Task Status Skill

Quick Start

Manual Status Updates

Automatic Periodic Monitoring (Every 5 seconds)

Status Types

• - progress: Ongoing work (shows 🔄 or ->)
• success: Task complete (shows ✅ or OK)
• error: Failed task (shows ❌ or !)
• warning: Issue but continuing (shows ⚠️ or ?)

Periodic Monitoring

The monitor_task.py script provides automatic updates:

Starting Monitor

• - Automatically sends "Still working..." updates every 5 seconds
• Runs in background until stopped
• Can be customized with different intervals

Stopping Monitor

Example: Long File Processing

Manual Updates (Quick Status)

For single status updates without monitoring:

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When to Use Each Method

Use Manual Updates When:

• - Task is short (under 30 seconds)
• You want control over when updates are sent
• Task has discrete, meaningful milestones

Use Periodic Monitoring When:

• - Task is long-running (over 1 minute)
• You want consistent "heartbeat" updates every 5 seconds
• Task has long periods of quiet work
• You want to reassure user that work is ongoing

Message Guidelines

Keep status messages under 140 characters. Examples:

• - Progress: "Still fetching data..." or "Processing records: 250/1000"
• Success: "Complete! 3 files ready" or "Task finished successfully"
• Error: "Error: Connection timeout" or "Failed: Missing API key"
• Warning: "Continuing despite timeout" or "Partial success: 5/10 files"

Advanced Usage

With Additional Details

Different Intervals

Importing for Python Scripts

Automation with Clawdbot Cron

For scheduled tasks, use Clawdbot's cron feature:

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This allows status updates even when you're not actively watching.

Installation

To use this skill, copy the task-status folder into your Clawdbot skills directory:

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Or add it to your workspace and reference it from AGENTS.md or TOOLS.md.

Once installed, the skill will be available for any task where you need periodic status updates.