{status === "done" ? : status === "draft-static" ? : status === "draft-done" ? : status === "active-queued" ? : status === "ready-drop" ? : }
{title}
{showMenu &&
Apply changes
Cancel
}
{}
{description &&
{description}
}
{}
{statusLabels[status] || status} • {timestamp}
;
};
## What is the task system?
A **task** is a unit of work that Agent can plan and execute. Each task runs in its own **thread** — a separate conversation where Agent works independently. You can follow along, give feedback, or let it run in the background.
The task system is how Agent breaks work into manageable chunks. When you describe what you want to build, Agent splits your request into discrete tasks and organizes them on a board with columns: **Drafts**, **Active**, **Ready**, and **Done**.
Each task moves from left to right as it progresses, so you can see at a glance what's planned, what Agent is working on, what's ready for your review, and what's finished. Background tasks queue automatically based on your plan, so work keeps moving without crowding your main thread.
When a task is ready, you review the changes and apply them back to your main version — or dismiss them if they're not what you wanted.
## How background tasks work
Start a conversation in the main thread, or create a new thread and plan there. Agent reviews your project, identifies what would have the most impact, and writes up a detailed plan for each task — including what it will do and what "done" looks like.
Agent proposes a set of tasks — each with a title, description, and a detailed plan you can inspect with **View plan**. Review the full list, then choose:
* **Accept tasks** — Start all tasks and send them to the background
* **Revise plan** — Ask Agent to adjust the tasks before starting
Once accepted, tasks start running in isolated copies of your project. Core runs 1 background task at a time, while Pro supports up to 10 concurrent background tasks. Your main version stays untouched until you choose to apply changes. You can track progress in two ways:
* **Thread view** — Each task runs in its own thread with a live status indicator, so you can follow along or jump into any task's conversation
* **Board view** — A column-based board showing all tasks organized by status: **Drafts**, **Active**, **Ready**, and **Done**
When a task finishes, Agent shows you what it did — the work log, test results, and a live preview of the changes. You decide what happens next:
* **Apply changes to main version** — Merge the task's work into your project
* **Dismiss** — Discard the changes if they're not what you wanted
Agent handles conflict resolution automatically when applying changes from multiple tasks.
### Task states
Every task goes through a series of stages: from an idea to part of your app. Each stage has its own icon so you can tell what's happening at a glance.
Draft: Agent has proposed this task. It has a plan ready for your review.
Active: Agent is building this task right now. It runs in its own copy of your project so your main version stays safe.
Queued: This task is approved but waiting for a slot to open up before it can start building.
Ready: This task is complete. You can review the changes and apply them to your main version whenever you're ready.
Applying: The changes from this task are being applied to your main version right now.
Done: This task is finished and its changes are part of your main version.
Archived: A planning session you set aside before it started building. Archived planning sessions can be restored later from the Done column.
Cancelled: A task you stopped after it had moved into building. Cancelled tasks can't be restored — start a new task if you change your mind.
### The task board
All your tasks live on a board organized into columns. Here's how the board looks as tasks move through each stage.
#### Drafts and Active
When you describe what you want to build, Agent creates **draft** tasks — each with a title, description, and a step-by-step plan. You can review the plan, ask Agent to adjust it, or accept it as-is.
Once you accept, tasks move to the **Active** column and Agent starts building them. Each task runs in its own isolated copy of your project, so nothing changes in your main version until you say so.
Some tasks depend on others — for example, a task that builds a dashboard needs the database to be set up first. These tasks wait as **queued** until their dependencies finish. Tasks also queue if you've reached your plan's limit for active background tasks.
#### Ready and Done
When a task finishes building, it moves to **Ready**. This means the work is complete, but nothing has changed in your main version yet — you're in control.
You can apply changes in two ways:
* **From the thread** — Open the task's thread and you'll see a review prompt like the one below. Press **Apply changes to main version** to bring the work into your project, or **Dismiss** to discard it.
