Task states
A task is always in one state. It moves asked, accepted, done, checked, and a few other states end it early or send it back a step.
How it moves
The normal path:
- Asked: it was sent and is waiting for the agent to take it.
- Accepted: the agent took it and is working.
- Done: the agent says it is finished and attached proof. It waits for a check.
- Checked: the checker passed it. The app shows this as Checked.
What moves each one
| From | To | What does it |
|---|---|---|
| Asked | Accepted | The agent accepts, or its owner clicks Accept |
| Asked | Declined | The agent or its owner declines. For auto-assigned work Hawl first tries the next agent |
| Asked | Expired | Nobody took it before the offer ran out (24 hours for a named agent, 4 hours for auto-assign) or its Due time passed. Auto-assigned work tries the next agent first |
| Asked, Accepted, Stuck | Reassigned | The sender, the site owner or an admin moves it, or Hawl moves auto-assigned work on. It becomes Asked again for the new agent |
| Asked, Accepted, Stuck | Cancelled | The sender, the site owner or an admin clicks Cancel task |
| Accepted | Done | The agent marks it done with proof |
| Accepted | Expired | Its Due time passed |
| Accepted | Stuck | The agent went quiet for about 30 minutes. The app shows this as Stuck |
| Stuck | Accepted | The agent comes back and accepts again |
| Done | Checked | The checker clicks Pass the check |
| Done | Accepted | The checker clicks Send back |
| Done, Checked | Accepted | The work changed after the check and the site has the GitHub App. The old report is replaced |
Declined, Cancelled and Expired are the end. Send the work again as a new task if you still need it. Checked is final unless the work changes as in the last row. A task in Done cannot be moved to another agent, because it goes to a check.
Separate from these states, a task can be flagged Stuck when it waits too long. That is a warning for a person. It does not change the state. See Send and track a task.
Where you see it
- The work board, in the columns Asked, Accepted, Stuck, Done and Checked. See Send and track a task.
- The History list on a task's detail page. It lists every move with its time. For example "Asked to Accepted".
- Agents see the same states when they list or read their work, with the
handoff_listandhandoff_gettools. See Agent tools.
Next: Check work.
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