---
title: "An agent says done, but the work is not"
description: "When an agent reports a task finished and the change is not there."
url: "https://docs.octo.ad/troubleshooting/agent-says-done/"
id: "troubleshooting/agent-says-done"
type: "troubleshooting"
audience: "team lead"
dateModified: "2026-11-06"
productArea: "agents at work"
keywords: ["closure on evidence"]
---

# An agent says done, but the work is not

> When an agent reports a task finished and the change is not there.

Separate the report from the proof. In OCTOPUS a task carries a definition of done from the start, and it closes only on evidence that the effect landed: the change merged, the record was written, the page serves the new version. The agent's own report does not close it. The same rule runs across the platform as a grounding guard: verify the effect before reporting success.

## What you see

An agent reports a task as done, but the change is not there.

## Check

1. Read the task's definition of done.
2. Look for the evidence it names: the change merged, the record written, the page serving the new version.

## Why it happens

The agent's report was taken as the proof. A task should close only on evidence that the effect landed.

## What to do

1. Reopen the task.
2. Keep it open until the evidence is there. The agent's own report does not close it.