Oda's to-do list

For a task with several steps, DataMind Oda keeps a to-do list and writes its updates into your chat. Each update appears as a step row, and while the list is current its progress shows in the Steps chip above the message box and in the STEPS card in Activity. How Oda works with the list itself is on The agent task list; this page covers what you see in a chat.

What an update row shows

• The row is titled Update to-do list and carries a checklist icon.
• Its summary counts the progress, for example 3/7 completed, and names the task in progress when there is one.
• When several tasks are in progress at once, the row adds a count of the others at the end, for example +2. That count is never cut off, even when the row is narrow.
• The counts come from the update itself, so they read correctly both while the update is being recorded and after it settles. Every update replaces the previous list, so each row holds the whole list as it stood at that moment.
• Once an update is recorded, the row also recaps what changed since the previous list: counts like 1 added · 1 updated · 1 removed, a single count like 3 added when only one kind moved, or No changes to the list when nothing moved.

Read the list and what changed

1. Expand the row: click it, or focus it and press Enter or Space. The shared step row is described on Oda's steps and tool results.
2. The card is a read-only checklist: one line per task with its state, Completed, In progress or Pending. It carries no request block.
3. Each changed task is marked and named: Added, Status changed, Reordered or Removed.
4. A new task carries a +, one that left the list carries a −, and a task that changed state shows where it came from, reading Pending → In progress.
5. Tasks that did not move fold behind a footer, for example 2 unchanged; open the footer to see them.
6. The card names what it compares: Initial list for the first recorded list, Changes since the previous list afterwards. An update with no tasks and no earlier list to compare reads The to-do list is empty.

If the update's record cannot be read at all, the row opens as a plain block instead of the checklist, the same fallback as other steps; Step cards in chat covers it.

Where current progress shows

• The list is not pinned above the message box: while it is current, its progress shows in the Steps chip above the message box and in the STEPS card in the Activity tab of the side panel.
• The chip carries the count of finished steps out of the total, like 3/7, and the step being worked on now; pressing it opens Activity and flashes the STEPS card into view.
• The STEPS card shows the whole checklist: up to seven steps at a time, with Show all opening the rest.
• The chip and the card appear with the first update Oda records, and keep showing the finished list after a turn ends. When the next turn begins, they clear, and they return with the next update Oda records.
• They always show the latest list; the rows in the chat keep every earlier update as history.
• Oda's steps and tool results covers the chip and the card; Activity at a glance covers the other signals around the chat.

When a comparison is missing

• Each update is compared with the list recorded before it. If that earlier list is not loaded yet, the update reads Previous list unavailable and shows no change counts; when the earlier part of the chat loads, the comparison appears by itself.
• An update that already shows its comparison keeps it as first recorded, even when later updates are added.

When an update does not finish

• If recording an update fails, the row reports the failure, and the list keeps its last recorded state: a failed update is not recorded.
• If the turn is stopped while the update runs, the row is marked stopped.

Questions, answered

Where does the to-do list appear while Oda works?

Every update appears in the chat as a row titled Update to-do list, and while the list is current its progress shows in the Steps chip above the message box and the STEPS card in Activity. The rows keep the history of updates; the chip and the card show only the latest list.

Why did the steps chip disappear?

The chip shows the current list, not a permanent one. It keeps showing the finished list after a turn ends, then clears when the next turn begins; it returns with the next update Oda records. Every update stays in the chat as its own row, so nothing is lost.

Why are several tasks in progress at once?

That is Oda working in parallel, for example a background command or a helper agent. Oda marks every task it is actively working on; the row names the first and counts the rest, for example +2.

What do the change counts on the row mean?

They recap the update against the list recorded before it: how many tasks are new (added), how many changed state or moved (updated), and how many are gone (removed). A single count stands alone, for example 3 added; an update that moved nothing reads No changes to the list.

Why does an update say Previous list unavailable?

The list recorded before it is not loaded yet, so there is nothing to compare this update against. The comparison appears by itself when the earlier part of the chat loads. An update that already shows its comparison keeps it as first recorded, even when later updates are added.

Why does a task read Pending → In progress?

The task changed state since the previous list. The reading is the previous state, an arrow, then the current state: the task was waiting and is now being worked on. A task that only moved position reads Reordered, a new one Added, and one that left the list Removed.

Can I change or reorder the list myself?

No. The list is Oda's own record of the task, and the card is read-only. Ask for the change in the chat, and Oda records a new update with it.

What happens if an update fails?

The row reports the failure, and the list keeps its last recorded state: a failed update is not recorded. Ask Oda to write the list again if it matters.

Where can I see an earlier version of the list?

Every update keeps its own row in the chat. Expand the row to read the list as it stood at that update, with what had changed by then; the Steps chip above the message box and the STEPS card in Activity show only the latest list.