The always & never Special Tags

There is one escape hatch: passing --skip-tags always will exclude even those tasks when you really need to.

Loading variables or facts that later tasks depend on is ideal for always, so they exist no matter how you filter.

A task tagged never is skipped by default. It runs only when you explicitly ask for it or another of its tags.

To run a never task, name it directly with --tags. Asking for it overrides the default skip.

Use never to guard risky or rarely needed tasks, like destructive cleanup, so they never fire by accident.

Give a never task a second tag too. Then you trigger it by that friendly name while never keeps it safely off by default.

Even if you run --tags config, every always task still executes alongside your selected ones. It is additive.

Remember the symmetry: always opts a task in unless skipped, and never opts it out unless requested.

This destructive task carries never plus a cleanup tag, so it only runs when you deliberately ask for cleanup. 🛡️

You learned always runs unless skipped, and never stays off until you explicitly request its tag, guarding risky tasks. ✅