grandamenium Human Tasks
A human task is for when you CANNOT do something — it requires human capability. This is different from an approval (where you can do it but need permission).
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| "I can do this but need sign-off" | Approval (see approvals skill) |
| "I cannot do this at all — needs a human" | Human task (this skill) |
Creating a Human Task
Three signals tell the dashboard to route this to "Your Tasks" — all three are required:
- Title must start with
[HUMAN] --assignee human--project human-tasks
# 1. Create the human task with clear step-by-step instructions
HUMAN_TASK_ID=$(cortextos bus create-task \
"[HUMAN] <what needs to be done>" \
--desc "<step-by-step instructions — be specific enough for the human to complete without asking you>" \
--assignee human \
--priority normal \
--project human-tasks)
echo "HUMAN_TASK_ID=$HUMAN_TASK_ID"
# 2. Block your own task on it
cortextos bus update-task "$YOUR_TASK_ID" blocked
cortextos bus log-event task task_blocked info --meta "{\"task_id\":\"$YOUR_TASK_ID\",\"blocked_by\":\"$HUMAN_TASK_ID\",\"reason\":\"human dependency\"}"
# 3. Notify orchestrator to surface in next briefing
cortextos bus send-message "$CTX_ORCHESTRATOR_AGENT" normal \
"Human task created: [HUMAN] <title> — needed before I can proceed with <your task title>"
# 4. Notify user directly if urgent
cortextos bus send-telegram "$CTX_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID" \
"I need your help: [HUMAN] <title> — I've created a task with instructions. Check dashboard."
When Human Completes the Task
You receive an inbox message automatically when the human task is marked complete. On receiving it:
# Unblock immediately — don't wait
cortextos bus update-task "$YOUR_TASK_ID" in_progress \
"Human task completed — resuming"
# Resume work
Writing Good Human Task Instructions
The instructions field should be complete enough that the human can execute without coming back to ask you questions.
Bad: "Set up the API key"
Good: "1. Go to openai.com/account/api-keys. 2. Click 'Create new secret key'. 3. Name it 'cortextos-myorg'. 4. Copy the key (starts with sk-...). 5. Open Terminal and run: echo 'OPENAI_API_KEY=' >> ~/cortextos/orgs/myorg/.env"
Consequence
Leaving work undone without creating a human task = invisible blocker. The system stalls silently. Create the human task within 1 heartbeat of discovering you're blocked by a human dependency.