Q51: agents may only move work they own, manage or review; done needs evidence and sign-off

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

tests/integration/autonomous-run.test.ts

@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ describe("autonomous bootstrap run", () => {
       if (taskId && !alreadyClosed) {
         return {
           text: "Reviewed the goal; closing the kickoff.",
-          toolCalls: [call("update_task_status", { task_id: taskId, status: "done" })],
+          toolCalls: [call("update_task_status", { task_id: taskId, status: "done", evidence: "Operating plan posted in #general." })],
           rawResponseJson: JSON.stringify({ id: "resp_goal_close" }),
         };
       }

tests/integration/task-dependencies.test.ts

@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ describe("task dependencies", () => {
       .toThrow(`"${parentTitle}" has open subtasks: Hire the CTO. It can close once they are done.`);
     const ctx = { orgId: h.orgId, agent: { id: h.ceoId, modelProviderId: null, modelId: null }, taskProjectId: null, taskGoalId: null, taskId: null, sourceThreadId: null, workspace: null };
     const deps = { db: h.connection.db, organization: h.organization, chat: new ChatService(h.connection.db) };
-    expect(dispatchAgentTool(deps, ctx, { id: "c1", name: "update_task_status", arguments: { task_id: parentId, status: "done" } }))
+    expect(dispatchAgentTool(deps, ctx, { id: "c1", name: "update_task_status", arguments: { task_id: parentId, status: "done", evidence: "Delegated." } }))
       .toBe(`ERROR: "${parentTitle}" has open subtasks: Hire the CTO. It can close once they are done.`);
 
     // A run queued before the subtask existed is superseded instead of running ahead of it.

tests/unit/task-execution-service.test.ts

@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ describe("task execution service", () => {
     expect(skillRuntimeSnapshot?.source_revision_ids).toContain(revisionId);
     expect(capturedPrompt).toContain("Task: Draft launch checklist");
     expect(capturedPrompt).toContain(`Task id: ${taskId}`);
-    expect(capturedPrompt).toContain(`update_task_status(task_id="${taskId}", status="done")`);
+    expect(capturedPrompt).toContain(`update_task_status(task_id="${taskId}", status="done", evidence="what you produced and where")`);
     expect(capturedPrompt).toContain("Assignee: Ada (Execution lead)");
     expect(capturedPrompt).toContain("Workspace: Task Workspace");
     expect(capturedPrompt).toContain("Execution context:");

tests/unit/task-review.test.ts

@@ -34,11 +34,11 @@ describe("task review", () => {
   test("moving work to review hands a review task to the assignee's manager; the verdict closes it", () => {
     const h = setup();
     const taskId = h.task(h.devId, "Login page");
-    expect(dispatchAgentTool(h.deps, h.ctx(h.devId), { id: "c1", name: "update_task_status", arguments: { task_id: taskId, status: "review" } }))
+    expect(dispatchAgentTool(h.deps, h.ctx(h.devId), { id: "c1", name: "update_task_status", arguments: { task_id: taskId, status: "review", evidence: "Login page in file_id=fil_1" } }))
       .toBe(`Task ${taskId} moved to review. Cleo will review it.`);
     const [review] = h.reviews(taskId);
     expect(review).toMatchObject({ title: "Review: Login page", assignee_agent_id: h.ceoId, status: "backlog", origin: "task_review", priority: "high" });
-    expect(review.description).toContain(`update_task_status(task_id="${taskId}", status="done")`);
+    expect(review.description).toContain(`update_task_status(task_id="${taskId}", status="done", evidence="what you checked")`);
     expect(review.description).toContain(`update_task_status(task_id="${taskId}", status="in_progress")`);
 
     // Moving to review again while one is open does not duplicate it.
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ describe("task review", () => {
     expect(h.reviews(taskId).map((row) => row.status)).toEqual(["done"]);
 
     const ceoTask = h.task(h.ceoId, "Company plan");
-    expect(dispatchAgentTool(h.deps, h.ctx(h.ceoId), { id: "c2", name: "update_task_status", arguments: { task_id: ceoTask, status: "review" } }))
+    expect(dispatchAgentTool(h.deps, h.ctx(h.ceoId), { id: "c2", name: "update_task_status", arguments: { task_id: ceoTask, status: "review", evidence: "Plan in the plan document" } }))
       .toBe(`Task ${ceoTask} moved to review. It has no manager to review it, so it waits for the operator on the Work board.`);
     expect(h.reviews(ceoTask)).toEqual([]);
     h.connection.close();

