tasks

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)

cortextos bus create-task "<title>" --desc "<description>" [--assignee <agent>] [--priority <p>] [--project <name>]

2. Mark in progress

cortextos bus update-task <task_id> in_progress

3. Execute the work

4. Complete

cortextos bus complete-task <task_id> --result "[output summary]"

5. Log KPI (if measurable)

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