Task Delegation

Task Delegation

Delegate complex tasks to background processing so you can stay responsive.

Architecture

Discord Message → You (main agent) → Quick response
                                   ↓
                          (if complex task)
                                   ↓
                          delegate_task()
                                   ↓
                          pcp_supervisor (systemd service)
                                   ↓
                          Spawns Claude worker session
                                   ↓
                          Worker completes task
                                   ↓
                          Discord webhook notification

The supervisor runs continuously as a systemd service (pcp-supervisor) and processes delegated tasks.

Quick Decision: Delegate or Not?

⚠️ CRITICAL: Never Use Task Tool with run_in_background

Claude Code's Task tool with run_in_background=true is BROKEN for Discord. The subprocess dies when your session ends (seconds after responding).

ALWAYS use delegate_task() or background_task() instead.

How to Delegate

Option 1: Simple (Recommended)

from task_delegation import background_task

# One line does everything
ack, task_id = background_task("Research React state management libraries")
# Just respond with: ack
# → "Got it - I'll research react state management libraries. I'll message you when it's ready."

Option 2: Full Control

from task_delegation import delegate_task

task_id = delegate_task(
    description="""
    Research React state management libraries (Redux, Zustand, Jotai, Recoil, MobX).
    Compare their bundle size, learning curve, TypeScript support.
    Write a summary with recommendations.
    """,
    context={
        "original_request": "Research the best React state management libraries",
        "format": "markdown comparison"
    },
    discord_channel_id="DISCORD_CHANNEL_ID",
    priority=5
)
# Then acknowledge: "Got it! I'll research that and message you when it's ready."

Step 3: The supervisor handles the rest

The pcp_supervisor systemd service:

1. Polls for pending tasks every 30s
2. Claims and runs tasks via docker exec pcp-agent claude ...
3. Posts results to Discord via webhook
4. Marks task as completed

Key Functions

from task_delegation import delegate_task, get_task, list_tasks

# Create a task
task_id = delegate_task(
    description="What needs to be done",
    context={"any": "relevant context"},
    discord_channel_id="DISCORD_CHANNEL_ID",  # For notification
    priority=5  # 1=urgent, 10=low
)

# Check task status
task = get_task(task_id)
print(task['status'])  # pending, claimed, running, completed, failed

# List tasks
pending = list_tasks(status='pending')
recent = list_tasks(limit=10, include_completed=True)

Task Chains (Dependencies)

For multi-step workflows:

from task_delegation import create_task_chain

task_ids = create_task_chain([
    {"description": "Extract text from PDF"},
    {"description": "Convert to LaTeX", "depends_on": [0]},
    {"description": "Push to Overleaf", "depends_on": [1]}
])
# Tasks execute in order as dependencies complete

Priority Levels

Checking Status

# CLI commands
python scripts/pcp_supervisor.py --status
python scripts/task_delegation.py list
python scripts/task_delegation.py get 42

# Python
from task_delegation import get_task, list_tasks, get_pending_count

count = get_pending_count()
tasks = list_tasks(status='running')

Service Management

# Check supervisor status
sudo systemctl status pcp-supervisor

# View logs
tail -f /workspace/logs/supervisor.log

# Restart if needed
sudo systemctl restart pcp-supervisor

Example: Full Delegation Flow

User: "Transcribe this homework to Overleaf" [with PDF attachment]

You:
1. Save attachment to /workspace/vault/files/
2. Acknowledge: "I'll transcribe this to Overleaf and create a project for you!"
3. Call delegate_task():
   ```python
   delegate_task(
       description="Transcribe homework PDF to LaTeX and create Overleaf project",
       context={
           "file_path": "/workspace/vault/files/homework.pdf",
           "original_request": "Transcribe to Overleaf"
       },
       discord_channel_id="DISCORD_CHANNEL_ID",
       priority=3
   )

4. The supervisor picks it up, spawns a worker, transcribes, creates Overleaf project
5. Worker posts to Discord: "Task #42 completed! Your Overleaf project is ready..."

## Related Files

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `scripts/task_delegation.py` | Core delegation functions |
| `scripts/pcp_supervisor.py` | Background task processor |
| `/etc/systemd/system/pcp-supervisor.service` | Systemd service |
| `logs/supervisor.log` | Supervisor logs |

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