints:
/api/tasks,/api/tasks/:id,/api/projects - WebSocket events:
task:updated,task:moved,project:changed - Authentication integration with GitHub OAuth
- Configuration sync with existing
.taskmasterconfig
Example Workflow
# Start the web server (new command)
$ task-master serve --port 3000
→ Task Master Web Dashboard starting on http://localhost:3000
→ API server running on port 3000
→ WebSocket server initialized
# Access via browser
→ Navigate to http://localhost:3000
→ View Kanban board with current project tasks
→ Drag task from "Pending" to "In Progress" column
→ Click expand button on task card to view subtasks
→ Double-click task card to open editing modal
# Real-time sync with CLI
$ task-master set-status --id=5 --status=done
→ Web dashboard automatically updates task position
→ Task moves from "In Progress" to "Done" column
# GitHub Pages deployment
$ task-master build-dashboard
→ Builds static dashboard connecting to GitHub API
→ Ready for deployment to GitHub Pages
Implementation Considerations
Dependencies:
- Express.js for API server functionality
- React ecosystem (React, React Router, React DnD)
- WebSocket library (ws or socket.io) for real-time features
- Tailwind CSS or Material-UI for responsive design
- Authentication middleware for team collaboration features
Backward Compatibility:
- Web dashboard operates as separate interface, preserving all CLI functionality
- Existing MCP server integration remains unchanged
- API endpoints respect current task.json structure and validation rules
- Configuration files (.taskmasterconfig) remain compatible
Performance Considerations:
- Lazy loading for projects with large task counts (>100 tasks)
- WebSocket connection management for multiple concurrent users
- Caching strategy for task data and dependency calculations
- Mobile-responsive design with touch-friendly drag interactions
Deployment Options:
- Local development server mode (default)
- Static build for GitHub Pages deployment
- Docker container for self-hosted deployments
- Cloud deployment guides for Vercel/Netlify
This web dashboard would significantly enhance Task Master's usability while maintaining its powerful CLI and MCP integration capabilities, providing users with flexible interaction methods based on their workflow preferences.
Our commercial offering (with free solo plans) will have this and is on the way.
We’re also going to release a VSCode/Cursor extension.
I’m not going to close this but this is planned in some ways on OSS (vsc extension) and on SaaS forthcoming
We have released the vscode extension, you can find it here: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Hamster.task-master-hamster
And here for other vscode forks (cursor, windsurf, etc.): https://open-vsx.org/extension/Hamster/task-master-hamster