* **From the board** — Click the three-dot menu on any Ready task card to see your options, then press **Apply changes**
Once applied, the task card moves to the **Done** column.
Agent handles conflicts automatically when you apply changes from multiple tasks. If something doesn't look right, you can always ask Agent to fix it.
### Archiving and cancelling tasks
You can stop a task at any point in its lifecycle, but the option you see depends on where the task is on the board. Both **Archive** and **Cancel** move a task to the **Done** column, but they behave differently:
| Action | When it's available | What happens | Reversible? |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Archive** | While the task is still a planning session — a **Draft** that hasn't started building | The planning session is set aside without running. Its plan is preserved. | Yes — open the archived card in the **Done** column and restore it back to **Drafts**. |
| **Cancel** | After the task has moved from planning into building — any **Active**, **Queued**, or **Ready** task | Agent stops the task and discards any in-progress work. No changes are applied to your main version. | No — cancelled tasks can't be restored. Start a new task if you want to revisit the work. |
In short: **archive** is for planning sessions you want to circle back on later, and **cancel** is the permanent stop button for tasks that are queued, already running, or finished building.
You can find both archived planning sessions and cancelled tasks in the **Done** column on the far right of the task board, alongside completed tasks.
### Follow-up task suggestions
After you apply a task, Agent looks at the full context of your project and suggests **follow-up tasks** you might want next. These appear as inline rows right under the finished task in the **Done** column, so you can keep building without leaving your flow.
Follow-up suggestions typically cover:
* **New features to build** — capabilities that pair naturally with what you just shipped
* **Performance improvements** — optimizations Agent noticed while working on the task
* **User experience enhancements** — polish and refinements that round out the feature
Review each suggestion, select **Accept** on the ones you want, and Agent sends them to the background. Rejected suggestions stay out of your way. You can hide all suggestions with **Hide suggested tasks** in the Done column header and bring them back later — a small badge on the parent task tells you how many follow-ups are hidden.
## What you can build
The task system works for any project. Here are a few patterns where it shines:
* **Ship large features in smaller pieces** — Split authentication, a dashboard, and an API layer into separate tasks so Agent can work through them cleanly
* **Plan complex projects** — Break a large feature into well-scoped tasks with dependencies, then execute with confidence
* **Compare different design directions** — Use separate tasks to try multiple UI approaches, then pick the best result
## Frequently asked questions
No. The main thread works exactly the same. Agent automatically creates tasks behind the scenes when it helps. You can also use [Plan mode](/core-concepts/agent/plan-mode) to see and manage tasks explicitly.
Core runs 1 background task at a time. Pro supports up to 10 concurrent background tasks. Once you hit your plan's limit, additional tasks queue and start as slots open up.
Agent uses AI-assisted conflict resolution. It understands what each task was trying to accomplish and applies the changes intelligently. If something looks off, you can ask Agent to fix it in the thread.
Yes. Agent automatically detects dependencies — for example, a task that builds a dashboard depends on the task that creates the database schema. Dependent tasks wait until their prerequisites complete.
**Archive** applies to planning sessions — drafts that haven't started building yet. Archived planning sessions are preserved and can be restored from the **Done** column.
**Cancel** applies to tasks that have already moved from planning into building. Cancelling stops the task and discards its work, and cancelled tasks can't be restored — you'd need to start a new task instead.
## Availability
| Capability | Core | Pro |
| ----------------------- | ---- | --- |
| Task planning | ✅ | ✅ |
| Background tasks | ✅ | ✅ |
| Active background tasks | 1 | 10 |
* **Board view** — A column-based board showing all tasks organized by status: **Drafts**, **Active**, **Ready**, and **Done**
Each task moves from left to right as it progresses, so you can see at a glance what's planned, what Agent is working on, what's ready for your review, and what's finished. Background tasks queue automatically based on your plan, so work keeps moving without crowding your main thread.
When a task is ready, you review the changes and apply them back to your main version — or dismiss them if they're not what you wanted.
## How background tasks work