feat(kanban): add specify — auxiliary LLM fleshes out triage tasks (#21435)

* feat(kanban): add `specify` — auxiliary LLM fleshes out triage tasks

The Triage column shipped with a placeholder 'a specifier will flesh
out the spec', but the specifier itself was never built. This wires
it up as a dedicated CLI verb.

`hermes kanban specify <id>` calls the auxiliary LLM (configured under
`auxiliary.triage_specifier`) to expand a rough one-liner into a
concrete spec — tightened title plus a body with Goal / Approach /
Acceptance criteria / Out-of-scope sections — then atomically flips
`status: triage -> todo` and recomputes ready so parent-free tasks
go straight to the dispatcher on the same tick.

Surface:

  hermes kanban specify <task_id>               # single task
  hermes kanban specify --all [--tenant T]      # sweep triage column
  hermes kanban specify ... --author NAME       # audit-comment author
  hermes kanban specify ... --json              # one JSON line per task

Design choices:

  - Parent gating is preserved. specify_triage_task flips to 'todo',
    then recompute_ready promotes to 'ready' only when parents are
    done — same rule as a normal parent-gated todo.
  - No daemon, no background watcher. Every invocation is explicit —
    keeps cost predictable and doesn't fight the dispatcher loop.
  - Response parse is lenient: strict JSON preferred, markdown-fence
    tolerated, raw-body fallback on malformed JSON so the LLM can't
    strand a task in triage.
  - All failure modes (no aux client, API error, task moved out of
    triage mid-call) return SpecifyOutcome(ok=False, reason=...) so
    --all continues past individual failures.

Changes:

  hermes_cli/kanban_db.py    + specify_triage_task()
  hermes_cli/kanban_specify.py  NEW (~220 LOC — prompt, parse, call)
  hermes_cli/kanban.py       + specify subcommand + _cmd_specify
  hermes_cli/config.py       + auxiliary.triage_specifier task slot
  website/docs/user-guide/features/kanban.md  specify + config notes
  website/docs/reference/cli-commands.md      CLI reference entry
  tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_specify_db.py    NEW (10 tests)
  tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_specify.py       NEW (20 tests)

Validation: 30/30 targeted tests pass. E2E: triage task -> specify ->
ends in 'ready' with events [created, specified, promoted] and the
audit comment recorded under the configured author.

* feat(kanban): wire specifier into dashboard and gateway slash

Follow-ups to the initial PR #21435 — closes the two gaps I'd left as
post-merge: dashboard button and first-class gateway surface.

Dashboard (plugins/kanban/dashboard/)
  - POST /tasks/:id/specify  NEW endpoint. Thin wrapper around
    kanban_specify.specify_task(). Returns the CLI outcome shape
    ({ok, task_id, reason, new_title}); ok=false with a human reason
    is a 200, not a 4xx, so the UI can render it inline without
    treating 'no aux client configured' as a crash.
  - Runs sync in FastAPI's threadpool because the LLM call can take
    tens of seconds on reasoning models.
  - Pins HERMES_KANBAN_BOARD around the specify call so the module's
    argless kb.connect() lands on the right board.
  - dist/index.js: doSpecify callback threaded through the drawer →
    TaskDetail → StatusActions prop chain. ✨ Specify button appears
    ONLY when task.status === 'triage' (elsewhere the backend would
    reject anyway — hide the button to keep the action row clean).
    Busy state (Specifying…) + inline success/error banner under the
    button using the response.reason text.
  - dist/style.css: tiny hermes-kanban-msg-ok / -err classes using
    existing --color vars so themes reskin cleanly.

Gateway slash (/kanban specify)
  - Already works via the existing run_slash → build_parser →
    kanban_command pipeline. No code change needed — slash commands
    inherit the argparse tree automatically. Added coverage:
    test_run_slash_specify_end_to_end (create --triage, specify, verify
    promotion + retitle) and test_run_slash_specify_help_is_reachable.

Tests
  - tests/plugins/test_kanban_dashboard_plugin.py: 3 new tests for the
    REST endpoint — happy path, non-triage rejection as ok=false 200,
    missing aux client as ok=false 200.
  - tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_cli.py: 2 new slash-surface tests.

