Quick Install for Cursor 1.0+ (One-Click)
Note: After clicking the link, you'll still need to add your API keys to the configuration. The link installs the MCP server with placeholder keys that you'll need to replace with your actual API keys.
Claude Code Quick Install
For Claude Code users:
claude mcp add taskmaster-ai -- npx -y task-master-ai
Don't forget to add your API keys to the configuration:
- in the root .env of your Project
- in the "env" section of your mcp config for taskmaster-ai
Quick Start
Option 1: MCP (Recommended)
MCP (Model Control Protocol) lets you run Task Master directly from your editor.
1. Add your MCP config at the following path depending on your editor
| Editor | Scope | Linux/macOS Path | Windows Path | Key |
|---|
| Cursor | Global | ~/.cursor/mcp.json | %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json | mcpServers |
| Project | <project_folder>/.cursor/mcp.json | <project_folder>\.cursor\mcp.json | mcpServers |
| Windsurf | Global | ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json | %USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json | mcpServers |
| VS Code | Project | <project_folder>/.vscode/mcp.json | <project_folder>\.vscode\mcp.json | servers |
| Q CLI | Global | ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json | | mcpServers |
Manual Configuration
Cursor & Windsurf & Q Developer CLI (mcpServers)
{
"mcpServers": {
"task-master-ai": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "task-master-ai"],
"env": {
// "TASK_MASTER_TOOLS": "all", // Options: "all", "standard", "core", or comma-separated list of tools
"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY_HERE",
"GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_KEY_HERE",
"MISTRAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_MISTRAL_KEY_HERE",
"GROQ_API_KEY": "YOUR_GROQ_KEY_HERE",
"OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY_HERE",
"XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_KEY_HERE",
"AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_AZURE_KEY_HERE",
"OLLAMA_API_KEY": "YOUR_OLLAMA_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
🔑 Replace YOUR_…_KEY_HERE with your real API keys. You can remove keys you don't use.
Note: If you see 0 tools enabled in the MCP settings, restart your editor and check that your API keys are correctly configured.
VS Code (servers + type)
{
"servers": {
"task-master-ai": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "task-master-ai"],
"env": {
// "TASK_MASTER_TOOLS": "all", // Options: "all", "standard", "core", or comma-separated list of tools
"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY_HERE",
"GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_KEY_HERE",
"MISTRAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_MISTRAL_KEY_HERE",
"GROQ_API_KEY": "YOUR_GROQ_KEY_HERE",
"OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY_HERE",
"XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_KEY_HERE",
"AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_AZURE_KEY_HERE",
"OLLAMA_API_KEY": "YOUR_OLLAMA_API_KEY_HERE"
},
"type": "stdio"
}
}
}
🔑 Replace YOUR_…_KEY_HERE with your real API keys. You can remove keys you don't use.
2. (Cursor-only) Enable Taskmaster MCP
Open Cursor Settings (Ctrl+Shift+J) ➡ Click on MCP tab on the left ➡ Enable task-master-ai with the toggle
3. (Optional) Configure the models you want to use
In your editor's AI chat pane, say:
Change the main, research and fallback models to <model_name>, <model_name> and <model_name> respectively.
For example, to use Claude Code (no API key required):
Change the main model to claude-code/sonnet
Table of available models | Claude Code setup
4. Initialize Task Master
In your editor's AI chat pane, say:
Initialize taskmaster-ai in my project
5. Make sure you have a PRD (Recommended)
For new projects: Create your PRD at .taskmaster/docs/prd.txt.
For existing projects: You can use scripts/prd.txt or migrate with task-master migrate
An example PRD template is available after initialization in .taskmaster/templates/example_prd.txt.
[!NOTE]
While a PRD is recommended for complex projects, you can always create individual tasks by asking "Can you help me implement [description of what you want to do]?" in chat.
Always start with a detailed PRD.
The more detailed your PRD, the better the generated tasks will be.
6. Common Commands
Use your AI assistant to:
- Parse requirements:
Can you parse my PRD at scripts/prd.txt?
- Plan next step:
What's the next task I should work on?
- Implement a task:
Can you help me implement task 3?
- View multiple tasks:
Can you show me tasks 1, 3, and 5?
- Expand a task:
Can you help me expand task 4?
- Research fresh information:
Research the latest best practices for implementing JWT authentication with Node.js
- Research with context:
Research React Query v5 migration strategies for our current API implementation in src/api.js
More examples on how to use Task Master in chat
Option 2: Using Command Line
Installation
# Install globally
npm install -g task-master-ai
# OR install locally within your project
npm install task-master-ai
Method 2: Claude Code CLI (One-Time Setup)
For Claude Code users, you can set the mode during installation:
# Core mode example (~70% token reduction)
claude mcp add task-master-ai --scope user \
--env TASK_MASTER_TOOLS="core" \
-- npx -y task-master-ai@latest
# Custom tools example
claude mcp add task-master-ai --scope user \
--env TASK_MASTER_TOOLS="get_tasks,next_task,set_task_status" \
-- npx -y task-master-ai@latest