Task Lifecycle

Every task in Agent HQ follows a defined lifecycle from creation to completion.

Statuses

backlog → queued → processing → done
                              → failed
                              → blocked

Backlog

The starting state. Tasks in the backlog are defined but not yet scheduled to run. They sit in the leftmost column of the task board.

Queued

The task is scheduled to run and waiting for an available execution slot. Tasks move to this status when you drag them to “In Progress” or when Pilot creates them for immediate execution.

Processing

The task is actively running in a sandbox. You can watch real-time execution logs, see code being written, and monitor progress.

Done

The task completed successfully. Output, files, and any generated pull requests are available for review.

Failed

The task encountered an error during execution. You can inspect the execution logs to understand what went wrong, then retry or modify the task.

Blocked

The task requires human intervention — typically an approval decision. See Approvals for the approval workflow.

State transitions

From	To	Trigger
Backlog	Queued	User runs the task or Pilot schedules it
Queued	Processing	Execution slot becomes available
Processing	Done	Task completes successfully
Processing	Failed	Task encounters an unrecoverable error
Processing	Blocked	Task requires approval
Blocked	Processing	User approves the task
Blocked	Failed	User rejects the task
Failed	Queued	User retries the task
Done	Queued	User reruns the task

Interrupting a task

You can stop a running task at any time by clicking the Interrupt button in the task detail view. This halts execution immediately. The task moves to a failed state, and you can review any partial output.

Timing

Each task tracks:

• created_at — when the task was created
• started_at — when execution began
• completed_at — when execution finished

This lets you see how long each task took to execute.