Guides
Todo Lists
Track and display todos using the Claude Agent SDK for organized task management
Todo tracking provides a structured way to manage tasks and display progress to users. The Claude Agent SDK includes built-in todo functionality that helps organize complex workflows and keep users informed about task progression.
Todo Lifecycle
Todo Lifecycle
Todos follow a predictable lifecycle:
- Created as
pendingwhen tasks are identified - Activated to
in_progresswhen work begins - Completed when the task finishes successfully
- Removed when all tasks in a group are completed
When Todos Are Used
When Todos Are Used
The SDK automatically creates todos for:
- Complex multi-step tasks requiring 3 or more distinct actions
- User-provided task lists when multiple items are mentioned
- Non-trivial operations that benefit from progress tracking
- Explicit requests when users ask for todo organization
Examples
Examples
Monitoring Todo Changes
Monitoring Todo Changes
TypeScript
import { query } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";
for await (const message of query({
prompt: "Optimize my React app performance and track progress with todos",
options: { maxTurns: 15 }
})) {
// Todo updates are reflected in the message stream
if (message.type === "assistant") {
for (const block of message.message.content) {
if (block.type === "tool_use" && block.name === "TodoWrite") {
const todos = block.input.todos;
console.log("Todo Status Update:");
todos.forEach((todo, index) => {
const status = todo.status === "completed" ? "✅" :
todo.status === "in_progress" ? "🔧" : "❌";
console.log(`${index + 1}. ${status} ${todo.content}`);
});
}
}
}
}Python
from claude_agent_sdk import query, AssistantMessage, ToolUseBlock
async for message in query(
prompt="Optimize my React app performance and track progress with todos",
options={"max_turns": 15}
):
# Todo updates are reflected in the message stream
if isinstance(message, AssistantMessage):
for block in message.content:
if isinstance(block, ToolUseBlock) and block.name == "TodoWrite":
todos = block.input["todos"]
print("Todo Status Update:")
for i, todo in enumerate(todos):
status = "✅" if todo["status"] == "completed" else \
"🔧" if todo["status"] == "in_progress" else "❌"
print(f"{i + 1}. {status} {todo['content']}")Real-time Progress Display
Real-time Progress Display
import { query } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";
class TodoTracker {
private todos: any[] = [];
displayProgress() {
if (this.todos.length === 0) return;
const completed = this.todos.filter(t => t.status === "completed").length;
const inProgress = this.todos.filter(t => t.status === "in_progress").length;
const total = this.todos.length;
console.log(`\nProgress: ${completed}/${total} completed`);
console.log(`Currently working on: ${inProgress} task(s)\n`);
this.todos.forEach((todo, index) => {
const icon = todo.status === "completed" ? "✅" :
todo.status === "in_progress" ? "🔧" : "❌";
const text = todo.status === "in_progress" ? todo.activeForm : todo.content;
console.log(`${index + 1}. ${icon} ${text}`);
});
}
async trackQuery(prompt: string) {
for await (const message of query({
prompt,
options: { maxTurns: 20 }
})) {
if (message.type === "assistant") {
for (const block of message.message.content) {
if (block.type === "tool_use" && block.name === "TodoWrite") {
this.todos = block.input.todos;
this.displayProgress();
}
}
}
}
}
}
// Usage
const tracker = new TodoTracker();
await tracker.trackQuery("Build a complete authentication system with todos");