claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix Feature request: configurable task list display verbosity in system-reminders [1 participants]

Summary

Request a configuration option (e.g., taskListVerbosity in settings.json) to restore the previous behavior of inline-displaying pending task names in system-reminders, rather than only showing in_progress tasks with a count summary for pending.

Current behavior

System-reminder task list shows in_progress tasks inline (■) but compresses pending tasks to a count-only summary:

■ Task A (in_progress)
■ Task B (in_progress)
■ Task C (in_progress)
■ Task D (in_progress)
■ Task E (in_progress)
… +1 in progress, 4 pending, 57 completed

Pending task names are not visible in the system-reminder display.

Previous behavior (preferred)

Both in_progress (■) and pending (□) tasks were shown inline by name, with completed tasks summarized as a count:

■ Task A (in_progress)
■ Task B (in_progress)
■ Task C (in_progress)
■ Task D (in_progress)
■ Task E (in_progress)
□ Task F (pending)
□ Task G (pending)
□ Task H (pending)
□ Task I (pending)
□ Task J (pending)
… +57 completed

Why this matters

For long-running projects with many pending strategic tasks, having pending task names visible inline keeps context fresh during conversations and reduces the need for explicit TaskList tool invocations. The current count-only summary requires either:

1. Asking Claude to invoke TaskList to dump full state, OR
2. Remembering pending task names and IDs

Both add friction for users tracking a large but mostly-pending workload.

Suggested solution

Add a taskListVerbosity configuration key in settings.json:

{
  "taskListVerbosity": "full"
}

Where:

• "compact" = current behavior (in_progress inline + pending count)
• "full" = previous behavior (in_progress inline + pending inline + completed count)
• "in-progress-only" = even more compact (omit pending count too)

Default could remain "compact" for token efficiency; users who prefer explicit task visibility opt into "full".

Alternatives considered

1. Slash command /tasks --full — explicit dump on demand. Useful but adds per-request friction.
2. Environment variable CLAUDE_CODE_TASK_LIST_VERBOSITY=full — works but less discoverable than settings.json key.
3. Project-level vs user-level setting — both should be supported following the existing settings.json hierarchy.

Context

Discovered during long-running projects with 5+ in_progress + 5+ pending tasks. The current display compression hides the pending task list entirely, requiring explicit tool invocations to recall pending work. Adding a verbosity control lets power users opt into the older behavior without affecting the default.