@heytherevibin/skillforge 0.2.1

package/skills/django-celery/SKILL.md

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+---
+name: django-celery
+description: Django + Celery async task patterns — configuration, task design, beat scheduling, retries, canvas workflows, monitoring, and testing. Use when adding background jobs, scheduled tasks, or async processing to a Django app.
+---
+
+# Django + Celery Async Task Patterns
+
+Production-grade patterns for background task processing in Django using Celery with Redis or RabbitMQ.
+
+## When to Activate
+
+- Adding background jobs or async processing to a Django app
+- Implementing periodic/scheduled tasks
+- Offloading slow operations (email, PDF generation, API calls) from request cycle
+- Setting up Celery Beat for cron-like scheduling
+- Debugging task failures, retries, or queue backlogs
+- Writing tests for Celery tasks
+
+## Project Setup
+
+### Installation
+
+```bash
+pip install celery[redis] django-celery-results django-celery-beat
+```
+
+### `celery.py` — App Entrypoint
+
+```python
+# config/celery.py
+import os
+from celery import Celery
+
+os.environ.setdefault('DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE', 'config.settings.development')
+
+app = Celery('myproject')
+app.config_from_object('django.conf:settings', namespace='CELERY')
+app.autodiscover_tasks()  # Discovers tasks.py in each INSTALLED_APP
+
+@app.task(bind=True, ignore_result=True)
+def debug_task(self):
+    print(f'Request: {self.request!r}')
+```
+
+```python
+# config/__init__.py
+from .celery import app as celery_app
+
+__all__ = ('celery_app',)
+```
+
+### Django Settings
+
+```python
+# config/settings/base.py
+
+# Broker (Redis recommended for production)
+CELERY_BROKER_URL = env('CELERY_BROKER_URL', default='redis://localhost:6379/0')
+CELERY_RESULT_BACKEND = env('CELERY_RESULT_BACKEND', default='django-db')
+
+# Serialization
+CELERY_ACCEPT_CONTENT = ['json']
+CELERY_TASK_SERIALIZER = 'json'
+CELERY_RESULT_SERIALIZER = 'json'
+
+# Task behavior
+CELERY_TASK_TRACK_STARTED = True
+CELERY_TASK_TIME_LIMIT = 30 * 60        # Hard limit: 30 min
+CELERY_TASK_SOFT_TIME_LIMIT = 25 * 60   # Soft limit: sends SoftTimeLimitExceeded
+CELERY_WORKER_PREFETCH_MULTIPLIER = 1   # Prevent worker hoarding long tasks
+CELERY_TASK_ACKS_LATE = True            # Re-queue on worker crash
+
+# Result persistence
+CELERY_RESULT_EXPIRES = 60 * 60 * 24   # Keep results 24 hours
+
+# Beat scheduler (for periodic tasks)
+CELERY_BEAT_SCHEDULER = 'django_celery_beat.schedulers:DatabaseScheduler'
+
+# Installed apps
+INSTALLED_APPS += [
+    'django_celery_results',
+    'django_celery_beat',
+]
+```
+
+### Running Workers
+
+```bash
+# Start worker (development)
+celery -A config worker --loglevel=info
+
+# Start beat scheduler (periodic tasks)
+celery -A config beat --loglevel=info --scheduler django_celery_beat.schedulers:DatabaseScheduler
+
+# Combined worker + beat (dev only, never production)
+celery -A config worker --beat --loglevel=info
+
+# Production: multiple workers with concurrency
+celery -A config worker --loglevel=warning --concurrency=4 -Q default,high_priority
+```
+
+## Task Design Patterns
+
+### Basic Task
+
+```python
+# apps/notifications/tasks.py
+from celery import shared_task
+import logging
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+@shared_task(name='notifications.send_welcome_email')
+def send_welcome_email(user_id: int) -> None:
+    """Send welcome email to newly registered user."""
+    from apps.users.models import User
+    from apps.notifications.services import EmailService
+
+    try:
+        user = User.objects.get(pk=user_id)
+    except User.DoesNotExist:
+        logger.warning('send_welcome_email: user %s not found', user_id)
+        return  # Idempotent — do not raise, task already impossible to complete
+
+    EmailService.send_welcome(user)
+    logger.info('Welcome email sent to user %s', user_id)
+```
+
+### Retryable Task
+
+```python
+@shared_task(
+    bind=True,
+    name='integrations.sync_to_crm',
+    max_retries=5,
+    default_retry_delay=60,       # seconds before first retry
+    autoretry_for=(ConnectionError, TimeoutError),
+    retry_backoff=True,           # exponential backoff
+    retry_backoff_max=600,        # cap at 10 minutes
+    retry_jitter=True,            # randomise to avoid thundering herd
+)
+def sync_contact_to_crm(self, contact_id: int) -> dict:
+    """Sync contact to external CRM with retry on transient failures."""
