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Human Tasks

Human Tasks allow a workflow to pause execution and wait for a person to review, approve, reject, or provide additional information before continuing. This enables human-in-the-loop workflows, where AI automation and human judgment work together. Human Tasks are essential for business processes that require oversight, compliance, or manual decision-making.

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What is a Human Task?

A Human Task temporarily pauses workflow execution. Conceptually:
The workflow remains suspended until someone completes the task.

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Why Use Human Tasks?

Not every decision should be made automatically. Examples include:
  • approving payments
  • reviewing legal documents
  • validating AI-generated content
  • approving customer refunds
  • reviewing security alerts
  • confirming sensitive operations
Human Tasks ensure these decisions remain under human control.

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Workflow Lifecycle

A Human Task changes the normal execution flow.
The workflow resumes from exactly where it stopped.

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Human Task Object

When a Human Task node executes, it creates a task object. A typical task contains:
  • task identifier
  • workflow instance identifier
  • node identifier
  • creation time
  • completion status
  • result
This information allows external systems to track and manage pending work.

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Waiting State

After creating the task, the workflow enters a waiting state.
While waiting, no additional workflow nodes execute.

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Completing a Task

A user or external application completes the task.
The workflow executor continues from the Human Task node.

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Approval Example

A document approval workflow might look like this.
The workflow does not continue until a reviewer completes the approval.

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AI + Human Collaboration

Human Tasks work naturally with AI agents.
The AI performs the repetitive work, while humans retain responsibility for important decisions.

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Workflow Context

Human Tasks may store results inside the workflow context. Example:
Subsequent workflow nodes can use these values to determine what happens next.

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Forms

Human Tasks may reference forms or user interfaces. Conceptually:
The workflow itself remains independent of the user interface implementation.

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Assignment

Tasks may be assigned to:
  • individual users
  • roles
  • departments
  • external systems
Assignment logic depends on the surrounding application rather than the workflow engine itself.

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Human Tasks vs Conditions

These components serve different purposes. Often they are used together.

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Long-Running Workflows

Human Tasks make long-running workflows possible.
A workflow may remain paused for minutes, hours, or even weeks.

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Best Practices

  • Use Human Tasks only where human judgment adds value.
  • Keep task descriptions clear and concise.
  • Store important decisions in workflow variables.
  • Separate workflow logic from user interface implementation.
  • Provide meaningful task identifiers for tracking.
  • Monitor outstanding tasks to avoid workflows remaining paused indefinitely.

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Common Use Cases

Human Tasks are commonly used for:
  • approval workflows
  • document review
  • compliance verification
  • financial authorization
  • security validation
  • quality assurance
  • customer service escalation

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Summary

Human Tasks allow BindAI workflows to pause safely while waiting for manual input. They provide the foundation for human-in-the-loop automation, combining the speed of AI with the judgment, accountability, and oversight that only people can provide.