Docs
  - website/docs/user-guide/features/kanban.md: dashboard action row
    description mentions ✨ Specify + all three surfaces. REST table
    gains /tasks/:id/specify. Slash examples include /kanban specify.

Validation: 340/340 targeted tests pass. E2E via TestClient: create a
triage task over REST → POST /specify with mocked aux client → task
moves to 'ready' column on /board with new title and body applied.

hermes_cli/config.py

@@ -780,6 +780,19 @@ DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
             "timeout": 30,
             "extra_body": {},
         },
+        # Triage specifier — flesh out a rough one-liner in the Kanban
+        # Triage column into a concrete spec, then promote it to ``todo``.
+        # Invoked by ``hermes kanban specify`` (single id or --all). Set a
+        # cheap, capable model here (gemini-flash works well); the main
+        # model is overkill for short spec expansion.
+        "triage_specifier": {
+            "provider": "auto",
+            "model": "",
+            "base_url": "",
+            "api_key": "",
+            "timeout": 120,
+            "extra_body": {},
+        },
         # Curator — skill-usage review fork. Timeout is generous because the
         # review pass can take several minutes on reasoning models (umbrella
         # building over hundreds of candidate skills). "auto" = use main chat

hermes_cli/kanban.py

@@ -570,6 +570,42 @@ def build_parser(parent_subparsers: argparse._SubParsersAction) -> argparse.Argu
     )
     p_ctx.add_argument("task_id")
 
+    # --- specify --- (triage → todo via auxiliary LLM)
+    p_specify = sub.add_parser(
+        "specify",
+        help="Flesh out a triage-column task into a concrete spec "
+             "(title + body) and promote it to todo. Uses the auxiliary "
+             "LLM configured under auxiliary.triage_specifier.",
+    )
+    p_specify.add_argument(
+        "task_id",
+        nargs="?",
+        default=None,
+        help="Task id to specify (required unless --all is given)",
+    )
+    p_specify.add_argument(
+        "--all",
+        dest="all_triage",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Specify every task currently in the triage column",
+    )
+    p_specify.add_argument(
+        "--tenant",
+        default=None,
+        help="When used with --all, restrict the sweep to this tenant",
+    )
+    p_specify.add_argument(
+        "--author",
+        default=None,
+        help="Author name recorded on the audit comment "
+             "(default: $HERMES_PROFILE or 'specifier')",
+    )
+    p_specify.add_argument(
+        "--json",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Emit one JSON object per task on stdout",
+    )
+
     # --- gc ---
     p_gc = sub.add_parser(
         "gc", help="Garbage-collect archived-task workspaces, old events, and old logs",
@@ -684,6 +720,7 @@ def kanban_command(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
         "notify-list":        _cmd_notify_list,
         "notify-unsubscribe": _cmd_notify_unsubscribe,
         "context":  _cmd_context,
+        "specify":  _cmd_specify,
         "gc":       _cmd_gc,
     }
     handler = handlers.get(action)
@@ -1980,6 +2017,80 @@ def _cmd_context(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     return 0
 
