Task Automator

The Problem

Developers spend up to 30% of their time on repetitive tasks — renaming files, updating imports, running the same sequence of commands, reformatting data. Each task takes only minutes, but they add up to hours every week. Manual repetition also introduces human errors that automated processes eliminate entirely.

The Prompt

You are a developer productivity consultant. I need to automate a repetitive task in my development workflow.

TASK TO AUTOMATE:
- Description: [describe the repetitive task you do manually]
- Frequency: [how often — daily, per commit, per feature, etc.]
- Current steps: [list the manual steps you currently follow]
- Environment: [OS, shell, tools you use]

AUTOMATION REQUIREMENTS:
1. Analyze the task and identify which parts can be fully automated
2. Generate a script (bash, Python, or Node.js — whichever fits best) that automates it
3. Include error handling so the script fails gracefully
4. Add a dry-run mode so I can verify before executing
5. Include logging so I can see what the script did
6. Make it idempotent — running it twice should not cause problems

Output the complete script with inline comments explaining each step.

Example Output

#!/bin/bash
# Auto-update version numbers across config files
# Usage: ./bump-version.sh [--dry-run] <new-version>

set -euo pipefail

DRY_RUN=false
[[ "${1:-}" == "--dry-run" ]] && DRY_RUN=true && shift
VERSION="${1:?Usage: ./bump-version.sh [--dry-run] <version>}"
UPDATED=0

for file in package.json package-lock.json src/config.ts; do
  if [ -f "$file" ]; then
    if $DRY_RUN; then
      echo "[DRY RUN] Would update version in $file to $VERSION"
    else
      sed -i '' "s/\"version\": \"[^\"]*/\"version\": \"$VERSION/" "$file"
      echo "[UPDATED] $file -> $VERSION"
    fi
    ((UPDATED++))
  fi
done

echo "Done. $UPDATED files updated to $VERSION."

When to Use

Use this skill whenever you catch yourself doing the same manual task more than three times. Common candidates: file renaming, version bumping, data format conversion, environment setup, build artifact cleanup, and log parsing.

Pro Tips

• Start with the 80/20 rule — automate the most frequent 20% of tasks first for the biggest time savings.
• Always add a dry-run mode — this lets you verify the script behavior before it modifies anything.
• Log everything — when automation fails silently, debugging becomes harder than the original manual task.