state-hub/docs/task-state-canon-migration.md

Task State Canon Migration

Date: 2026-05-25 Status: implementation source

Canon Source

State Hub follows the task lifecycle defined by InfoTechCanon:

• info-tech-canon/infospace/models/task/InfoTechCanonTaskModel.md
• info-tech-canon/seeds/InfoTechCanonTaskModel_RC1_seed.md

The canon defines symbolic codes and lowercase stored values:

Code	Stored value	Meaning
WAIT	wait	Blocked, paused, or waiting on another actor, event, decision, input, or condition.
TODO	todo	Ready or planned work that is not actively being worked.
PROG	progress	Active work in focus.
DONE	done	Completed successfully.
CNCL	cancel	Stopped because the work is no longer relevant, wanted, or valid.

State Hub stores lowercase values, not uppercase codes.

State Hub Profile

State Hub task status is separate from workstream/workplan lifecycle status. Workstream frontmatter continues to use:

proposed, ready, active, blocked, backlog, finished, archived

Task status now uses:

wait, todo, progress, done, cancel

Compatibility aliases accepted during the migration window:

Legacy value	Canon value
blocked	wait
waiting	wait
in_progress	progress
cancelled	cancel
canceled	cancel

done and cancel are terminal for normal planning and completion checks. cancel is final. done can be reopened only by an explicit workflow/profile rule and should not be treated as normal progress churn.

Wait Versus Human Intervention

wait is broader than the old blocked task status. It can mean blocked, paused, waiting on another actor, waiting on an event, waiting on input, or waiting on a decision.

State Hub keeps these fields separate:

• status=wait: the task is not actively progressing;
• blocking_reason: explanatory text about the wait condition;
• needs_human=true: the wait requires direct human action;
• intervention_note: human-facing instruction or resolution note.

A task can be wait without needs_human=true. A human intervention is represented by needs_human=true, not by status alone.

Attached Repo Adaptation Brief

Repos attached to State Hub should update local agent instructions, workplan examples, scripts, docs, dashboards, and tests if they mention State Hub task statuses.

Migration map:

blocked    -> wait
in_progress -> progress
cancelled  -> cancel
canceled   -> cancel
todo       -> todo
done       -> done

During the compatibility window, State Hub accepts legacy aliases in API and workplan-file inputs, but writebacks prefer canonical values. Attached repos should report completion by replying to their State Hub inbox message or by closing the targeted [repo:<slug>] ecosystem task created for the adaptation.