Critical: Task status synchronization gap in Agent OS workflow

[carmandale]

Critical Workflow Gap

We just discovered that the Claude Code hooks spec (2025-07-29-claude-code-hooks-#37) showed ALL tasks as incomplete even though:

• The implementation was fully completed in commit 957e7a5
• The GitHub issue Implement Claude Code hooks for deterministic Agent OS workflow enforcement #3 was closed with confirmation of completion
• All hooks, tests, and documentation were successfully implemented

The Problem

This reveals a fundamental workflow enforcement gap:

1. Task status in tasks.md is not automatically updated when work is completed
2. No validation occurs between task status and actual implementation state
3. GitHub issue closure doesn't trigger task status verification
4. AI assistants can claim work is "complete" without updating task status

Impact

• Creates confusion about what's actually done vs. what appears incomplete
• Undermines Agent OS's promise of reliable, structured development
• Allows workflow abandonment at the task tracking level
• Creates busywork of manually reconciling task status

Required Solution

1. Automatic Task Status Updates

• When commits reference completed work, update tasks.md
• Post-commit hooks should mark completed tasks
• PR creation should validate task status matches implementation

2. Task Status Validation

• Add validation step to workflow that compares:
  • Files created vs. tasks claiming to create them
  • Tests passing vs. test tasks marked complete
  • Git history vs. task completion claims

3. GitHub Integration

• When issues are closed, validate all related tasks are marked complete
• Block issue closure if task status is inconsistent
• Add task status check to PR merge requirements

4. Enhanced Hooks

• Extend post-tool-use hook to update tasks.md automatically
• Add task validation to stop hook enforcement
• Prevent "work complete" claims without task updates

Success Criteria

• Zero task status discrepancies
• Automatic synchronization between implementation and task tracking
• Validation prevents false completion states
• Tasks.md becomes reliable source of truth

This is NOT a Phase 1 enhancement - this is a core workflow bug that must be fixed immediately to maintain Agent OS integrity.

[carmandale]

Current Status: Partially addressed by recent workflow improvements

Progress Made:

• ✅ Issue Clean up versioned files (workflow-enforcement-hook and aos tools) #20 tasks were properly tracked and marked complete when work finished
• ✅ Recent work has been more rigorous about updating task status
• ✅ Better synchronization between implementation and task tracking

Still Needed:

• ❌ No automatic task status updates from commits
• ❌ No validation between GitHub issue closure and task completion
• ❌ No post-commit hooks to sync task status

Priority: Medium - The workflow has improved through better practices, but automation is still missing.

Recent Evidence: Issue #19 implementation properly tracked all tasks and marked them complete, showing the workflow CAN work when followed consistently.