How a task works
Every state a task goes through, what you see, and what you can do.
Each task moves through the states below. The current state is shown as a coloured label on the task page and in your task list.
| State | What is happening | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Reading the project | The desktop app is listing files and sending the relevant ones. | Cancel |
| Making a plan | The AI is writing the plan. | Cancel |
| Waiting for you | The plan is ready. | Approve, Change plan, Cancel |
| Needs more detail | The task was unclear, so the AI asked a question instead of guessing. | Change plan with more detail, or Cancel |
| Making a new plan | You asked for changes; a new plan is being written. | Cancel |
| Running | A checkpoint was saved and the approved files are being changed. | Cancel |
| Danger wall question | A step needs your OK (for example installing a package). | Allow once or Block |
| Fixing a failed test | The tests failed and CodeStilt is trying again with the error message. | Cancel |
| Done | Changes made and tests passed (or no tests were set). | Review, Undo all |
| Stopped | Tests still failed after 3 tries. Those tries were free. | Undo all, or start a new task with more detail |
| Failed / Cancelled / Undone | Something went wrong, you cancelled, or you undid the task. | Start a new task |
What is in a plan
- Summary and steps in plain words.
- Files it may touch, marked new if it will create them. This list is the scope lock.
- Risky steps it expects to need, such as installing a package. You will be asked again when they happen.
- Test command, for example
npm testorpython -m pytest. - Model and estimated credits.
Changing a plan
Click Change plan and say what to change, for example Don't touch the header, only the footer. A new plan is written; nothing on your computer changes until you approve.
If your computer is off
Tasks wait in a queue. When the desktop app connects again, it picks them up in order. The dashboard shows the computer as offline in the meantime.
Several tasks at once
Your plan sets how many tasks can run at the same time (1 on Free and Lite, 2 on Pro, 3 on Pro+, 10 on Ultra). Waiting for approval doesn't count as running.