Skip to main content
Work items are the core unit of work in OpenIndex. Every piece of work — whether a large initiative, an individual task, or a granular step — lives as a work item with a consistent structure and key. OpenIndex has three kinds of work items that follow the hierarchy Project → Task → Sub-task:

Project

A container for larger objectives inside a domain.

Task

A standard executable work item under a project.

Sub-task

A granular step under a task, keyed as DOMAIN-123.1.
Work-item keys are domain-scoped and sequential — for example, OPS-42 or OPS-42.1 for a sub-task.

​
Creating a work item

​
Via CLI

# Create a task in a domain
oi work-item create --kind task --title "My task" --domain-id <id>

# Create a sub-task under a parent
oi work-item create --kind sub_task --title "Sub-task" --parent-key ABC-123
Additional create flags:
FlagDescription
--workflow-idAttach a workflow at creation time
--descriptionBody text for the work item
--statusInitial status value
--priorityPriority level
--execution-targethuman, agent, or either
--assignee-user-idAssign to a specific user
--owner-user-idSet the owner

​
Via API

POST /browse with a JSON body: 
{
  "kind": "task",
  "title": "My task",
  "domainId": "<domain-id>",
  "parentKey": "ABC-123",
  "workflowId": "<workflow-id>",
  "description": "Optional description",
  "status": "backlog",
  "priority": "medium",
  "executionTarget": "agent"
}

​
Listing work items

oi work-item list
Filter the list with any combination of these flags:
FlagDescription
--kindproject, task, or sub_task
--domain-idScope to a domain
--statusFilter by status value
--priorityFilter by priority
--execution-targethuman, agent, or either
--searchFull-text search across titles
--parent-keyList children of a specific work item
--assigned-to-meShow only items assigned to you
--resolutionunresolved, resolved, or cancelled

​
Getting a work item

oi work-item get ABC-123
This returns the full work item record, including its current status, priority, workflow assignment, schedule, and metadata. The equivalent API call is GET /browse/:key.

​
Updating a work item

oi work-item update ABC-123 --title "New title"
Available update flags:
FlagDescription
--titleUpdate the title
--descriptionUpdate the body
--statusChange the status
--priorityChange the priority
--workflow-idReassign to a different workflow
--execution-targetChange execution target
--assignee-user-idReassign to a user
The equivalent API call is PATCH /browse/:key.
Status changes must respect valid workflow transitions. Use oi work-item transitions ABC-123 to see which statuses are reachable from the current state.

​
Scheduling a work item

You can schedule work to a specific date or a timed block, or clear a schedule to move it back to the backlog. 
# Date-only scheduling
oi work-item schedule ABC-123 --date 2026-03-01

# Timed scheduling
oi work-item schedule ABC-123 --start 2026-03-01T15:00:00Z --end 2026-03-01T16:00:00Z

# Clear schedule (back to backlog)
oi work-item schedule ABC-123 --clear
Scheduled work items appear alongside external calendar events in the calendar view.

​
Managing comments

Comments let you leave notes and collaborate on a work item. You can control visibility to keep some notes internal. 
# Create a comment
oi work-item comment create ABC-123 --body "This is a comment"

# Create an external-visible comment
oi work-item comment create ABC-123 --body "Update for the customer" --visibility external

# List comments
oi work-item comment list ABC-123

# Update a comment
oi work-item comment update ABC-123 --comment-id <id> --body "Updated text"

# Delete a comment
oi work-item comment delete ABC-123 --comment-id <id>
The --visibility flag accepts internal (default) or external. External comments are visible in email conversation threads.

​
Managing attachments

You can attach local files or link external URLs to a work item. 
# Upload a file
oi work-item attachment upload ABC-123 --file ./report.pdf

# Link a URL
oi work-item attachment link ABC-123 --url "https://example.com/doc" --filename "Design doc"

# List attachments
oi work-item attachment list ABC-123

# Delete an attachment
oi work-item attachment delete ABC-123 --attachment-id <id>

​
Managing dependencies

Track relationships between work items using dependencies. 
# Create a dependency
oi work-item dependency create ABC-123 --to-key DEF-456

# List dependencies
oi work-item dependency list ABC-123

# Delete a dependency
oi work-item dependency delete ABC-123 --dependency-id <id>
The API equivalents are POST /browse/:key/dependencies, GET /browse/:key/dependencies, and DELETE /browse/:key/dependencies/:dependencyId.

​
Managing categories

Categories are domain-scoped labels for organizing work items. 
# Assign a category
oi work-item categories add ABC-123 --category-id <id>

# Remove a category
oi work-item categories remove ABC-123 --category-id <id>
The API equivalents are POST /browse/:key/categories and DELETE /browse/:key/categories/:categoryId.

​
Viewing hierarchy

See the full parent-child tree for a work item: 
oi work-item hierarchy ABC-123
The API equivalent is GET /browse/:key/hierarchy.

​
Audit history

Every mutation to a work item is recorded. To inspect the change history: 
oi work-item audit list ABC-123
You can also export the audit log: 
oi work-item audit export ABC-123 --format json --output ./audit.json

​
Deleting a work item

oi work-item delete ABC-123
The API equivalent is DELETE /browse/:key. Deletion is permission-checked and key-targeted.
Deleting a work item is permanent. There is no undo.