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This page covers MCP tool loading, timeouts, tagged task lists and the state file. For models and environment variables, see the Configuration reference.

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MCP tool loading

The TASKGRAPH_TOOLS environment variable controls which tools the TaskGraph MCP server loads, so you can trade features for context.
  • core (default, alias lean): 7 essential tools. get_tasks, next_task, get_task, set_task_status, add_note, parse_prd, expand_task.
  • standard: 16 tools. Core plus update_subtask, project initialization, complexity analysis, dependency_analysis, expand_all, subtask and task add/remove.
  • all: every tool, including dependencies, tags, research and scope up/down.
  • Custom list: comma-separated tool names, for example "get_tasks,next_task,set_task_status".
Set it in the env block of .mcp.json (recommended):
Or when registering the server with Claude Code:
Behavior:
  • When TASKGRAPH_TOOLS is unset or empty, core is used.
  • Invalid tool names in a custom list are ignored (a warning is emitted for each).
  • If every name in a custom list is invalid, the server falls back to all.
  • Values are case-insensitive.

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MCP timeouts

Long-running AI operations such as parse_prd, expand_task, research and analyze_project_complexity can take 2 to 5 minutes, which exceeds the default 60-second MCP timeout. Add a timeout (in seconds, 1 to 3600) to the server entry in .mcp.json:
If you still see MCP request timed out after 60000ms, check that timeout is present, restart Claude Code, and try 600 for very large operations.

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Tagged task lists

Tags keep separate task lists for branches, features or experiments.
  • defaultTag: the tag used when none is specified (default master).
  • Branch-based tags: taskgraph tags add <name> --from-branch creates a tag named after the current git branch. Tags are never switched automatically; you decide when to create and use them.

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State file

.taskgraph/state.json tracks runtime information for the tag system:
  • currentTag: the active tag
  • lastSwitched: when the tag last changed
  • migrationNoticeShown: whether the one-time tag-system notice was displayed
TaskGraph manages this file; do not edit it by hand. It’s per-machine, so taskgraph init adds it to .gitignore: two people on different tags don’t conflict.