Tasks

Tasks

Use the bb tasks CLI to understand the assigned task, keep its record useful, and report the outcome where the work is tracked.

For task dispatch and execution presets, read references/delegation.md.

Work a task

1. Find and read the task before acting:

   bb tasks show ABC-12
   

   The detail includes the description, status, priority, labels, subtasks, comments, attachments, attached worker threads, and the GitHub pull requests those threads produced (from environment metadata, with state open/draft/merged/closed). Use bb tasks show ABC-12 --json when the result will drive commands or code.

   For project-wide discovery, bb tasks list returns at most 100 rows by default. Pass --limit 1-500; in JSON, continue with nextCursor via the same filters/sort and --cursor <value>. A task-list mutation makes an old cursor stale, so restart without it.

2. Fetch every relevant attachment before making assumptions about it:

   bb tasks attachment get <attachment-id> --out <path>
   

3. Do the work. Post one substantive comment at each meaningful milestone, such as a completed investigation, an implementation ready for validation, or a concrete blocker:

   bb tasks comment ABC-12 --body "Implemented the change; focused validation now passes."
   

   Add --notify only when the new comment should be delivered to the thread that authored the task's most recent agent reply. This resumes an idle recipient; with no prior agent reply, the comment is recorded without targeting an unrelated thread. In agent context, the new comment keeps the current thread identity and an explicit --author, while delivery still targets the prior latest responder rather than the new comment itself.

4. Attach result artifacts that belong with the task, such as reports, screenshots, patches, or generated files:

   bb tasks attachment add ABC-12 --file ./report.md
   bb tasks attachment add ABC-12 --file ./screenshot.png
   

   Read references/attachments.md for comment attachments, initial files, removal rules, and machine selection.

5. Set the status to match the completion criteria. Use done when they are met, or in_review when required review remains:

   bb tasks update ABC-12 --status in_review
   

   Change task hierarchy with bb tasks update ABC-12 --parent ABC-10, using either a task key or ID for the parent. Promote a subtask to the top level with bb tasks update ABC-12 --no-parent; the two parent flags cannot be combined.

   If the work cannot proceed, leave the status accurate and comment with the specific blocker, what you tried, and what would unblock it. Do not mark a blocked task complete.

6. Delegated threads are attached automatically. If this thread was not delegated from Tasks, attach it yourself so the task shows the active work:

   bb tasks attach ABC-12
   

   When a thread is done with a task (hand-off, respawned replacement, or a predecessor that died), detach it so bb tasks threads ABC-12 stays accurate. Omit --thread to detach the current thread:

   bb tasks detach ABC-12 --thread thr_dead_predecessor
   

Link tasks in responses

When your answer refers the user to a task — including a task you just created — emit this leaf directive on its own line instead of writing the key as plain text:

::task{key="ABC-12"}

key is required. Optionally add title="…" as a display fallback shown while the card loads and when the key no longer resolves. The rendered card shows the live status, title, and priority, opens the task in the thread side panel, and links to the full Tasks app. Emit one directive per line; each renders its own card.

Invariants

• Valid task statuses are backlog, todo, in_progress, in_review, done, and canceled.
• Use in_review when implementation is complete but still needs human or agent review. Use done only when the task's completion criteria are met.
• Write one comment per meaningful milestone. Combine related facts into a useful update; never spam progress pings, command-by-command narration, or repeated status messages.
• Comments should say what changed or was learned, what validation ran, and any remaining risk or blocker.
• Prefer stable task keys such as ABC-12 for task commands. Use --json for machine-readable output and human output for quick inspection.