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Tasks and workflows

A task is one piece of work, such as a feature or a bug fix. Its workflow moves it across the lanes of the board. At each step, you or Autopilot start an agent, and at the end you review the work.

OpenDucktor has one built-in workflow, Spec, Plan, Build, and every workspace uses it. This page shows what is the same in every workflow. The workflow page shows each lane, role, and action of Spec, Plan, Build.

Create a task

The first step of the Create task dialog. It offers three issue types: Feature, Bug, and Task, each with a short description.The first step of the Create task dialog. It offers three issue types: Feature, Bug, and Task, each with a short description.
  1. In the sidebar, select New task.
  2. Select the issue type: Feature, Bug, or Task.
  3. Type a Title and a Description. Change the other fields if necessary.
  4. Select Create task. The task shows in the first lane of the board, for example Backlog.
FieldWhat it does
PriorityFrom P0 · Critical to P4 · Very low. New tasks get P2 · Normal. The card shows it, and you can filter the board by it.
DescriptionTells the agents what to do. It is Markdown, and it can contain images.
LabelsGroup the tasks. You can search and filter the board by label.
Remove worktree on closeDefault, Yes, or No. It decides if a merged pull request removes the worktree and the local task branch. See Cleanup.

To change a field later, open the task details, then select Edit.

Issue types

The issue type tells the workflow which steps the task needs. In Spec, Plan, Build, a feature gets a spec and a plan before the build. The Builder can start a task or a bug immediately. See Issue types of Spec, Plan, Build.

The board

The board has one lane for each state of the workflow. Each card is one task.

The board of the fieldnotes workspace. The header has Search tasks, the Labels, Type, and Priority filters, the card view buttons, and Refresh Tasks. The Backlog and Spec Ready lanes have 4 tasks each, and Ready for Dev has 2. Each card shows its title, the Feature and P2 badges, its ID, its session links, and its main action, such as Start Spec, Start Planner, or Start Builder.The board of the fieldnotes workspace. The header has Search tasks, the Labels, Type, and Priority filters, the card view buttons, and Refresh Tasks. The Backlog and Spec Ready lanes have 4 tasks each, and Ready for Dev has 2. Each card shows its title, the Feature and P2 badges, its ID, its session links, and its main action, such as Start Spec, Start Planner, or Start Builder.

  1. Search and filters

    Search finds a task by its title, its ID, or a label. Labels, Type, and Priority show only the matching tasks. Cmd+F or Ctrl+F selects the search field.

  2. Card view

    Shows Normal cards or Compact cards.

  3. Lane

    One state of the workflow, with the number of tasks in it.

  4. Task card

    Select the card to open the task details.

  5. Badges

    The issue type, the priority, the task ID with a copy button, and the labels.

  6. Session links

    Open the session of a role that worked on the task, here the Planner.

  7. Main action

    The next step of the task, such as Start Builder.

  8. Other actions

    The other actions that the task allows now.

While an agent works on a task, its card has a moving border. The main button then shows the role and Running. When the agent waits for your answer, the button shows Waiting input.

The board shows a task in Done for 1 day. To change this, see Done tasks visible for. To hide or collapse the empty lanes, see Empty columns.

How a task moves

The workflow sets the lanes and the moves between them. An agent moves a task in one of two ways:

  • It saves a workflow artifact, such as a spec. See Artifacts.
  • It sends a workflow event, such as Build Completed. The transcript shows the event as a card with the note of the agent.

You move a task with an action, such as Approve Task or Close Task. With Autopilot rules on, OpenDucktor starts the next agent when the task moves.

Start an agent

Each agent has a role, such as the Builder. The role sets its tools, its access to the files, and its system prompt.

  1. On the card, select the main action, for example Start Builder. For another step, open the menu next to it.
  2. In the dialog, check the model, then select Start session. The session page opens, and the agent starts.

For the Builder, the dialog also offers Goal mode: the agent works until a goal is met.

Some actions can continue or fork the last session of the role, instead of a fresh session. See Session mode in Start a session.

Task details and artifacts

Select a card to open the task details. Artifacts are the files that an agent or you save on a task. You can also open them in the Artifacts tab of a session.

The details sheet of the task Filter notes by tag in Ready for Dev. It shows the description, the Specification and the Implementation Plan in Artifacts, and the Close, Edit, Start Builder, and More buttons.The details sheet of the task Filter notes by tag in Ready for Dev. It shows the description, the Specification and the Implementation Plan in Artifacts, and the Close, Edit, Start Builder, and More buttons.

  1. Status

    The lane of the task on the board.

  2. Description

    What the task must do. Select Edit to change it.

  3. Artifacts

    The files of the task. Select one to open it.

  4. Add artifact

    Adds a file to the task.

  5. Next step

    Starts the next step of the task, here Start Builder.

  6. More

    The other actions, such as Reset Task, Close Task, and Delete Task.

KindWhat it holdsEffect on the task
Workflow artifactA Markdown document that the workflow declares, such as a spec. A review artifact also has a verdict.When an agent saves it, the workflow can move the task.
Other artifactAny file that an agent or you add, such as an HTML page, an image, or a Markdown document, up to 10 MiB.None. The task keeps its lane and its review verdict.

Your own edits never move the task. To edit a workflow document, open it in the Artifacts tab and select the pencil button. When a task closes, its other artifacts become read-only. You can still edit its workflow documents.

Approve a task

When the work is done, select Approve Task. You can merge the task branch directly, open a pull request, or close the task. See Approve a task.

The workflow sets the lanes where Approve Task shows, and the role that writes the pull request. In Spec, Plan, Build, this is the Builder.

Reset, close, or delete a task

Every task has these actions. Open the task details, then select More.

The details sheet of the task Open search with a keyboard shortcut, with the More menu open. It lists Request Changes, Request QA Review, the session actions, Reset Implementation, Reset Task, Close Task, and Delete Task.The details sheet of the task Open search with a keyboard shortcut, with the More menu open. It lists Request Changes, Request QA Review, the session actions, Reset Implementation, Reset Task, Close Task, and Delete Task.

The menu also lists the actions of the workflow, such as Reset Implementation in Spec, Plan, Build.

Some actions are destructive

Push or merge the task branch first if you want to keep its commits.

  • Reset Task, Remove Worktree, and Delete Task delete the local task branch.
  • Close Task deletes it when Remove worktree and branch is on.

Next

Spec, Plan, Build workflow

Follow each step, lane, and role of the built-in workflow.

Coding sessions

Follow a session, answer questions, and read the changes.

Autopilot

Start the next agent automatically when a task changes lane.

First workspace and task

Complete the setup wizard, open a repository, and let the Builder agent do your first task.

Spec, Plan, Build workflow

Follow a task through the built-in workflow, from the spec to your approval, with its lanes, actions, and Autopilot rules.

On this page

Create a taskIssue typesThe boardHow a task movesStart an agentTask details and artifactsApprove a taskReset, close, or delete a taskNext