What causes "Source and target tags are the same ("${args.sourceTag}")" in eyaltoledano/claude-task-master?

Set targetTag to a tag different from sourceTag.

SAME_SOURCE_TARGET_TAG

SAME_SOURCE_TARGET_TAG

Error message

Source and target tags are the same ("${args.sourceTag}")

What it means

SAME_SOURCE_TARGET_TAG is a validation error raised when sourceTag and targetTag are identical. That would not be a cross-tag move, so the function rejects it and suggests using the within-tag move form instead. Includes actionable suggestions in the error payload.

Source

Thrown at mcp-server/src/core/direct-functions/move-task-cross-tag.js:70

	}

	if (!args.targetTag) {
		return {
			success: false,
			error: {
				message: 'Target tag is required for cross-tag moves',
				code: 'MISSING_TARGET_TAG'
			}
		};
	}

	// Validate that source and target tags are different
	if (args.sourceTag === args.targetTag) {
		return {
			success: false,
			error: {
				message: `Source and target tags are the same ("${args.sourceTag}")`,
				code: 'SAME_SOURCE_TARGET_TAG',
				suggestions: [
					'Use different tags for cross-tag moves',
					'Use within-tag move: task-master move --from=<id> --to=<id> --tag=<tag>',
					'Check available tags: task-master tags'
				]
			}
		};
	}

	try {
		// Find tasks.json path if not provided
		let tasksPath = args.tasksJsonPath || args.file;
		if (!tasksPath) {
			if (!args.projectRoot) {
				return {
					success: false,
					error: {
						message:

View on GitHub (pinned to c0c98d367c)

Solutions

Set targetTag to a tag different from sourceTag.
If you actually want to reorder/reposition within the same tag, use the within-tag move: task-master move --from=<id> --to=<id> --tag=<tag>.
Run `task-master tags` to confirm the intended destination tag name.

Example fix

// before
await moveTaskCrossTagDirect({ sourceIds: '5', sourceTag: 'backlog', targetTag: 'backlog' }, log);
// after
await moveTaskCrossTagDirect({ sourceIds: '5', sourceTag: 'backlog', targetTag: 'in-progress' }, log);

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (args.sourceTag && args.targetTag && args.sourceTag === args.targetTag) {
  throw new Error('sourceTag and targetTag must differ; use within-tag move for reordering');
}

Type guard

function isCrossTagMove(args) {
  return typeof args?.sourceTag === 'string' && typeof args?.targetTag === 'string' && args.sourceTag !== args.targetTag;
}

Try / catch

const resp = await moveTaskCrossTagDirect(args, log);
if (!resp.success && resp.error.code === 'SAME_SOURCE_TARGET_TAG') {
  // resp.error.suggestions lists the within-tag alternative
  throw new Error(resp.error.suggestions.join(' | '));
}

Prevention

Validate sourceTag !== targetTag in the calling code before invoking the tool.
Use `task-master move --from=<id> --to=<id> --tag=<tag>` when you intend a within-tag reorder.
Derive tag names from `task-master tags` output rather than hardcoding strings twice.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling moveTaskCrossTagDirect with sourceTag === targetTag — e.g. { sourceIds: '5', sourceTag: 'backlog', targetTag: 'backlog' } — triggers the check at move-task-cross-tag.js:70.

Common situations: Copy-paste of tag names into both fields, LLM clients echoing the same tag for both arguments, scripts computing tags dynamically that end up equal.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of eyaltoledano/claude-task-master@c0c98d367c (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/fef5d54e6f9a3a99. Report an issue: GitHub.