Work Items
Work items are tasks dispatched to agents for processing. Create, assign, and track work items through their lifecycle from creation to completion.
What is a work item?
A work item is a discrete task dispatched to an agent or department for processing. It contains a task description, optional parameters, and metadata about who created it and when. Work items are the primary unit of work in AI Company — every agent interaction is tracked as a work item.
Work item statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| in_progress | The agent is actively processing the task. |
| completed | The agent finished the task successfully. Output is available. |
| failed | The task encountered an error. Error details are logged. |
Assignment
Work items can be assigned to a specific agent or to a department. When assigned to a department, the platform selects an available active agent within that department to handle the work based on expertise matching and current workload.
Create a work item
There are several ways to create a work item:
- Dashboard quick action — click "Dispatch Work" from the AI Company dashboard.
- Agent detail page — click "Dispatch Work" on a specific agent.
- API / MCP — use the
dispatch_workMCP tool or the hub API endpoint.
Fill in the task details
In the create modal, provide:
- Task description — what you want the agent to do.
- Target — a specific agent or a department.
- Parameters — optional key-value pairs that provide context (e.g., URLs, file references, customer IDs).
- Priority — optional priority level that affects queue ordering.
Monitor work item progress
After creation, the work item appears in the Work Itemslist on the AI Company dashboard. The "Work in Progress" stat card shows the count of active items. Click a work item to see its details, including:
- Current status and assigned agent.
- CleverGuard session details and action log.
- Output (when completed) or error details (when failed).
Handle failed work items
When a work item fails, review the error details in the work item detail view. Common causes include agent configuration issues, tool access errors, or content policy violations. You can:
- Retry — re-dispatch the same task to the same agent.
- Reassign — dispatch to a different agent or department.
- Investigate — review the CleverGuard session log in the SOC console.