Currently all tasks in a work queue are independent — any "ready" task can be picked up at any time. But real work has dependencies: "deploy after tests pass", "write docs after the API is stable", etc.
Proposal
Add an optional "Depends" field to work queue entries. A new status "blocked" means "ready once dependencies are met." The chief of staff checks if the dependency is done before changing blocked to ready.
Example:
### 2026-04-01T10:00
**Task:** Write API documentation
**Scope:** Document all endpoints added in the API rewrite
**Depends:** API rewrite (must be done first)
**Status:** blocked
Questions
- Should dependencies reference tasks by timestamp ID, title, or something else?
- Should the chief of staff automatically unblock tasks when dependencies complete?
- How does this interact with cross-project dependencies (task in project A depends on task in project B)?
- Is this too much complexity for v1?
Currently all tasks in a work queue are independent — any "ready" task can be picked up at any time. But real work has dependencies: "deploy after tests pass", "write docs after the API is stable", etc.
Proposal
Add an optional "Depends" field to work queue entries. A new status "blocked" means "ready once dependencies are met." The chief of staff checks if the dependency is done before changing blocked to ready.
Example:
Questions