 
+def _cmd_specify(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
+    """Flesh out a triage task (or all of them) via auxiliary LLM,
+    then promote to todo. Thin wrapper over ``kanban_specify``."""
+    from hermes_cli import kanban_specify as spec
+
+    all_flag = bool(getattr(args, "all_triage", False))
+    tenant = getattr(args, "tenant", None)
+    author = getattr(args, "author", None) or _profile_author()
+    want_json = bool(getattr(args, "json", False))
+
+    if args.task_id and all_flag:
+        print(
+            "kanban: pass either a task id OR --all, not both",
+            file=sys.stderr,
+        )
+        return 2
+
+    if all_flag:
+        ids = spec.list_triage_ids(tenant=tenant)
+        if not ids:
+            msg = (
+                "No triage tasks"
+                + (f" for tenant {tenant!r}" if tenant else "")
+                + "."
+            )
+            if want_json:
+                print(json.dumps({"specified": 0, "total": 0}))
+            else:
+                print(msg)
+            return 0
+    elif args.task_id:
+        ids = [args.task_id]
+    else:
+        print(
+            "kanban: specify requires a task id or --all",
+            file=sys.stderr,
+        )
+        return 2
+
+    ok_count = 0
+    fail_count = 0
+    for tid in ids:
+        outcome = spec.specify_task(tid, author=author)
+        if outcome.ok:
+            ok_count += 1
+        else:
+            fail_count += 1
+        if want_json:
+            print(json.dumps({
+                "task_id": outcome.task_id,
+                "ok": outcome.ok,
+                "reason": outcome.reason,
+                "new_title": outcome.new_title,
+            }))
+        else:
+            if outcome.ok:
+                title_suffix = (
+                    f" — retitled: {outcome.new_title!r}"
+                    if outcome.new_title
+                    else ""
+                )
+                print(f"Specified {outcome.task_id} → todo{title_suffix}")
+            else:
+                print(
+                    f"kanban: specify {outcome.task_id}: {outcome.reason}",
+                    file=sys.stderr,
+                )
+    if not all_flag:
+        return 0 if ok_count == 1 else 1
+    # --all: succeed if at least one promotion landed; exit 1 only when
+    # every candidate failed (honest signal for scripts).
+    return 0 if (ok_count > 0 or not ids) else 1
+
+
 def _cmd_gc(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     """Remove scratch workspaces of archived tasks, prune old events, and
     delete old worker logs."""

hermes_cli/kanban_db.py

@@ -2503,6 +2503,91 @@ def unblock_task(conn: sqlite3.Connection, task_id: str) -> bool:
         return True
 
 
+def specify_triage_task(
+    conn: sqlite3.Connection,
+    task_id: str,
+    *,
+    title: Optional[str] = None,
+    body: Optional[str] = None,
+    author: Optional[str] = None,
+) -> bool:
+    """Flesh out a triage task and promote it to ``todo``.
+
+    Atomically updates ``title`` / ``body`` (when provided) and transitions
+    ``status: triage -> todo`` in a single write txn. Returns False when
+    the task is missing or not in the ``triage`` column — callers should
+    surface that as "nothing to specify" rather than an error.
+
+    ``todo`` (not ``ready``) is the correct landing column: ``recompute_ready``
+    promotes parent-free / parent-done todos to ``ready`` on the next
+    dispatcher tick, which keeps the normal parent-gating behaviour intact
+    for specified tasks that happen to have open parents.
+
+    ``author`` is recorded on an audit comment only when at least one of
+    ``title`` / ``body`` actually changed — avoids noisy comment spam for
+    status-only promotions.
+    """
+    if title is not None and not title.strip():
+        raise ValueError("title cannot be blank")
+    with write_txn(conn):
+        existing = conn.execute(
+            "SELECT title, body FROM tasks WHERE id = ? AND status = 'triage'",
+            (task_id,),
+        ).fetchone()
+        if existing is None:
+            return False
+        sets: list[str] = ["status = 'todo'"]
+        params: list[Any] = []
+        changed_fields: list[str] = []
+        if title is not None and title.strip() != (existing["title"] or ""):
+            sets.append("title = ?")
+            params.append(title.strip())
+            changed_fields.append("title")
+        if body is not None and (body or "") != (existing["body"] or ""):
+            sets.append("body = ?")
+            params.append(body)
+            changed_fields.append("body")
+        params.append(task_id)
+        cur = conn.execute(
+            f"UPDATE tasks SET {', '.join(sets)} "
+            f"WHERE id = ? AND status = 'triage'",
+            tuple(params),
+        )
+        if cur.rowcount != 1:
+            return False
+        if changed_fields and author and author.strip():
+            # Inline INSERT (rather than ``add_comment``) because we're
+            # already inside this function's write_txn — nested BEGIN
+            # IMMEDIATE would raise OperationalError. We also skip the
+            # 'commented' event that ``add_comment`` emits, since the
+            # 'specified' event below already records the change.
+            conn.execute(
+                "INSERT INTO task_comments (task_id, author, body, created_at) "
+                "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
+                (
+                    task_id,
+                    author.strip(),
+                    "Specified — updated "
+                    + ", ".join(changed_fields)
+                    + " and promoted to todo.",
+                    int(time.time()),
+                ),
+            )
+        _append_event(
+            conn,
+            task_id,
+            "specified",
+            {"changed_fields": changed_fields} if changed_fields else None,
+        )
+    # Outside the write_txn above, so we don't nest BEGIN IMMEDIATE — the
+    # ready-promotion pass opens its own IMMEDIATE txn. This runs the same
+    # logic the dispatcher would on its next tick, so a specified task
+    # with no open parents flips straight to 'ready' here instead of
+    # idling in 'todo' until the next sweep.
+    recompute_ready(conn)
+    return True
+
+
 def archive_task(conn: sqlite3.Connection, task_id: str) -> bool:
     with write_txn(conn):
         cur = conn.execute(

