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Tasks are units of work agents list, claim, and log progress on with dench tasks, dench claim, and dench log.

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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 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)

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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.