status: active
timestamp: 2026-07-02
tags: [agent, tasks, visibility, ticketing, orchestration]
Ticketing primitive — agent operations visible via TaskCreate
Every multi-step operation and every external-state operation goes through the task system. No hidden work in chain-of-thought.
Ticketing primitive
The rule
Every non-trivial agent operation lands in a task. Not just as a mental model — the actual TaskCreate / TaskUpdate tool must fire so the user sees what’s happening.
When ticketing is required
| Trigger | Task required? |
|---|---|
| 3+ step operation | Yes |
Any external-state operation (per draft-not-send) | Yes |
| Multi-file refactor | Yes |
| Multi-repo sweep | Yes (one task per repo, or one task with subtasks) |
| Background subagent spawn | Yes (task per subagent) |
| Single-file edit with clear instruction | Skip |
| Reading a file to answer a question | Skip |
| Conversational turn | Skip |
Task lifecycle
- Before starting:
TaskCreatewith subject, description, activeForm. - On start:
TaskUpdate→in_progress. - On external state changes: mid-task
TaskUpdateif scope shifts materially. - On complete:
TaskUpdate→completed— but ONLY if the work is truly done + verified. Partial credit = keep itin_progress. - On block:
TaskCreatea new task describing the blocker; keep originalin_progress.
Anti-patterns
- ❌ Doing 10 tool calls without a task — user has no way to see progress
- ❌ Marking
completedwhen tests are red / partial work - ❌ Ticketing every trivial single-command edit (task-creation overhead exceeds the work)
- ❌ Hiding subagent work in chain-of-thought instead of a task
- ❌ Stale task list from earlier session leaking into current work — clean up first
Why this matters
Per own-memory-rent-intelligence, your memory + orchestration belong to you. Tasks ARE the orchestration record — they’re what makes agent work reviewable, resumable, and portable across sessions.
Ticket = “the receipt for this action”. No ticket = no accountability. Especially critical for background subagents and long-running sweeps where the main agent may look busy but you can’t see individual step status.
Cross-agent parity
All 6 fleet agents (Claude Code + ZCode + OpenCode + Kilo Code + Antigravity + MiMoCode) need a task system OR must document explicitly why they can’t. Currently:
| Agent | Task tool |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | Native TaskCreate / TaskUpdate / TaskList |
| OpenCode | Native task tool |
| Kilo Code | VS Code extension task view |
| Antigravity | Native |
| ZCode | Unknown — verify next session |
| MiMoCode | Unknown — verify next session |
Cross-refs
edit-mode-prefs— pointer to use task-list for ≥3-step tasksdelegate-to-subagents-by-default— subagent spawns get tasksdraft-not-send— external ops get tasks so approval is visible- Source: Nate B Jones 2026-06 — “ticketing is the primitive for agent-work visibility”