tests/unit/task-status-authority.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import { DatabaseConnection } from "../../src/main/database/connection";
+import { OrganizationService } from "../../src/main/services/organization-service";
+import { ChatService } from "../../src/main/services/chat-service";
+import { dispatchAgentTool, type AgentToolContext } from "../../src/main/services/agent-tools";
+import { RISK_LEVEL, TASK_PRIORITY, TASK_STATUS } from "../../src/shared/domain";
+
+function setup() {
+  const connection = new DatabaseConnection(join(tmpdir(), `ac-authority-${randomUUID()}.db`));
+  const organization = new OrganizationService(connection.db);
+  let orgId = "";
+  const ids: Record<string, string> = {};
+  connection.transaction(() => {
+    orgId = organization.createOrganization({ organizationName: "Acme", employeeName: "Dana", mission: "m", goal: "g" });
+    ids.ceo = organization.createAgent({ orgId, name: "Cleo", role: "CEO", department: "Executive", modelProviderId: null, modelId: null, budgetCents: 1000, managerAgentId: null, roleLevel: "c_suite" });
+    ids.cto = organization.createAgent({ orgId, name: "Tara", role: "CTO", department: "Engineering", modelProviderId: null, modelId: null, budgetCents: 1000, managerAgentId: ids.ceo, roleLevel: "director" });
+    ids.dev = organization.createAgent({ orgId, name: "Dev", role: "Engineer", department: "Engineering", modelProviderId: null, modelId: null, budgetCents: 1000, managerAgentId: ids.cto });
+    ids.peer = organization.createAgent({ orgId, name: "Pia", role: "Engineer", department: "Engineering", modelProviderId: null, modelId: null, budgetCents: 1000, managerAgentId: ids.cto });
+    ids.task = organization.createTask({
+      orgId, title: "Login page", description: "Build it.", status: TASK_STATUS.IN_PROGRESS, assigneeAgentId: ids.dev,
+      risk: RISK_LEVEL.LOW, projectId: null, goalId: null, workspaceId: null, priority: TASK_PRIORITY.NORMAL, requiresFilesystem: false,
+    });
+  });
+  const deps = { db: connection.db, organization, chat: new ChatService(connection.db) };
+  const as = (agent: string, args: Record<string, unknown>) => {
+    const ctx: AgentToolContext = { orgId, agent: { id: ids[agent], modelProviderId: null, modelId: null }, taskProjectId: null, taskGoalId: null, taskId: null, sourceThreadId: null, workspace: null };
+    return dispatchAgentTool(deps, ctx, { id: `c_${randomUUID()}`, name: "update_task_status", arguments: { task_id: ids.task, ...args } });
+  };
+  const status = () => (connection.db.prepare("select status from tasks where id = ?").get(ids.task) as { status: string }).status;
+  return { connection, organization, orgId, ids, as, status };
+}
+
+describe("task status authority", () => {
+  test("only the assignee, their managers or the reviewer move a task, and done needs evidence and sign-off", () => {
+    const h = setup();
+    expect(h.as("peer", { status: "done", evidence: "x" })).toBe('ERROR: Only Dev, their managers or the open reviewer can change "Login page".');
+    expect(h.as("dev", { status: "done" })).toBe('ERROR: "evidence" is required to move work to review or done: say what was produced and where (file_ids, document ids, test results).');
+    expect(h.status()).toBe("in_progress");
+
+    expect(h.as("dev", { status: "done", evidence: "file_id=fil_1, tests pass" }))
+      .toBe(`Task ${h.ids.task} moved to review: done needs sign-off from your manager. Tara will review it.`);
+    expect(h.status()).toBe("review");
+    const review = h.connection.db.prepare("select description from tasks where review_of_task_id = ?").get(h.ids.task) as { description: string };
+    expect(review.description).toContain("Evidence given: file_id=fil_1, tests pass");
+
+    expect(h.as("ceo", { status: "done", evidence: "Checked the page and the passing tests." })).toBe(`Task ${h.ids.task} moved to done.`);
+    const audit = h.connection.db.prepare("select actor_type, actor_id, json_extract(payload_json, '$.evidence') as evidence from audit_events where entity_id = ? and action = 'status_changed' order by rowid desc limit 1").get(h.ids.task);
+    expect(audit).toEqual({ actor_type: "agent", actor_id: h.ids.ceo, evidence: "Checked the page and the passing tests." });
+    h.connection.close();
+  });
+
+  test("a reviewer reassigned the work still needs their own manager; repeats and review vehicles never loop", () => {
+    const h = setup();
+    expect(h.as("dev", { status: "backlog", evidence: 123 })).toBe('ERROR: "evidence" is required.');
+    h.as("dev", { status: "done", evidence: "file_id=fil_1" });
+    const reviewId = (h.connection.db.prepare("select id from tasks where review_of_task_id = ?").get(h.ids.task) as { id: string }).id;
+    h.organization.updateTask({ orgId: h.orgId, taskId: h.ids.task, title: "Login page", description: "Build it.", assigneeAgentId: h.ids.cto, risk: RISK_LEVEL.LOW, priority: TASK_PRIORITY.NORMAL, parentTaskId: null });
+    expect(h.status()).toBe("in_progress");
+    expect(h.connection.db.prepare("select status from tasks where id = ?").get(reviewId)).toEqual({ status: "done" });
+    expect(h.as("cto", { status: "done", evidence: "Rebuilt the form." })).toBe(`Task ${h.ids.task} moved to review: done needs sign-off from your manager. Cleo will review it.`);
+    expect(h.status()).toBe("review");
+    const fresh = h.connection.db.prepare("select assignee_agent_id, description from tasks where review_of_task_id = ? and status <> 'done'").get(h.ids.task) as { assignee_agent_id: string; description: string };
+    expect(fresh.assignee_agent_id).toBe(h.ids.ceo);
+    expect(fresh.description).toContain("Evidence given: Rebuilt the form.");
+
+    expect(h.as("ceo", { status: "done", evidence: "Verified." })).toBe(`Task ${h.ids.task} moved to done.`);
+    expect(h.as("cto", { status: "done", evidence: "again" })).toBe(`Task ${h.ids.task} moved to done.`);
+    expect(h.status()).toBe("done");
+
+    // The reviewer closing the review task itself closes it directly, without a review of the review.
+    h.connection.db.prepare("update tasks set status = 'backlog' where id = ?").run(reviewId);
+    h.ids.task = reviewId;
+    expect(h.as("cto", { status: "done", evidence: "Reviewed." })).toBe(`Task ${reviewId} moved to done.`);
+    expect(h.connection.db.prepare("select count(*) as n from tasks where review_of_task_id = ?").get(reviewId)).toEqual({ n: 0 });
+    h.connection.close();
+  });
+});