Task Build Tool

Task is a fast, cross-platform build tool inspired by Make, designed for modern workflows. It allows you to automate repetitive tasks like code generation, scaffolding, formatting, and linting by chaining commands and setting dependencies.

Key features include:

• 30-Second Setup: Single binary download with zero dependencies. It is available via Homebrew, Snapcraft, Scoop, and more.
• Cross-platform: Run the same Taskfile on Linux, macOS, and Windows without handling platform-specific quirks manually.
• Smart Caching: Skip unnecessary rebuilds by tracking file changes using either timestamps or content-based tracking.

Task is primarily a CLI tool, but it can be used as a Go package to extend its functionality within Go projects.

Warning: The package API is experimental and subject to breaking changes in minor or patch releases. It is highly recommended to pin the version in your go.mod file.

Key packages include:

• github.com/go-task/task/v3: The core package, primarily used via the task.Executor to fetch and execute tasks.
• github.com/go-task/task/v3/taskfile: Utilities for reading Taskfiles from various sources (local, HTTP, Git, or stdin).
• github.com/go-task/task/v3/taskfile/ast: Provides the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) representation of Taskfile syntax.
• github.com/go-task/task/v3/errors: Contains error types implementing the errors.TaskError interface, allowing retrieval of unique exit codes via the Code() method.

Task can automatically re-run tasks when files change using the --watch (-w) flag.

• Requirement: You must provide a sources attribute so Task knows which files to monitor.
• Interval: The default interval is 100ms. You can change this globally via interval: '500ms' in the Taskfile root or via the CLI using --interval=500ms.
• Task-level watch: Setting watch: true inside a task allows it to run in watch mode when called directly from the CLI, but it will not run in watch mode if called as a dependency of another task.

version: '3'

interval: 500ms

tasks:
  build:
    desc: Builds the Go application
    watch: true
    sources:
      - '**/*.go'
    cmds:
      - go build

Task implements security checks for remote Taskfiles:

1. First-time trust: When running a remote Taskfile for the first time, Task prompts you to confirm you trust the source. If you decline, Task exits with code 104 (not trusted).
2. Checksum changes: Task stores a checksum of the remote file. If the file content changes, Task prompts you to confirm the change. If you decline, Task exits with code 104.

Handling prompts in non-interactive environments

If you cannot interact with a terminal, you can:

• Use the --yes flag to accept all prompts automatically.
• Use the --trusted-hosts flag to specify specific trusted hosts.
• Configure remote.trusted-hosts in your taskrc file.

Taskfiles are written in YAML and use several key attributes:

• version: Specifies the minimum version of Task required to run the file.
• vars: Defines variables that can be accessed within tasks using the {{.VAR_NAME}} syntax.
• tasks: The core section where individual tasks are defined.
• desc: A description of the task (used for documentation).
• cmds: A list of shell commands to execute.
• silent: A boolean attribute. When set to true, task metadata is not printed, showing only the command output.

Example Taskfile.yml:

version: '3'

vars:
  GREETING: Hello, World!

tasks:
  default:
    desc: Print a greeting message
    cmds:
      - echo "{{.GREETING}}"
    silent: true

Starting from version v3.37.0, Task no longer converts all variables to strings. You can now define and use native YAML types including booleans, integers, floats, and arrays. This allows for more natural template logic and enables the use of Sprig math and list functions that require non-string types.

version: 3

tasks:
  example:
    vars:
      BOOL: true
      INT: 10
      FLOAT: 3.14
      ARRAY: [1, 2, 3]
    cmds:
      - 'echo {{.INT}}'