# SpecScore vs Task Master AI Canonical: https://specscore.md/vs/task-master-ai/ [Task Master AI](https://github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master) (the `task-master-ai` package, also called Taskmaster) is a task manager for AI coding agents. A product requirements document (PRD) is a prose document of what to build; Task Master’s README says to put one at `.taskmaster/docs/prd.txt` and parse it into tasks. [Spec-driven development](https://specscore.md/spec-driven-development/) (SDD) is the practice of specifying behavior before code. [SpecScore](https://specscore.md/) is an [open-source](https://github.com/specscore/specscore) format for that specification, plus a [command-line interface](https://specscore.md/cli/) (CLI) that checks it. [Continuous integration](https://specscore.md/validators/) (CI) — an automatic check on every proposed change — runs that check in this repository. Task Master does not publish a spec format for CI to lint. ## What they share. - Both assume an AI agent should not invent the whole job from a one-line prompt. - Both keep their state in the repository so the next session can see it. - Both can tell an agent what to do next, instead of re-reading the entire project. ## What Task Master AI does well. Facts below are from the project README and docs index, read 30 October 2026. Tool counts and model lists in that README change often, so they are not repeated here. ### A PRD becomes a task list The README’s path is concrete: `task-master parse-prd` reads a PRD and generates tasks. `task-master next` points at the next task. `task-master expand` breaks a task down. Tags move work between streams. That is a useful layer once you already know what you are building. ### It shows up inside the editor The recommended install is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server — a small program the editor calls — via `npx -y task-master-ai`, including a one-step install for Cursor and a `claude mcp add` line for Claude Code. The agent then parses, lists, and updates tasks without a separate dashboard. ### Research with the project in context `task-master research` is documented as a way to ask a model about a library or a migration using the current project as context. Several model providers are supported. The README says commands that call a model need an API key, unless you use the Claude Code or Codex CLI paths it lists. ## Feature comparison. Task Master manages tasks. SpecScore is the specification those tasks can cite. The table compares those roles. | Capability | Task Master AI | SpecScore | | --- | --- | --- | | Primary role | Task list for AI coding agents, parsed from a PRD | **Open spec format + CLI** | | Input | Prose PRD, documented at .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt | **Structured Markdown + YAML** with required sections | | What you get | Tasks, dependencies, tags, and a “next task” pointer | **Requirements, acceptance criteria, plans, and tasks** that cite requirement ids | | Checking the spec | No documented linter for the PRD. The model parses free text. | **specscore spec lint** in CI. `/score` is a manual AI grade of the wording. | | Runtime | Node.js, usually through the MCP server. Model calls need a provider key or a local Claude Code / Codex CLI, per the README. | **One Go binary**. Lint does not call a model. | | License | The [public repository](https://github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master) is [MIT plus a Commons Clause](https://github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master/blob/main/LICENSE). The README says you may use and modify it, and may not sell Task Master itself or offer it as a hosted service. | [CC BY 4.0](https://github.com/specscore/specscore/blob/main/LICENSE) format · [Apache-2.0](https://github.com/specscore/specscore-cli/blob/main/LICENSE) CLI | ## What SpecScore adds. ### A PRD is not a lintable spec Task Master’s quality depends on how detailed the PRD is — the README says so. Nothing in that README checks the PRD’s structure before the model parses it. SpecScore refuses a feature that is missing a required section. [dogfood.yml](https://github.com/specscore/specscore/blob/main/.github/workflows/dogfood.yml) runs `specscore spec lint` on every pull request. The [/score](https://github.com/specscore/specstudio-skills/blob/main/skills/score/SKILL.md) skill is a second, manual pass over wording. It is not the CI command. ``` $ specscore spec lint features/apply-discount/README.md:0 [error] oq-section: Open Questions section not found features/apply-discount/README.md:0 [error] index-entries: Child directory not listed in index: refunds features/apply-discount/refunds:0 [error] readme-exists: README.md not found 3 violations found (3 errors) ``` ### Tasks can cite a requirement Task Master gives tasks numeric ids and dependencies. SpecScore gives requirements stable ids (`REQ: slug`). A plan task can name the criterion it satisfies, and a commit trailer can name it again. The task list and the spec stop being two unrelated documents. ### Lint does not need an API key Parsing a PRD in Task Master calls a model. Checking a SpecScore tree does not. The CLI is a Go binary from [specscore/specscore-cli](https://github.com/specscore/specscore-cli), so CI can run it without a provider account. ## When to use which. ### Reach for Task Master AI when… - You already have a PRD and you want an agent to split it into ordered tasks inside Cursor, Claude Code, or another MCP client. - You want next-task, expand, tags, and research as editor commands. - The thing you are managing is the task board, not a reusable spec format. ### Use SpecScore when… - The requirements themselves must be structured, identifiable, and rejected by CI when they break the format. - You do not want a model call in the path that decides whether the spec is well-formed. - You want the format [open-source](https://github.com/specscore/specscore) under CC BY 4.0, with an Apache-2.0 CLI. ## Parse tasks from a spec that already lints. Task Master is a strong task board. It is not a specification language. Write the behavior in SpecScore, let CI lint it, and point the task list at `REQ: slug` ids. If you still want Task Master’s editor tools, feed it a PRD you generated from a spec that already passed `specscore spec lint`. Use Task Master AI to sequence work. Use SpecScore so the work has a contract. ## Sources. The public pages below were read on 30 October 2026. Prices, plan names, and release lines change. - [eyaltoledano/claude-task-master](https://github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master) - [Task Master — MIT plus Commons Clause](https://github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master/blob/main/LICENSE) - [Task Master docs (tryhamster.com)](https://tryhamster.com/docs/taskmaster) - [specscore/specscore — dogfood CI workflow](https://github.com/specscore/specscore/blob/main/.github/workflows/dogfood.yml) - [specstudio-skills — /score skill](https://github.com/specscore/specstudio-skills/blob/main/skills/score/SKILL.md) - [specscore/specscore — CC BY 4.0](https://github.com/specscore/specscore/blob/main/LICENSE) - [specscore/specscore-cli — Apache-2.0](https://github.com/specscore/specscore-cli/blob/main/LICENSE)