attac-t Skill: Queuing
"If it can fail and retry, it's a Job."
The Decision
Queue as Job when:
- External API call (Shopify, Stripe, Email)
- Execution > 100ms
- Operation can fail and should retry
- User doesn't need immediate result
Execute Synchronously when:
- User is waiting for the result
- Failure should show immediately
- Fast, in-memory computation
The Heuristic
Ask: "Can this fail, and should we retry without user intervention?"
- Yes → Job
- No → Sync
The Quick Test
| Ask Yourself | Answer | Use |
|---|---|---|
| External API? | Yes | Job |
| User waiting? | Yes | Sync |
| Needs retry? | Yes | Job |
| < 100ms? | Yes | Sync |
Real-World Examples
For concrete examples, see examples.md.