hermes_cli/kanban_specify.py

@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+"""Kanban triage specifier — flesh out a one-liner into a real spec.
+
+Used by ``hermes kanban specify [task_id | --all]``. Takes a task that
+lives in the Triage column (a rough idea, typically only a title), calls
+the auxiliary LLM to produce:
+
+  * A tightened title (optional — only replaces if the model proposes a
+    materially different one)
+  * A concrete body: goal, proposed approach, acceptance criteria
+
+and then flips the task ``triage -> todo`` via
+``kanban_db.specify_triage_task``. The dispatcher promotes it to
+``ready`` on its next tick (or immediately if there are no open parents).
+
+Design notes
+------------
+
+* This module intentionally mirrors ``hermes_cli/goals.py`` — same aux
+  client pattern, same "empty config => skip, don't crash" tolerance.
+  Keeps the surface area tiny and the failure modes predictable.
+
+* The prompt is a short system + user pair. We ask for JSON with
+  ``{title, body}``; if parsing fails, we fall back to treating the
+  whole response as the body and leave the title untouched. No
+  retry loop — one shot, keep cost bounded.
+
+* Structured output / JSON mode is not requested explicitly so the
+  specifier works on providers that don't implement it. The parse
+  is lenient (tolerates markdown code fences around the JSON).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import logging
+import os
+import re
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Optional
+
+from hermes_cli import kanban_db as kb
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+_SYSTEM_PROMPT = """You are the Kanban triage specifier for the Hermes Agent board.
+A user dropped a rough idea into the Triage column. Your job is to turn it
+into a concrete, actionable task spec that an autonomous worker can pick up
+and execute without further clarification.
+
+Output a single JSON object with exactly two keys:
+
+  {
+    "title": "<tightened task title, <= 80 chars, imperative voice>",
+    "body":  "<multi-line spec, see structure below>"
+  }
+
+The body MUST include these sections, each prefixed with a bold markdown
+heading, in this order:
+
+  **Goal** — one sentence, user-facing outcome.
+  **Approach** — 2-5 bullets on how a worker should tackle it.
+  **Acceptance criteria** — checklist of concrete, verifiable conditions.
+  **Out of scope** — short list of things NOT to touch (omit if nothing
+      obvious; never invent scope creep).
+
+Rules:
+  - Keep the tightened title close in meaning to the original idea — do
+    NOT invent a different project.
+  - If the original idea is already detailed, preserve its substance and
+    just reformat into the sections above.
+  - Never add invented requirements the user didn't hint at.
+  - No preamble, no closing remarks, no code fences around the JSON.
+  - Output only the JSON object and nothing else.
+"""
+
+
+_USER_TEMPLATE = """Task id: {task_id}
+Current title: {title}
+Current body:
+{body}
+"""
+
+
+@dataclass
+class SpecifyOutcome:
+    """Result of specifying a single triage task."""
+
+    task_id: str
+    ok: bool
+    reason: str = ""
+    new_title: Optional[str] = None
+
+
+def _truncate(text: str, limit: int) -> str:
+    if len(text) <= limit:
+        return text
+    return text[: limit - 1] + "…"
+
+
+_FENCE_RE = re.compile(r"^\s*```(?:json)?\s*|\s*```\s*$", re.IGNORECASE)
+
+
+def _extract_json_blob(raw: str) -> Optional[dict]:
+    """Lenient JSON extraction — tolerates fenced code blocks and
+    leading/trailing whitespace. Returns None if nothing parses."""
+    if not raw:
+        return None
+    stripped = _FENCE_RE.sub("", raw.strip())
+    # Greedy: find the first `{` and last `}` and try that slice.
+    first = stripped.find("{")
+    last = stripped.rfind("}")
+    if first == -1 or last == -1 or last <= first:
+        return None
+    candidate = stripped[first : last + 1]
+    try:
+        val = json.loads(candidate)
+    except (ValueError, json.JSONDecodeError):
+        return None
+    if not isinstance(val, dict):
+        return None
+    return val
+
+
+def _profile_author() -> str:
+    """Mirror of ``hermes_cli.kanban._profile_author``. Kept local to
+    avoid a circular import when kanban.py imports this module."""
+    return (
+        os.environ.get("HERMES_PROFILE")
+        or os.environ.get("USER")
+        or "specifier"
+    )
+
+
+def specify_task(
+    task_id: str,
+    *,
+    author: Optional[str] = None,
