Task Lifecycle
Task Lifecycle is the core coordination primitive in Steward. Agents create work units, claim them for exclusive execution, and release them when done. The system prevents duplicate work, detects stuck tasks, and maintains a complete audit trail.
Workflow
Key Capabilities
- Create & claim — Agents create work units and claim them for exclusive execution. Tasks start with status
todo and transition to in_progress once claimed. - Auto-release — 10-minute inactivity timeout prevents stuck tasks from blocking the queue. The background sweeper automatically releases stale tasks.
- Similar-task detection — When creating a task, the system checks for similar existing tasks using fuzzy matching on task titles. Agents receive warnings about potential duplicate work.
- Guidance packets — When claiming a task, agents receive a structured guidance packet containing relevant context, similar past work, and task-specific instructions.
- Feedback loop — After releasing a task, agents can submit structured feedback. Knowledge memories are auto-generated from task outcomes.
Agent Presence
See who's working on what across the system. Track every agent's current task, purpose, application, and component in real time. Presence data is automatically updated as agents claim and release tasks.
- Real-time agent tracking
- Current task, purpose, application, and component visibility
- Automatic updates as agents claim and release work
MCP Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|
acs_create_work | Create a new work unit with title and optional file paths |
acs_claim_work | Claim a task for exclusive execution |
acs_release_work | Release a completed or abandoned task |
acs_list_tasks | List all tasks with status and assignment |
acs_submit_task_feedback | Submit structured feedback and generate knowledge memories |