kandev/docs/specs/task-dependencies/create-dialog-dependency-selector.md

status, created, owner

status	created	owner
implemented	2026-08-13	kandev

Task-create dependency selector refinement

Why

The task-create dialog currently presents dependencies as a small action beside a separate label and then renders selected tasks as chips below it. This makes the control look different from the agent, executor, and workflow selectors, and the dependency behavior is easy to miss when a user is planning an ordered set of tasks.

What

• In create mode, the dependency control appears in the row below the agent and executor selectors, on the right of the workflow selector when that selector is visible.
• The dependency control is one searchable selector. It keeps the existing ability to choose multiple predecessor tasks by toggling task entries in the same selector.
• With no predecessor selected, the trigger shows No dependency and the dependency icon. With one predecessor selected, it shows that task's title. With multiple predecessors selected, it shows a localized dependency count.
• The selector includes a No dependency entry that clears every selected predecessor. A selected task can be removed by toggling its entry off.
• Every task entry in the selector displays a task icon. Archived tasks are not offered as candidates, and the existing candidate sources from both Kanban board slices remain available.
• The selector's search row has an info control on its right side. Hovering or focusing the control explains that dependencies wait for all selected tasks to finish successfully and that starting an agent starts this task automatically after they resolve. The control has an accessible name and is usable with touch and keyboard input.
• The existing blockedBy form state and blocked_by create payload remain unchanged. Selecting several predecessors keeps the existing AND semantics.
• The dependency selector is disabled while the create flow is creating a session, matching the current dependency control behavior.
• The selector is available only for an unstarted task in create mode. It does not add an edge editor to task detail or edit mode.
• All new trigger labels, search copy, empty states, count labels, and help copy use the task translation namespace. No new user-facing literal is hardcoded in a component.

Mobile design contract

• Desktop entry point: the dependency selector in the task-create dialog row beside the workflow selector. Mobile entry point: the same full-width selector in the dialog's vertically scrolling form.
• The nearest shipped mobile exemplar is the task-create repository picker and its Pill command surface. Reuse its contained searchable picker geometry, touch-safe actions, and no-horizontal-overflow expectations while keeping the dependency selector's full-width selector trigger consistent with the agent and executor controls.
• Mobile hierarchy is workflow first, dependency second, followed by the rest of the form. The dependency trigger and each task row are the primary touch targets for this surface.
• The picker remains a viewport-contained searchable popover with an internal command-list scroll owner. The dialog form remains the outer scroll owner when the picker is closed. No document-level horizontal scrolling is added.
• The selector shares task derivation, filtering, selection, and blockedBy mutation logic across viewports. Only layout and touch presentation vary.

Scenarios

• GIVEN a new task dialog with no selected predecessors, WHEN the user views the workflow/dependency row, THEN the dependency trigger is on the workflow row's right side and shows No dependency with its icon.
• GIVEN the workflow selector is hidden because a single workflow is already enforced, WHEN the user opens the create dialog, THEN the dependency selector remains available in the same row position instead of disappearing with the workflow control.
• GIVEN the dependency trigger, WHEN the user opens it, THEN the search field, the info control, the No dependency entry, and all non-archived board tasks are available.
• GIVEN two non-archived candidate tasks, WHEN the user selects both entries, THEN both entries are marked selected, the trigger shows a localized count, and the form retains both task IDs in blockedBy.
• GIVEN selected predecessors, WHEN the user selects No dependency, THEN the trigger returns to its default state and the form's blockedBy value is empty.
• GIVEN the selector's info control, WHEN the user hovers, focuses, or taps it, THEN the dependency explanation is readable without changing the current task selection, and Escape or outside interaction dismisses it.
• GIVEN an archived board task, WHEN the user searches the dependency selector, THEN the archived task is not offered.
• GIVEN a Pixel 5-sized viewport, WHEN the user opens the create dialog and dependency selector, THEN the trigger and task rows remain reachable, the picker stays within the viewport, and the document has no horizontal overflow.
• GIVEN a task with selected predecessors, WHEN the user submits the create dialog, THEN the request still contains the selected IDs in blocked_by; no dependency API or backend contract changes.

Out of scope

• Changing the dependency graph, auto-start semantics, or backend/API payload.
• Limiting a task to one predecessor. Multiple predecessors and AND semantics remain supported.
• Adding dependency editing to task detail, Kanban card menus, or MCP.
• Adding a new mobile navigation surface or replacing the task-create dialog.
• Changing workflow, agent, executor, repository, or branch selector behavior.