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Required Configuration

Task Master requires an Anthropic API key to function. Add this to your .env file:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-your-api-key
You can obtain an API key from the Anthropic Console.

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Optional Configuration

VariableDefault ValueDescriptionExample
MODEL"claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219"Claude model to useMODEL=claude-3-opus-20240229
MAX_TOKENS"4000"Maximum tokens for responsesMAX_TOKENS=8000
TEMPERATURE"0.7"Temperature for model responsesTEMPERATURE=0.5
DEBUG"false"Enable debug loggingDEBUG=true
LOG_LEVEL"info"Console output levelLOG_LEVEL=debug
DEFAULT_SUBTASKS"3"Default subtask countDEFAULT_SUBTASKS=5
DEFAULT_PRIORITY"medium"Default priorityDEFAULT_PRIORITY=high
PROJECT_NAME"MCP SaaS MVP"Project name in metadataPROJECT_NAME=My Awesome Project
PROJECT_VERSION"1.0.0"Version in metadataPROJECT_VERSION=2.1.0
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY-For research-backed featuresPERPLEXITY_API_KEY=pplx-...
PERPLEXITY_MODEL"sonar-medium-online"Perplexity modelPERPLEXITY_MODEL=sonar-large-online

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TDD Workflow Configuration

Additional options for autonomous TDD workflow:
VariableDefaultDescription
TM_MAX_ATTEMPTS3Max attempts per subtask before marking blocked
TM_AUTO_COMMITtrueAuto-commit after GREEN phase
TM_PROJECT_ROOTCurrent dirDefault project root

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Example .env File

# Required
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-your-api-key

# Optional - Claude Configuration
MODEL=claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219
MAX_TOKENS=4000
TEMPERATURE=0.7

# Optional - Perplexity API for Research
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=pplx-your-api-key
PERPLEXITY_MODEL=sonar-medium-online

# Optional - Project Info
PROJECT_NAME=My Project
PROJECT_VERSION=1.0.0

# Optional - Application Configuration
DEFAULT_SUBTASKS=3
DEFAULT_PRIORITY=medium
DEBUG=false
LOG_LEVEL=info

# TDD Workflow
TM_MAX_ATTEMPTS=3
TM_AUTO_COMMIT=true

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Troubleshooting

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If task-master init doesn’t respond:

Try running it with Node directly: 
node node_modules/claude-task-master/scripts/init.js
Or clone the repository and run: 
git clone https://github.com/eyaltoledano/claude-task-master.git
cd claude-task-master
node scripts/init.js
For advanced configuration options and detailed customization, see our [Advanced Configuration Guide] page.
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