TODOchecker: The Ultimate Task Tracker for DevelopersIn modern software development, keeping track of tasks, reminders, and unfinished work scattered throughout source code becomes a subtle but persistent productivity drain. Developers leave TODO comments, FIXME markers, and custom annotations as lightweight, immediate notes—but over time these accumulate, rot, and become invisible. TODOchecker is designed to solve that problem: a focused, configurable task tracker that scans code, surfaces actionable items, integrates with workflows, and helps teams turn forgotten comments into completed work.
What is TODOchecker?
TODOchecker is an automated tool that scans your codebase for TODO/FIXME-like annotations, normalizes them into structured tasks, and integrates those tasks into your developer workflow. It’s not simply a linter or search utility; TODOchecker aims to close the loop by making in-code reminders first-class citizens: discoverable, assignable, and trackable.
Core capabilities:
- Language-aware parsing of comments and annotations across multiple languages (JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, Go, C#, Ruby, etc.)
- Configurable annotation patterns (TODO, FIXME, HACK, NOTE, @todo, // TODO(username): …)
- Prioritization and tagging based on content, file location, or custom rules
- Integration with CI/CD to fail builds on unwanted tags or to create issues automatically
- Export and sync with issue trackers (GitHub Issues, Jira, GitLab, Trello) and chat tools (Slack, MS Teams)
- Command-line interface and GUI dashboard for teams
Why developers need TODOchecker
Developers rely on comments to capture ephemeral ideas, technical debt notes, or small reminders. Left unmanaged these comments create several problems:
- Hidden work: TODOs buried in old files are rarely reviewed.
- Lost context: Comments without metadata lose meaning over time.
- Uneven distribution: Some teams use TODOs as tickets; others ignore them, causing duplication.
- Build risk: Forgotten FIXMEs may indicate fragile or insecure code.
TODOchecker addresses these by making in-code notes as actionable as any issue or PR.
How TODOchecker works (technical overview)
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Parsing and extraction
- TODOchecker walks your repository and uses language-specific lexers and parsers to extract comments and annotations. It recognizes single-line, block, and docstring-style comments, and can be extended with custom regexes for nonstandard formats.
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Normalization
- Extracted items are normalized into a JSON schema containing: id, file path, line number, annotation type, message, metadata (author, date if present), severity, and suggested tags.
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Enrichment
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) models and heuristics analyze message content to infer priority, estimate effort (small/medium/large), and suggest labels (bug, tech-debt, enhancement, security).
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Deduplication and grouping
- TODOchecker groups similar or duplicated annotations across files (e.g., repeated “remove debug logs”) and ranks them by frequency and impact.
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Integration and action
- Tasks can be exported to an external issue tracker, opened as pull requests, or surfaced in a dashboard. CI rules can be configured to block merges if new TODOs exceed thresholds or contain certain keywords (security, encryption, FIXME).
Key features and examples
- Language-aware scanning:
- Example: Parses Python docstrings and extracts “TODO: refactor this function” as a task with file.py:123.
- Customizable patterns:
- Example config:
{ "patterns": ["TODO", "FIXME", "HACK", "@todo"], "ignorePaths": ["tests/**", "vendor/**"] }
- Example config:
- Priority inference:
- “TODO: fix insecure token handling” → high priority, tag: security.
- CI enforcement:
- Add TODOchecker to CI to fail builds when a commit introduces >5 new TODOs.
- Issue creation:
- Map tasks to GitHub Issues with labels and assignees automatically.
- Dashboard:
- Filter by repository, tag, assignee, or estimated effort; bulk-create issues.
Installation and quick start (CLI example)
Install via npm (example):
npm install -g todochecker todochecker init todochecker scan --path=./src --output=todo-report.json todochecker sync --provider=github --repo=org/repo --token=$GITHUB_TOKEN Or add as a GitHub Action:
name: TODOchecker on: [push, pull_request] jobs: todo: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - name: Run TODOchecker run: | npm ci npx todochecker scan --output=todo-report.json Configuration examples
Granular control via a .todochkr.json file:
{ "scan": { "paths": ["src", "lib"], "extensions": [".js", ".ts", ".py", ".java"], "exclude": ["**/vendor/**", "**/node_modules/**"] }, "patterns": [ {"pattern":"TODO","severity":"medium"}, {"pattern":"FIXME","severity":"high"}, {"pattern":"HACK","severity":"low"} ], "ci": { "maxNewTodos": 0, "failOn": ["FIXME","security"] }, "integrations": { "github": {"enabled": true, "autoCreateIssues": true} } } Integration strategies for teams
- Daily or weekly scans: Automate reports that list top TODOs and assign triage owners.
- Pre-merge checks: Prevent adding new high-severity TODOs in PRs.
- Release cleanups: Include a “TODO sweep” in major release checklists to convert tasks into tracked issues or backlog items.
- Developer culture: Encourage using structured TODOs like “TODO(username): reason — due:YYYY-MM-DD” to retain ownership and timelines.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Makes hidden work visible | Can produce noise if not configured |
| Integrates with existing workflows | Initial setup and tuning required |
| Automatable (CI, issue creation) | False positives/duplicates need handling |
| Helps reduce technical debt | Requires team discipline to act on tasks |
Real-world use cases
- Open-source projects: Maintainers can find long-forgotten TODOs across contributors and tag them as good first issues.
- Security audits: Scan for TODOs that mention keys, encryption, or bypasses and escalate.
- Legacy codebases: Prioritize refactors by clustering repeated TODOs and estimating effort.
- Onboarding: New developers can view curated TODO lists to find starter tasks.
Tips for writing TODOs that work with TODOchecker
- Include context: “TODO(jane): replace with shared util — due:2025-10-01”
- Use tags: “TODO: (security) remove hardcoded key”
- Avoid vague notes: Prefer actionable statements with owner or next steps
- Keep them short but informative so NLP can infer priority
Future enhancements
Potential roadmap items:
- IDE plugins for inline task creation and viewing
- Two-way sync with issue trackers for status updates
- ML models that predict estimated time-to-fix more accurately
- Team analytics: technical debt heatmaps and trend charts
Conclusion
TODOchecker converts scattered in-code reminders into a manageable, trackable set of tasks. By combining language-aware parsing, configurable rules, CI enforcement, and integrations, it helps teams reduce technical debt, surface important work, and keep codebases healthier. For teams serious about maintainability, TODOchecker acts as the bridge between quick developer notes and formal work-tracking processes.
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