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cub explain-task

Display detailed information about a specific task.

Synopsis

cub explain-task <task-id>

Description

The cub explain-task command shows comprehensive details about a task, including its description, status, dependencies, related artifacts, and execution history. This is useful for understanding what a task entails before working on it or debugging issues with task execution.

Options

Option Description
<task-id> The task identifier to explain (required)

Information Displayed

The command outputs detailed task information including:

Section Content
Basic Info ID, title, type, status, priority
Description Full task description and requirements
Dependencies Tasks that must complete first
Dependents Tasks waiting on this one
Labels Tags and categories
Epic Parent epic if assigned
Artifacts Related files and outputs
History Status changes and execution attempts
Spec Interview-generated specifications (if any)

Examples

View Task Details

cub explain-task cub-123

Output: 

Task: cub-123
Title: Implement user authentication
Type: feature
Status: open
Priority: high
Epic: cub-auth-epic

Description:
  Add email/password authentication with session management.
  Support OAuth2 for social login providers.

Dependencies:
  - cub-120: Database schema setup (completed)
  - cub-121: API framework configuration (completed)

Dependents:
  - cub-125: User profile page
  - cub-126: Password reset flow

Labels:
  - auth
  - security
  - user-facing

Artifacts:
  - specs/cub-123-auth-spec.md
  - .cub/artifacts/cub-123/

History:
  2026-01-10 09:15: Created
  2026-01-11 14:30: Started (session: narwhal)
  2026-01-11 15:45: Blocked (waiting for cub-121)
  2026-01-12 10:00: Resumed

Quick Reference During Development

# Check task requirements while implementing
cub explain-task cub-456

Verify Dependencies

# See what's blocking a task
cub explain-task cub-789 | grep -A5 Dependencies

Use Cases

Before Starting Work

Review task details before beginning implementation:

cub explain-task cub-123
# Read description, check dependencies are met
cub run --task cub-123

Debugging Failed Tasks

Understand why a task might have failed:

cub explain-task cub-456
# Check history for error patterns
# Review dependencies that might have regressed

Understanding Task Context

When picking up work from another session:

# What was this task about?
cub explain-task cub-789

# What has been done?
cub artifacts cub-789