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Shrimp Task Manager

Shrimp Task Manager

Turn a vague goal into a dependency-tracked task graph an agent can execute step by step.

Score 62(?)cjo4m06 (community)MIT2.1kVerified Top MCPs for Agent Orchestration →
InstallView on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Exposes tools to plan and analyze a goal, decompose it into tasks with dependencies, execute tasks in order, verify completion, and persist the whole task graph across sessions. Includes a research mode for systematic exploration before planning.

Best for

  • Decomposing vague specs into dependency-tracked tasks
  • Plan-then-execute coding loops
  • Cross-session continuity on multi-step builds
  • Research-mode exploration before planning

Not for

  • Single-shot tasks
  • Team collaboration workflows

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

  1. 1

    Install

    claude_desktop_config.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "shrimp-task-manager": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "install",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "run",
        "build"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "${DATA_DIR}"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

    CLI or .mcp.json
    # export DATA_DIR=./shrimp-data
claude mcp add shrimp-task-manager -- git clone https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager && npm install && npm run build

    Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

    .cursor/mcp.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "shrimp-task-manager": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "install",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "run",
        "build"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "${DATA_DIR}"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

    .vscode/mcp.json
    {
  "servers": {
    "shrimp-task-manager": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "install",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "run",
        "build"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "${DATA_DIR}"
      }
    }
  }
}

    VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

    ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "shrimp-task-manager": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "install",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "run",
        "build"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "${DATA_DIR}"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

    cline_mcp_settings.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "shrimp-task-manager": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "install",
        "&&",
        "npm",
        "run",
        "build"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "${DATA_DIR}"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

    ~/.continue/config.json
    {
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "git",
          "args": [
            "clone",
            "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
            "&&",
            "npm",
            "install",
            "&&",
            "npm",
            "run",
            "build"
          ],
          "env": {
            "DATA_DIR": "${DATA_DIR}"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

    Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

    ~/.codex/config.toml
    # ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.shrimp-task-manager]
command = "git"
args = [
  "clone",
  "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
  "&&",
  "npm",
  "install",
  "&&",
  "npm",
  "run",
  "build",
]
env = { DATA_DIR = "${DATA_DIR}" }

    Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

    ~/.config/zed/settings.json
    {
  "context_servers": {
    "shrimp-task-manager": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/cjo4m06/mcp-shrimp-task-manager",
          "&&",
          "npm",
          "install",
          "&&",
          "npm",
          "run",
          "build"
        ]
      },
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "${DATA_DIR}"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

    ChatGPT → Apps directory

    Shrimp Task Manager doesn't ship a hosted HTTPS endpoint today. ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers only — to use this server in ChatGPT you'll need to deploy it to a public HTTPS URL first (e.g. via Cloudflare Workers or Vercel) or wait for an official remote build.

  2. 2

    Set required secrets

    Set DATA_DIR in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.

  3. 3

    Try a minimum working prompt

    Minimum working prompt pending verification. Try any prompt from the MCP’s README once installed.

Tools & permissions

ToolDescriptionArgsSide effects
plan_taskPlan and analyze a goal before decomposition.description: stringRead
split_tasksDecompose a plan into dependency-tracked tasks.tasks: arrayWrite
execute_taskExecute the next available task in dependency order.taskId: stringWrite
verify_taskVerify a task meets its completion criteria.taskId: stringRead
list_tasksList tasks with status and dependencies.—Read

Security & scope

Access scope
Read + write
Sandbox
Reads and writes the task graph to a local DATA_DIR. No outbound network calls of its own; the agent does the work, Shrimp tracks it.
Gotchas
  • No npx package — the clone-and-build step is required, which makes it harder to pin to a version than registry-published servers.
  • The task graph lives in DATA_DIR as plain files; back it up if a long-running plan matters.
  • Single-author community project — evaluate maintenance before depending on it for production workflows.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.
Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.
Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. agent orchestration work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-agent-orchestration
Compare Shrimp Task Manager against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.
Compare Shrimp Task Manager MCP vs [Claude Task Master MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/shrimp-task-manager
- top-mcps.com listing for Claude Task Master
Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.
Install the Shrimp Task Manager MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/shrimp-task-manager (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/shrimp-task-manager.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (DATA_DIR) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

  1. Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.

  2. Initial directory listing.

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Compared with Shrimp Task Manager

Side-by-side breakdowns for the choices people most often weigh against this MCP.

Shrimp Task ManagervsClaude Task MasterShrimp Task ManagervsSequential ThinkingShrimp Task ManagervsContext ForgeShrimp Task ManagervsCLI Agent Orchestrator

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