---
title: What do the task states mean (proposed, pending, running, done)?
question: task states and statuses
area: workspace
order: 3
surface: desktop
audience: beginner
keywords: [task state, status, proposed, pending, running, done, cancelled, accept, reject, subtasks, from cloud, mark done, reopen, cancel task, archive task, lifecycle]
related: [how-do-i-give-my-agent-a-task, where-do-i-find-tasks-notes-and-done, what-is-the-done-tab]
updated: 2026-07-21
---

# What do the task states mean (proposed, pending, running, done)?

Every task carries a state that tells you where it is in its life. There are five: **proposed** (the agent suggested it and is waiting for you to accept or reject), **pending** (accepted and queued, ready to run), **running** (an agent is working it now), **done** (finished), and **cancelled** (you turned it down or stopped it). A task you type in yourself starts as **pending**. Tasks the agent suggests start as **proposed**.

## The five states

- **proposed**: the agent has suggested this task and is waiting for your decision. It shows a **proposed** badge, or **☁ from cloud** if it was pushed from another device. Accept it or reject it (see below). Nothing runs until you accept.
- **pending**: the task is accepted and queued. It is ready to run but no agent is on it yet. Tasks you type in yourself begin here.
- **running**: an agent is working the task right now. It shows a live timer counting how long it has been going.
- **done**: the task is finished. It shows how long it took, and a matching line appears in the **done** tab.
- **cancelled**: the task was rejected or stopped. A cancelled task shows the reason after the word "cancelled:".

## Accepting or rejecting a proposed task

When the agent proposes tasks (for example after you ask it to plan some follow-up work), each one arrives as **proposed** with three buttons:

- **✓ accept**: moves the task to **pending**, ready for you to run.
- **✗ reject**: cancels the proposal. The task moves to **cancelled**.
- **✏ edit**: change the wording before you accept it.

A proposal marked **☁ from cloud** was sent from another device (for instance the phone app). It works the same way: accept, reject or edit it.

## Running, finishing, and reopening

You send a **pending** task to the agent from its actions, with **▶ execute with claude** (see [How do I give my agent a task?](how-do-i-give-my-agent-a-task.md)). While it works, the task is **running**. When the agent finishes, it marks the task **done** for you.

You can also set the state by hand. Click a task's text to open its actions:

- **✓ mark done**: mark the task finished yourself.
- **↶ reopen**: if a task is already done, this puts it back to **pending**.

If several tasks are queued and you run them as a batch, codus works them one at a time: when the running task finishes, the next in line becomes **running** on its own.

## Subtasks and progress notes

Open a task (click the **▶** on its footer) to see its details. Inside you can:

- Add a **subtask** in the "add subtask…" box. Each subtask has its own tick you click to mark done, and the task shows a count like "2/5 subtasks".
- Add a short **+ progress** note to record where things are up to.

The agent can add these too while it works, so an open task is often the clearest view of what is happening.

## Removing and archiving tasks

- The **×** on a task deletes it. It asks you to confirm first, so a single slip does not remove anything.
- Finished tasks can be tidied out of the way. When tasks are archived they collapse into a "▶ N archived" row at the bottom of the list; click it to show them again, and use **↶** on an archived task to restore it.

## How do I know it worked?

The task's state changes to match what you did: **✓ accept** turns a proposal into **pending**, running it turns it **running** with a timer, and finishing turns it **done** with a line in the **done** tab.

## Common problems

**"The agent suggested tasks but nothing is happening."** Proposed tasks wait for you. Click **✓ accept** on the ones you want, then run them; or **✗ reject** the ones you do not.

**"A task says running but the agent looks idle."** It is usually waiting for your answer in the terminal. Reply there with the arrow keys and **Enter**. See [How do I answer the agent when it asks me something?](../getting-started/how-do-i-answer-the-agent-in-the-terminal.md).

**"What does ☁ from cloud mean?"** The task was proposed from another device signed into your account. Accept, reject or edit it the same as any proposal.