+    timeout: Optional[int] = None,
+) -> SpecifyOutcome:
+    """Specify a single triage task and promote it to ``todo``.
+
+    Returns an outcome describing what happened. Never raises for expected
+    failure modes (task not in triage, no aux client configured, API
+    error, malformed response) — those surface via ``ok=False`` so the
+    ``--all`` sweep can continue past individual failures.
+    """
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        task = kb.get_task(conn, task_id)
+    if task is None:
+        return SpecifyOutcome(task_id, False, "unknown task id")
+    if task.status != "triage":
+        return SpecifyOutcome(
+            task_id, False, f"task is not in triage (status={task.status!r})"
+        )
+
+    try:
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import get_text_auxiliary_client
+    except Exception as exc:  # pragma: no cover — import smoke test
+        logger.debug("specify: auxiliary client import failed: %s", exc)
+        return SpecifyOutcome(task_id, False, "auxiliary client unavailable")
+
+    try:
+        client, model = get_text_auxiliary_client("triage_specifier")
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug("specify: get_text_auxiliary_client failed: %s", exc)
+        return SpecifyOutcome(task_id, False, "auxiliary client unavailable")
+
+    if client is None or not model:
+        return SpecifyOutcome(
+            task_id, False, "no auxiliary client configured"
+        )
+
+    user_msg = _USER_TEMPLATE.format(
+        task_id=task.id,
+        title=_truncate(task.title or "", 400),
+        body=_truncate(task.body or "(no body)", 4000),
+    )
+
+    try:
+        resp = client.chat.completions.create(
+            model=model,
+            messages=[
+                {"role": "system", "content": _SYSTEM_PROMPT},
+                {"role": "user", "content": user_msg},
+            ],
+            temperature=0.3,
+            max_tokens=1500,
+            timeout=timeout or 120,
+        )
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.info(
+            "specify: API call failed for %s (%s) — skipping",
+            task_id, exc,
+        )
+        return SpecifyOutcome(
+            task_id, False, f"LLM error: {type(exc).__name__}"
+        )
+
+    try:
+        raw = resp.choices[0].message.content or ""
+    except Exception:
+        raw = ""
+
+    parsed = _extract_json_blob(raw)
+
+    new_title: Optional[str]
+    new_body: Optional[str]
+    if parsed is None:
+        # Fall back: treat the whole reply as the body, leave title as-is.
+        # Worst case the user edits afterward — still better than stranding
+        # the task in triage on a malformed LLM reply.
+        stripped_raw = raw.strip()
+        if not stripped_raw:
+            return SpecifyOutcome(
+                task_id, False, "LLM returned an empty response"
+            )
+        new_title = None
+        new_body = stripped_raw
+    else:
+        title_val = parsed.get("title")
+        body_val = parsed.get("body")
+        new_title = (
+            title_val.strip()
+            if isinstance(title_val, str) and title_val.strip()
+            else None
+        )
+        new_body = (
+            body_val if isinstance(body_val, str) and body_val.strip() else None
+        )
+        if new_body is None and new_title is None:
+            return SpecifyOutcome(
+                task_id, False, "LLM response missing title and body"
+            )
+
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        ok = kb.specify_triage_task(
+            conn,
+            task_id,
+            title=new_title,
+            body=new_body,
+            author=author or _profile_author(),
+        )
+    if not ok:
+        # Race: someone else promoted / archived the task between our
+        # read above and the write. Report, don't crash.
+        return SpecifyOutcome(
+            task_id, False, "task moved out of triage before promotion"
+        )
+    return SpecifyOutcome(task_id, True, "specified", new_title=new_title)
+
+
+def list_triage_ids(*, tenant: Optional[str] = None) -> list[str]:
+    """Return task ids currently in the triage column.
+
+    ``tenant`` narrows the sweep; ``None`` returns every triage task.
+    """
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tasks = kb.list_tasks(
+            conn,
+            status="triage",
+            tenant=tenant,
+            include_archived=False,
+        )
+    return [t.id for t in tasks]