+    from apps.crm.services import CRMClient
+
+    try:
+        result = CRMClient().sync(contact_id)
+        return result
+    except CRMClient.RateLimitError as exc:
+        # Specific retry delay from response header
+        raise self.retry(exc=exc, countdown=int(exc.retry_after))
+```
+
+### Idempotent Task Pattern
+
+Design tasks so they can safely run multiple times with the same inputs:
+
+```python
+@shared_task(name='orders.mark_shipped')
+def mark_order_shipped(order_id: int, tracking_number: str) -> None:
+    """Mark order as shipped — safe to run multiple times."""
+    from apps.orders.models import Order
+
+    updated = Order.objects.filter(
+        pk=order_id,
+        status=Order.Status.PROCESSING,    # Guard: only update if not already shipped
+    ).update(
+        status=Order.Status.SHIPPED,
+        tracking_number=tracking_number,
+    )
+
+    if not updated:
+        logger.info('mark_order_shipped: order %s already shipped or not found', order_id)
+```
+
+### Task with Soft Time Limit
+
+```python
+from celery.exceptions import SoftTimeLimitExceeded
+
+@shared_task(
+    bind=True,
+    name='reports.generate_pdf',
+    soft_time_limit=120,
+    time_limit=150,
+)
+def generate_pdf_report(self, report_id: int) -> str:
+    """Generate PDF report with graceful timeout handling."""
+    from apps.reports.services import PDFGenerator
+
+    try:
+        path = PDFGenerator.build(report_id)
+        return path
+    except SoftTimeLimitExceeded:
+        # Clean up partial files before hard kill
+        PDFGenerator.cleanup(report_id)
+        raise
+```
+
+## Calling Tasks
+
+```python
+from datetime import timedelta
+from django.utils import timezone
+
+# Fire and forget (async)
+send_welcome_email.delay(user.pk)
+
+# Schedule in the future
+send_reminder.apply_async(args=[user.pk], countdown=3600)  # 1 hour from now
+send_reminder.apply_async(args=[user.pk], eta=timezone.now() + timedelta(days=1))
+
+# Apply with queue routing
+sync_contact_to_crm.apply_async(args=[contact.pk], queue='high_priority')
+
+# Run synchronously (tests / debugging only)
+result = generate_pdf_report.apply(args=[report.pk])
+```
+
+## Beat Scheduling (Periodic Tasks)
+
+### Code-Defined Schedule
+
+```python
+# config/settings/base.py
+from celery.schedules import crontab
+
+CELERY_BEAT_SCHEDULE = {
+    'cleanup-expired-sessions': {
+        'task': 'users.cleanup_expired_sessions',
+        'schedule': crontab(hour=2, minute=0),   # 2am daily
+    },
+    'sync-inventory': {
+        'task': 'products.sync_inventory',
+        'schedule': 60.0,                         # every 60 seconds
+    },
+    'weekly-digest': {
+        'task': 'notifications.send_weekly_digest',
+        'schedule': crontab(day_of_week='monday', hour=8, minute=0),
+    },
+}
+```
+
+### Database-Defined Schedule (via django-celery-beat)
+
+```python
+# Manage periodic tasks from Django admin or code
+from django_celery_beat.models import PeriodicTask, CrontabSchedule
+import json
+
+schedule, _ = CrontabSchedule.objects.get_or_create(
+    hour='*/6', minute='0',
+    timezone='UTC',
+)
+
+PeriodicTask.objects.update_or_create(
+    name='Sync inventory every 6 hours',
+    defaults={
+        'crontab': schedule,
+        'task': 'products.sync_inventory',
+        'args': json.dumps([]),
+        'enabled': True,
+    }
+)
+```
+
+## Canvas: Chaining and Grouping Tasks
+
+```python
+from celery import chain, group, chord
+
+# Chain: run tasks sequentially, passing results
+pipeline = chain(
+    fetch_data.s(source_id),
+    transform_data.s(),          # receives fetch_data result as first arg
+    load_to_warehouse.s(),
+)
+pipeline.delay()
+
+# Group: run tasks in parallel
+parallel = group(
+    send_welcome_email.s(user_id)
+    for user_id in new_user_ids
+)
+parallel.delay()
+
+# Chord: parallel tasks + callback when all complete
+result = chord(
+    group(process_chunk.s(chunk) for chunk in data_chunks),
+    aggregate_results.s(),       # called with list of chunk results
+)
+result.delay()
+```
+
+## Error Handling and Dead Letter Queue
+
+```python
+# apps/core/tasks.py
+from celery.signals import task_failure
+
+@task_failure.connect
+def on_task_failure(sender, task_id, exception, args, kwargs, traceback, einfo, **kw):
+    """Log all task failures to Sentry / alerting."""
