Show Notes
Parker Rex pulls back the curtain on Taskmaster, showing how to fuse PRD-driven planning with automated task decomposition to make Cursor dramatically more effective. He demonstrates a 15-minute sprint to build a client contact form that posts to Google Sheets, illustrating a repeatable workflow for AI-assisted product work.
Why Taskmaster and the workflow advantage
- Taskmaster acts as “a product manager in a box” on the developer’s shoulder.
- It enforces a disciplined, PRD-driven path through feature work, keeping AI output aligned with business goals.
- Core concept: write the plan first (PRD), then let Taskmaster break it into executable tasks with clear dependencies.
Prerequisites and what Taskmaster creates
- Quick setup
- Install globally:
npm i -g taskmaster taskmaster init - You’ll need an Enthropic key and you’ll configure a project; the run creates:
- Cursor rules (MCPs) you must not edit
- A scripts folder with a starter JS to run Taskmaster
- An example PRD and an enhanced PRD with RCA and roadmap
- A task complexity report
- A ready-to-run task JSON workflow
- Install globally:
- Practical tip: screenshot the MCPs/rules and keep them intact to avoid mis-commands later
From PRD to plan: how the author structures work
- Domain-based architecture approach
- Write data types and map them to the data store (Google Sheets in this example)
- Define a minimal schema for the contact form (names, email, phone, project details, etc.)
- Capture the sheet ID and exact column mappings (A–M) to ensure clean writes
- Crafting the PRD with AI
- Use Whisper Flow to narrate the required UI and data flow
- Generate a first draft with Gemini 2.5 Pro
- Iterate: refine goals, audience, and constraints; ensure the PRD specifies where the feature lives (the contact page) and what success looks like
- Finalize the PRD
- Switch from “ask mode” to “agent mode” to produce a production-ready PRD
- Include open issues, exact button/link copy, validation rules, and a precise replacement strategy for the existing form
The real-world build: contact form that posts to GSheets
- Project goal: replace a simple “Get in touch” form with a new project inquiry form
- Data model (example fields):
- firstName, lastName, contactEmail, phoneNumber
- referral, projectType, projectDescription
- ongoingProject, projectDetails, projectState, budget, projectScopeDetails
- Data flow: form data writes to a Google Sheet (via a service account) with a defined tab (e.g., “website leads”)
- UI scaffolding
- Use Shad CN components for a modal/dialog and a link-style button
- Form fields mapped to the PRD data points
- Integration notes
- You can mirror the pattern to other DBs later (Postgres, etc.)
- The example uses Google Sheets as a lightweight DB for SMBs
Task decomposition in action: what Taskmaster spits out
- After feeding the PRD, Taskmaster generates a task table with:
- id, title, description, status, dependencies, priority, details, test strategy
- Tasks are broken into bite-sized chunks; you can “expand” to split large tasks further
- Research and expansion paths
- If a task is too big, trigger a deeper dive (e.g., create form components, wire up Zod validation, server actions)
- Practical notes
- You can set up dependencies across tasks to enforce correct sequencing
- A dedicated “research” step helps when venturing into new patterns or architectures
Implementation details Parker highlights
- Frontend and UI
- Replace the existing contact form with a new “Project Inquiry” flow
- Form includes mobile-friendly UI, responsive sizing, and accessible labels
- Backend and persistence
- Google Sheets as the data sink for the form submissions
- Service account key and exact sheet mapping are integral to the implementation
- Validation and quality
- Introduce Zod-based validation for form fields
- Implement server actions to handle submission and feedback (success/error toasts)
- Testing and polish
- Validate timestamps formatting, input validation messages, and UI contrast (contrast checker)
- Ensure the form height and scrolling are friendly on smaller devices
- Iterate based on test results and edge cases
Costs, tools, and practicalities
- Enthropic usage
- The workflow can incur costs; Parker notes it’s affordable in practice (example: around 50 cents in a day for heavy use)
- Tooling ecosystem
- Taskmaster (core engine)
- Whisper Flow for rapid PRD drafting
- Gemini 2.5 Pro for drafting and refinement
- Shad CN for UI components
- Google Sheets as a lightweight DB
- Community and learning resources
- Discord community for updates, automation feeds, and discussions
- Treasure chest of UI patterns and starter patterns (Pattern references for Next.js, TypeScript, etc.)
- Turbo Kit: a starter pack with a batteries-included setup for accelerating AI-powered coding projects
Actionable takeaways
- Use a PRD-driven approach to harness AI effectively
- Write the target outcome first; let AI populate a concrete task list with dependencies
- Treat Taskmaster as a repeatable workflow
- Install, initialize, define your PRD, generate tasks, and expand as needed
- Break big work into small, testable chunks
- Use the expand feature to decompose tasks into unit-level work and clear acceptance criteria
- Validate early with real data flows
- Map data points to your persistence layer (Google Sheets, DB, etc.) early on
- Iterate on UI and UX with accessibility in mind
- Test contrast, responsiveness, and error messaging
- Leverage the community and templates
- A PRD library, sample patterns, and starter kits can accelerate future projects
Links
- Task Master - CLI workflow tool for PRD-driven task decomposition
- Parker Rex Daily Channel - Short-form updates and tips
- VI AI Community - Discord community for AI, React/Next.js, and tooling discussions
- Whisper Flow - Voice dictation app for rapid PRD drafting
- shadcn/ui - UI component library for React
- Anthropic, Gemini, and OpenAI - AI ecosystem references
- Next.js - React framework for production applications
If you want access to the PRD templates Parker mentions (including RCA and roadmap variants), drop a comment referring to “PRD templates,” and he’ll share a version in the comments.