plugins/kanban/dashboard/dist/index.js

@@ -1905,6 +1905,29 @@
       }).then(function () { load(); props.onRefresh(); });
     };
 
+    // Triage specifier — calls the auxiliary LLM to flesh out a rough
+    // idea in the Triage column into a concrete spec (title + body with
+    // goal, approach, acceptance criteria) and promotes it to todo.
+    // Not a PATCH: runs through a dedicated POST endpoint because the
+    // LLM call can take tens of seconds, and its outcome is richer than
+    // a status flip (may update title AND body AND emit an audit
+    // comment — or fail with a human-readable reason that the UI
+    // surfaces inline without treating it as an HTTP error).
+    const doSpecify = function () {
+      return SDK.fetchJSON(
+        withBoard(`${API}/tasks/${encodeURIComponent(props.taskId)}/specify`, boardSlug),
+        {
+          method: "POST",
+          headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+          body: JSON.stringify({}),
+        }
+      ).then(function (res) {
+        load();
+        props.onRefresh();
+        return res;
+      });
+    };
+
     const addLink = function (parentId) {
       return SDK.fetchJSON(withBoard(`${API}/links`, boardSlug), {
         method: "POST",
@@ -1994,6 +2017,7 @@
           assignees: props.assignees || [],
           boardSlug: boardSlug,
           onPatch: doPatch,
+          onSpecify: doSpecify,
           onAddParent: addLink,
           onRemoveParent: removeLink,
           onAddChild: addChild,
@@ -2062,7 +2086,11 @@
         }) : null,
         t.created_by ? h(MetaRow, { label: "Created by", value: t.created_by }) : null,
       ),
-      h(StatusActions, { task: t, onPatch: props.onPatch }),
+      h(StatusActions, {
+        task: t,
+        onPatch: props.onPatch,
+        onSpecify: props.onSpecify,
+      }),
       h(DiagnosticsSection, {
         task: t,
         boardSlug: props.boardSlug,
@@ -2495,6 +2523,8 @@
 