+    import sentry_sdk
+    with sentry_sdk.new_scope() as scope:
+        scope.set_context('celery', {
+            'task': sender.name,
+            'task_id': task_id,
+            'args': args,
+            'kwargs': kwargs,
+        })
+        sentry_sdk.capture_exception(exception)
+```
+
+```python
+# Route failed tasks to dead-letter queue after max retries
+@shared_task(
+    bind=True,
+    max_retries=3,
+    name='payments.charge_card',
+)
+def charge_card(self, order_id: int) -> None:
+    from apps.payments.models import Order, FailedCharge
+
+    try:
+        _do_charge(order_id)
+    except Exception as exc:
+        if self.request.retries >= self.max_retries:
+            # Persist to dead-letter table for manual review
+            FailedCharge.objects.create(
+                order_id=order_id,
+                error=str(exc),
+                task_id=self.request.id,
+            )
+            return  # Don't raise — task is permanently failed
+        raise self.retry(exc=exc)
+```
+
+## Testing Celery Tasks
+
+### Unit Testing (No Broker)
+
+```python
+# tests/test_tasks.py
+import pytest
+from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
+from apps.notifications.tasks import send_welcome_email
+
+class TestSendWelcomeEmail:
+
+    @pytest.mark.django_db
+    def test_sends_email_to_existing_user(self, user):
+        with patch('apps.notifications.services.EmailService') as mock_email:
+            send_welcome_email(user.pk)
+            mock_email.send_welcome.assert_called_once_with(user)
+
+    @pytest.mark.django_db
+    def test_skips_missing_user_gracefully(self):
+        """Should not raise when user is deleted between enqueue and execute."""
+        send_welcome_email(99999)  # Non-existent user — must not raise
+```
+
+### Integration Testing with CELERY_TASK_ALWAYS_EAGER
+
+```python
+# config/settings/test.py
+CELERY_TASK_ALWAYS_EAGER = True      # Run tasks synchronously in tests
+CELERY_TASK_EAGER_PROPAGATES = True  # Re-raise exceptions from tasks
+
+# tests/test_integration.py
+@pytest.mark.django_db
+def test_registration_triggers_welcome_email(client):
+    with patch('apps.notifications.services.EmailService') as mock_email:
+        response = client.post('/api/users/', {
+            'email': 'new@example.com',
+            'password': 'strongpass123',
+        })
+
+    assert response.status_code == 201
+    mock_email.send_welcome.assert_called_once()
+```
+
+### Testing Retries
+
+```python
+@pytest.mark.django_db
+def test_task_retries_on_connection_error():
+    with patch('apps.crm.services.CRMClient.sync') as mock_sync:
+        mock_sync.side_effect = ConnectionError('timeout')
+
+        with pytest.raises(ConnectionError):
+            sync_contact_to_crm.apply(args=[1], throw=True)
+
+        assert mock_sync.call_count == 1  # First attempt only when eager
+```
+
+## Monitoring
+
+```bash
+# Inspect active workers and queues
+celery -A config inspect active
+celery -A config inspect stats
+celery -A config inspect reserved
+
+# Check queue lengths (Redis)
+redis-cli llen celery
+
+# Flower: web-based real-time monitor
+pip install flower
+celery -A config flower --port=5555
+```
+
+## Anti-Patterns
+
+```python
+# BAD: Passing model instances — they may be stale by execution time
+send_welcome_email.delay(user)        # Never pass ORM objects
+send_welcome_email.delay(user.pk)     # Always pass PKs
+
+# BAD: Calling tasks synchronously in production views
+result = generate_report.apply()      # Blocks the request thread
+
+# BAD: Non-idempotent task without guards
+@shared_task
+def charge_and_fulfill(order_id):
+    order.charge()     # May charge twice if task retries!
+    order.fulfill()
+
+# GOOD: Idempotent with status guard
+@shared_task
+def charge_and_fulfill(order_id):
+    order = Order.objects.select_for_update().get(pk=order_id)
+    if order.status != Order.Status.PENDING:
+        return  # Already processed
+    order.charge()
+    order.fulfill()
+```
+
+## Production Checklist
+
+| Check | Setting |
+|-------|---------|
+| Worker restarts on crash | `supervisord` or `systemd` unit |
+| `CELERY_TASK_ACKS_LATE = True` | Re-queue tasks on worker crash |
+| `CELERY_WORKER_PREFETCH_MULTIPLIER = 1` | Fair distribution of long tasks |
+| Separate queues per priority | `-Q default,high_priority,low_priority` |
+| `CELERY_TASK_SOFT_TIME_LIMIT` set | Graceful timeout before hard kill |
+| Sentry integration | Capture all `task_failure` signals |
+| Flower or other monitor | Visibility into queue depths |
+| Beat runs on single node only | Prevents duplicate scheduled task execution |
+
+## Related Skills
+
+- `django-patterns` — ORM, service layer, and project structure
+- `django-tdd` — Testing Django models, views, and services
+- `python-testing` — pytest configuration and fixtures