Dependencies¶

TrakFlow maintains a dependency graph to track relationships between tasks.

Dependency Types¶

Type	Description	Use Case
`blocks`	Hard dependency (default)	Task A must complete before Task B
`related`	Soft link	Reference between related tasks
`parent-child`	Hierarchical	Subtask relationship
`discovered-from`	Traceability	Track where a task originated

Adding Dependencies¶

Basic Syntax¶

tf dep add SOURCE TARGET [--type TYPE]

The source task blocks/relates-to the target task.

Examples¶

# Design must complete before implementation
tf dep add tf-design tf-implement

# Specify dependency type
tf dep add tf-design tf-implement --type blocks
tf dep add tf-bug1 tf-bug2 -t related

Removing Dependencies¶

tf dep remove SOURCE TARGET

Viewing Dependencies¶

Dependency Tree¶

tf dep tree tf-implement

Output:

tf-implement
├── blocked by:
│   └── tf-design (open)
└── blocks:
    ├── tf-test (open)
    └── tf-deploy (open)

Dependency Graph¶

Generate a visual graph:

tf admin graph
tf admin graph --format svg --output deps.svg

Ready Work Detection¶

Find tasks with no open blockers:

tf ready

A task is "ready" when: - Status is open - All blocking dependencies are closed - Not a Plan (Plans can't be executed directly)

How It Works¶

graph LR
    A[Design ✓] -->|blocks| B[Implement]
    B -->|blocks| C[Test]
    B -->|blocks| D[Docs]

    style A fill:#90EE90
    style B fill:#90EE90
    style C fill:#FFE4B5
    style D fill:#FFE4B5

In this example: - Design is closed (✓) - Implement is ready (no open blockers) - Test and Docs are NOT ready (blocked by Implement)

Common Patterns¶

Sequential Workflow¶

tf create "Step 1: Research"
tf create "Step 2: Design"
tf create "Step 3: Implement"
tf create "Step 4: Test"

tf dep add tf-step1 tf-step2
tf dep add tf-step2 tf-step3
tf dep add tf-step3 tf-step4

graph LR
    A[Research] --> B[Design] --> C[Implement] --> D[Test]

Parallel Tasks with Sync Point¶

tf create "Frontend work"
tf create "Backend work"
tf create "Integration"

tf dep add tf-frontend tf-integration
tf dep add tf-backend tf-integration

graph LR
    A[Frontend] --> C[Integration]
    B[Backend] --> C

Feature with Prerequisites¶

tf create "Add payment support" -t feature
tf create "Set up Stripe account"
tf create "Get API keys"
tf create "Implement payment flow"

tf dep add tf-stripe tf-implement
tf dep add tf-keys tf-implement

graph LR
    A[Stripe Account] --> C[Implement Payment]
    B[Get API Keys] --> C

Dependency Validation¶

TrakFlow validates dependencies:

Rule	Error
No self-reference	Can't add dependency to itself
Tasks must exist	Both source and target must exist
No cycles (optional)	Prevents circular dependencies

Cycle Detection¶

# This would create a cycle: A → B → C → A
tf dep add tf-c tf-a

# Warning: Creates circular dependency

Querying Dependencies¶

Find Blocked Tasks¶

tf list --status blocked

Find Tasks Blocking Others¶

# Show what a task blocks
tf dep tree tf-abc123

Find Orphan Tasks¶

Tasks with no dependencies:

tf admin analyze

Impact on Operations¶

Closing Tasks¶

When you close a task, dependent tasks may become ready:

tf close tf-design
# tf-implement is now ready (if it was only blocked by tf-design)

Reopening Tasks¶

Reopening a task re-blocks its dependents:

tf reopen tf-design
# tf-implement is blocked again