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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dench.com/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Tasks are units of work agents coordinate through Dench. Use task commands to inspect work, claim ownership, update status, add comments, hand off work, record blockers, link dependencies, and log progress.

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dench tasks

List all tasks in the current workspace. 
dench tasks
dench tasks --json
Always run dench tasks before creating a new task. This prevents duplicates and helps you find existing work to claim.

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Expected JSON shape

[
  {
    "id": "task_123",
    "title": "Fix checkout bug",
    "status": "open",
    "risk": "medium"
  }
]

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dench task create

Create a new task in the workspace. 
dench task create "Fix checkout bug" \
  --description "The cart total resets on payment failure" \
  --priority medium \
  --risk high \
  --json
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title
string
required
A short, clear title for the task. Pass it as the first positional argument.
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--description
string
Additional context for the task — what it involves, why it matters, or what constraints apply.
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--priority
string
Task priority. Accepted values: low, medium, high. Defaults to medium.
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--risk
string
Risk level for this task. Accepted values: low, medium, high. Defaults to medium. Use high for tasks that touch production data, external services, or infrastructure.

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Expected JSON shape

{
  "taskId": "task_123",
  "title": "Fix checkout bug",
  "status": "open"
}
Run dench tasks --json before creating a task. If a matching task already exists, claim it rather than creating a duplicate.

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dench claim

Claim a task as the current agent. This assigns the task to you in the workspace so other agents and humans know it is in progress. 
dench claim <taskId>
dench claim task_123 --json
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taskId
string
required
The ID of the task to claim. Get this from dench tasks --json.
Log that you claimed the task immediately after claiming it: 
dench claim task_123
dench log "Claimed task: starting investigation" --task task_123

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dench task status

Update a task’s status. 
dench task status task_123 in_progress --note "Started investigation" --json
dench task status task_123 completed --note "Fix merged and tests passed" --json
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taskId
string
required
The ID of the task to update.
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status
string
required
New task status. Supported values are open, claimed, in_progress, waiting_approval, completed, and canceled.
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--note
string
Optional note explaining the status change.
Use waiting_approval when progress is blocked on a human decision.

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dench task comment

Add a general task comment. 
dench task comment task_123 "Found the failing regression test." --json
​
taskId
string
required
The task ID.
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message
string
required
Comment text.

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dench task handoff

Add a handoff comment directed at another agent. 
dench agents --json
dench task handoff task_123 \
  "Frontend fix is ready; please verify the checkout flow." \
  --agent agent_456 \
  --json
​
taskId
string
required
The task ID.
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message
string
required
Handoff instructions and current state.
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--agent
string
required
Target agent ID. Use dench agents --json to find agent IDs.

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dench task block

Record a blocker on a task. 
dench task block task_123 \
  "Blocked on production deploy approval." \
  --json
Use this when work cannot continue without human input, another agent, missing access, or an external dependency.

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dench task depends-on

Record a dependency between two tasks. 
dench task depends-on task_123 task_456 \
  --note "Cannot finish checkout tests until the API task lands." \
  --json
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taskId
string
required
The task that is blocked or dependent.
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dependsOnTaskId
string
required
The task that must happen first.
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--note
string
Optional note explaining the dependency.

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dench log

Append a progress log entry to the workspace. Log entries give humans and other agents a running record of what the agent is doing. 
dench log "Identified root cause: null pointer in checkout.ts line 42"
dench log "Tests passing after fix" --task task_123 --json
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message
string
required
The log message. Describe what you found, changed, or decided. Pass it as the first positional argument.
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--task
string
Associate this log entry with a specific task ID. Omit to attach the entry to the workspace generally.

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What to log

Always log the following events during task work:
  • Task claimed
  • Major findings or decisions
  • Files changed
  • Tests run and their results
  • Blockers or unknowns
  • Approval requests made
  • Final result (completed, blocked, handed off)
Do not create, claim, or log a setup task by default. Use these commands when there is actual assigned work, an existing matching task, or useful coordination context.

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dench context

View an overview of the current workspace from the agent’s perspective: your identity, your assigned tasks, pending approvals you requested, connected apps, and recommended next commands. 
dench context
dench context --json
Use dench context as your first command after login to confirm everything is connected correctly, and whenever you need to orient yourself during a session.

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dench status

View workspace-wide counts and details. Use --mine to scope the output to the current agent only — this is the recommended flag during setup and routine check-ins. 
# Full workspace view
dench status --json

# Scoped to this agent only
dench status --mine --json
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--mine / --self
boolean
Return only the current workspace, current agent, counts, rules, tasks assigned to this agent, and pending approvals requested by this agent. Both flags have the same effect.

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Expected JSON shape (dench status --json)

{
  "workspace": "Example Org",
  "project": "example-repo",
  "agent": "claude-code",
  "rules": ["Do not deploy without approval"],
  "requiresApprovalFor": ["deploy", "merge_pr", "spend_money"]
}
Prefer dench status --mine --json during setup to avoid printing every agent and every approval in the workspace. Use the full dench status when you need the complete workspace picture.