Imported from itsmejay18/AI-Skills-for-My-Development-Stack (01-Laravel-Web-Development/single-task-responsibility/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add itsmejay18/AI-Skills-for-My-Development-Stack --skill single-task-responsibility. Copyright stays with the author.

Single Task Responsibility

Core Principle

Each task should have a single, well-defined responsibility.

When implementing a task, if you find yourself writing code that addresses multiple distinct responsibilities, this is a violation of the Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) and a signal to STOP and consult the user.

Recognition Pattern

You're violating SRP when:

1. The task description covers one responsibility (e.g., "Write tests for PDF actions")
2. Your implementation requires addressing another responsibility (e.g., "Create mocking solution for external package")
3. These responsibilities are distinct enough to warrant separate tasks

The Test

Ask yourself:

• Would an average developer expect to see this secondary work in the task description?
• Would an average developer expect this to be covered by a separate, more detailed task?
• Is this secondary work significant enough to warrant its own task?

If the answer is YES to any of these, you've found a responsibility violation.

What to Do When You Hit SRP Violation

STOP immediately. Do not create pseudo-tasks or workarounds.

Report to the user:

1. Identify the primary responsibility (from task description)
2. Identify the secondary responsibility (what you're trying to implement)
3. Explain why they're separate (each warrants its own task)
4. Propose solutions:
   • Create a new task for the secondary responsibility
   • Find a different approach that keeps the task focused
   • Defer the secondary responsibility

Example: PDF Generation Testing

Task: "Write tests for PDF generation actions"

Primary responsibility: Test the action code

Secondary responsibility discovered: Create mocking solution for spatie/laravel-pdf

Why separate?:

• Mocking an external package is significant work
• It's not expected in a "write tests" task
• It warrants its own task: "Create mock for PDF package"

Action: STOP and ask the user which approach to take.

Remember

SRP applies to tasks just as it applies to code. When a task starts to require multiple responsibilities, it's a sign the task itself needs to be split or reconsidered.