---
name: tasks
description: "You are about to start any meaningful piece of work — a research task, a build, a draft, a deployment, anything with a deliverable. Before you begin, create a task. During the work, mark it in_progress and write WORKING ON to daily memory. When done, complete it with a result summary and log a task_completed event. If you are blocked, set the task to blocked with the reason. If a human needs to do something first, assign it to them. Without a task, your work is invisible to the dashboard and the user."
triggers: ["create task", "start task", "new task", "track work", "log work", "task system", "task workflow", "mark in progress", "complete task", "task blocked", "assign task", "list tasks", "task queue", "pending tasks", "my tasks", "work item", "deliverable", "project task", "task management", "task lifecycle"]
external_calls: []
---

# Task System

Every significant piece of work must have a corresponding task. Tasks enable coordination, accountability, and measurable progress.

## Task Types

- **Agent tasks** - Work executed autonomously by the assigned agent
- **Human tasks** - Requires human decision, input, or approval (assigned_to=human)

## Lifecycle

### 1. Create (BEFORE starting work)
```bash
cortextos bus create-task "<title>" --desc "<description>" [--assignee <agent>] [--priority <p>] [--project <name>]
```

### 2. Mark in progress
```bash
cortextos bus update-task <task_id> in_progress
```

### 3. Execute the work

### 4. Complete
```bash
cortextos bus complete-task <task_id> --result "[output summary]"
```

### 5. Log KPI (if measurable)
```bash
cortextos bus log-event task task_completed info --meta '{"task_id":"ID","kpi_key":"metric_name","value":1}'
```

## The `needs_approval` Field

**true** - external actions: sending emails, merging PRs, deploying, public announcements
**false** - internal work: research, drafts, feature branches, testing

Tasks with `needs_approval: true` create an approval item that must be reviewed before executing external actions.

## Script Reference

| Action | Command |
|--------|---------|
| Create | `cortextos bus create-task "<title>" --desc "<desc>" [--assignee <a>] [--priority <p>]` |
| List | `cortextos bus list-tasks [--status S] [--agent A] [--priority P]` |
| Update | `cortextos bus update-task <id> <status>` |
| Complete | `cortextos bus complete-task <id> --result "[summary]"` |
| Log event | `cortextos bus log-event <category> <event> <severity> --meta '[json]'` |

**Statuses:** pending, in_progress, blocked, completed

**Priorities:** urgent, high, normal, low

## Best Practices

- **Always create before starting** - ensures tracking and coordination
- **Be specific** - clear titles, descriptions with success criteria
- **Complete thoroughly** - include what was accomplished and where outputs are
- **Log KPIs** - when work advances a measurable goal