kandev/docs/specs/task-dependencies/create-dialog-advanced-settings.md

status, created, owner

status	created	owner
shipped	2026-08-13	kandev

Task-create advanced settings disclosure

Why

The searchable dependency selector is useful, but it is not needed for most new tasks. Keeping it visible in the main form adds a full selector row to a dialog whose primary job is to collect the task request and workspace context. The create dialog should keep the common path compact while preserving a clear place for dependency selection and future less-common options.

What

• Add a compact, collapsed Advanced settings disclosure to the bottom of the create-task form, below the model, executor, and workflow selector controls.
• Render the disclosure label in muted, very small text with a subtle chevron. The whole row remains a semantic button so the small visual label does not reduce the interaction target.
• Start the disclosure collapsed for a new create-dialog instance. Expanding it reveals the existing dependency selector. The selector keeps its current No dependency default, task icon treatment, search, help action, and multiple-predecessor behavior.
• Show the dependency selector with a muted Depends on label and a contextual help control that explains the dependency wait and automatic-start behavior.
• Keep the label and selector in the same setting column. On desktop, render advanced settings as a two-column option grid so each row can hold two settings; on narrow screens, collapse the grid to one column.
• Keep the dependency selector's blockedBy state and disabled behavior unchanged. Collapsing the section must not clear a selected dependency, and reopening the section must show the same selector value.
• Keep the existing workflow selector and its visibility rules unchanged. The new disclosure replaces only the dependency's always-visible presentation.
• Make the expanded content a single extensible advanced-options region. Future advanced controls can be appended inside that region without adding another top-level row to the dialog. Do not add placeholder future controls in this change.
• Show the disclosure only for an unstarted task in create mode, matching the dependency selector's existing availability. Session mode, edit mode, and started-task forms do not gain a new advanced-settings row.
• Keep all new trigger copy localized through the task translation namespace.

Interaction contract

Collapsed state

• The row is visible at the bottom of the create-task settings, below the model, executor, and workflow selector controls.
• The row shows the localized Advanced settings label in a muted, subtle size and a direction indicator.
• The dependency trigger and its No dependency text are not visible while the section is collapsed.
• The row exposes aria-expanded="false" and a stable control/test identity.

Expanded state

• Activating the row with pointer, touch, Enter, or Space expands the content.
• The dependency selector is visible inside the content with its existing searchable picker behavior. Its trigger uses the available row width on narrow screens and a compact, constrained width on desktop.
• The selector is introduced by a localized Depends on label with an accessible help control. Hovering or focusing the control explains the dependency wait and automatic-start behavior.
• The row exposes aria-expanded="true", and the expanded content is connected to it through the normal collapsible relationship.
• Closing the section preserves every selected predecessor. Reopening it reveals the existing selected title or localized count.
• The selector's search-row info control continues to explain dependency wait behavior without changing the disclosure state or selection.

Mobile design contract

• Desktop outcome: the create dialog keeps the workspace or worktree context, then provides a compact advanced-settings entry that reveals dependencies.
• Mobile entry point: the same inline disclosure in the full-screen task-create form. A new drawer or separate mobile navigation surface is not needed for one short advanced field.
• The nearest shipped mobile exemplars are the task-create selector controls, task-create-dialog-pill.tsx, and the existing dependency picker. Reuse the project's contained popover and command-list behavior.
• The disclosure trigger has a mobile hitbox of at least 44 CSS pixels even though its label uses a subtle text size. The expanded dependency trigger and dependency help control and task rows retain their existing touch-safe sizing.
• The task-create form remains the outer scroll owner when the collapsible is closed or expanded. The dependency command list remains the inner scroll owner while its picker is open.
• The expanded content uses a responsive option grid. On desktop, each row can contain two settings, and each setting keeps its label/help to the left of its selector in the same column. On narrow screens, the grid collapses to one column and must not introduce document-level horizontal overflow.
• State, selection logic, candidate filtering, and payload behavior are shared across desktop and mobile. Only the disclosure geometry and touch presentation are responsive.

Scenarios

• GIVEN a new task create dialog, WHEN the form first renders, THEN the advanced-settings row is visible and collapsed, and the dependency trigger is not visible.
• GIVEN the collapsed advanced-settings row, WHEN the user activates it, THEN the row reports expanded and the dependency selector appears below the model, executor, and workflow selector controls.
• GIVEN the expanded selector with no predecessors, THEN its trigger shows the existing No dependency label and dependency icon.
• GIVEN a selected predecessor, WHEN the user collapses and reopens the advanced section, THEN the selected task title or localized dependency count remains visible in the selector and the form state is unchanged.
• GIVEN a workflow selector that is visible, hidden for a single workflow, or locked by a caller, WHEN the create dialog renders, THEN the workflow's existing behavior is preserved and the advanced dependency control remains available under the same create-mode rules.
• GIVEN session mode, edit mode, or a started task, WHEN the form renders, THEN no advanced-settings disclosure is added.
• GIVEN a mobile create dialog, WHEN the user taps the disclosure and opens the dependency picker, THEN the controls remain reachable, the picker is contained in the viewport, and the document has no horizontal overflow.
• GIVEN selected predecessors, WHEN the user submits the task after using the disclosure, THEN the existing blocked_by payload contains the same IDs and no dependency API contract changes.

Out of scope

• Changing dependency persistence, AND semantics, candidate derivation, archived-task filtering, or automatic task-start behavior.
• Changing the dependency selector's search, task icons, info help, or picker interaction except where needed to mount it inside the disclosure.
• Adding dependency editing to task detail, Kanban card menus, or MCP.
• Adding or designing future advanced controls beyond the extensible content region.
• Changing workflow, agent, executor, repository, or branch selector behavior.