   function StatusActions(props) {
     const t = props.task;
+    const [specifyBusy, setSpecifyBusy] = useState(false);
+    const [specifyMsg, setSpecifyMsg] = useState(null);
     const b = function (label, patch, enabled, confirmMsg) {
       return h(Button, {
         onClick: function () { if (enabled !== false) props.onPatch(patch, { confirm: confirmMsg }); },
@@ -2502,22 +2532,67 @@
         size: "sm",
       }, label);
     };
-    return h("div", { className: "hermes-kanban-actions" },
-      b("→ triage",  { status: "triage" },   t.status !== "triage"),
-      b("→ ready",   { status: "ready" },    t.status !== "ready"),
-      // No direct → running button: /tasks/:id PATCH rejects status=running
-      // with 400 (issue #19535). Tasks enter running only through the
-      // dispatcher's claim_task path, which atomically creates the run row,
-      // claim lock, and worker process metadata.
-      b("Block",     { status: "blocked" },
-        t.status === "running" || t.status === "ready",
-        DESTRUCTIVE_TRANSITIONS.blocked),
-      b("Unblock",   { status: "ready" },    t.status === "blocked"),
-      b("Complete",  { status: "done" },
-        t.status === "running" || t.status === "ready" || t.status === "blocked",
-        DESTRUCTIVE_TRANSITIONS.done),
-      b("Archive",   { status: "archived" }, t.status !== "archived",
-        DESTRUCTIVE_TRANSITIONS.archived),
+
+    // "Specify" appears only when the task is in the Triage column — the
+    // one column where an auxiliary LLM pass is meaningful. Elsewhere
+    // the backend would return ok:false with "not in triage" anyway,
+    // so hiding the button keeps the action row uncluttered.
+    const specifyButton = (t.status === "triage" && props.onSpecify)
+      ? h(Button, {
+          onClick: function () {
+            if (specifyBusy) return;
+            setSpecifyBusy(true);
+            setSpecifyMsg(null);
+            props.onSpecify().then(function (res) {
+              if (res && res.ok) {
+                const suffix = res.new_title
+                  ? ` — retitled: ${res.new_title}`
+                  : "";
+                setSpecifyMsg({ ok: true, text: `Specified${suffix}` });
+              } else {
+                setSpecifyMsg({
+                  ok: false,
+                  text: "Specify failed: " + ((res && res.reason) || "unknown error"),
+                });
+              }
+            }).catch(function (err) {
+              setSpecifyMsg({
+                ok: false,
+                text: "Specify failed: " + (err.message || String(err)),
+              });
+            }).then(function () {
+              setSpecifyBusy(false);
+            });
+          },
+          disabled: specifyBusy,
+          size: "sm",
+        }, specifyBusy ? "Specifying…" : "✨ Specify")
+      : null;
+
+    return h("div", null,
+      h("div", { className: "hermes-kanban-actions" },
+        specifyButton,
+        b("→ triage",  { status: "triage" },   t.status !== "triage"),
+        b("→ ready",   { status: "ready" },    t.status !== "ready"),
+        // No direct → running button: /tasks/:id PATCH rejects status=running
+        // with 400 (issue #19535). Tasks enter running only through the
+        // dispatcher's claim_task path, which atomically creates the run row,
+        // claim lock, and worker process metadata.
+        b("Block",     { status: "blocked" },
+          t.status === "running" || t.status === "ready",
+          DESTRUCTIVE_TRANSITIONS.blocked),
+        b("Unblock",   { status: "ready" },    t.status === "blocked"),
+        b("Complete",  { status: "done" },
+          t.status === "running" || t.status === "ready" || t.status === "blocked",
+          DESTRUCTIVE_TRANSITIONS.done),
+        b("Archive",   { status: "archived" }, t.status !== "archived",
+          DESTRUCTIVE_TRANSITIONS.archived),
+      ),
+      specifyMsg ? h("div", {
+        className: specifyMsg.ok
+          ? "hermes-kanban-msg-ok"
+          : "hermes-kanban-msg-err",
+      }, specifyMsg.text) : null,
     );
   }
 

plugins/kanban/dashboard/dist/style.css

@@ -402,6 +402,26 @@
   gap: 0.3rem;
 }
 
+/* Specifier result banner — sits directly under the status action row. */
+.hermes-kanban-msg-ok,
+.hermes-kanban-msg-err {
+  margin-top: 0.4rem;
+  padding: 0.35rem 0.55rem;
+  border-radius: 0.375rem;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  line-height: 1.3;
+}
+.hermes-kanban-msg-ok {
+  background: rgba(46, 160, 67, 0.12);
+  color: #2ea043;
+  border: 1px solid rgba(46, 160, 67, 0.35);
+}
+.hermes-kanban-msg-err {
+  background: rgba(248, 81, 73, 0.12);
+  color: #f85149;
+  border: 1px solid rgba(248, 81, 73, 0.35);
+}
+
 /* ---- Home channel subscription toggles (per-platform, per-task) ----- */
 
 .hermes-kanban-home-subs {

plugins/kanban/dashboard/plugin_api.py

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import asyncio
 import hmac
 import json
 import logging
+import os
 import sqlite3
 import time
 from dataclasses import asdict
@@ -1011,6 +1012,61 @@ def reclaim_task_endpoint(
         conn.close()
 
 
+class SpecifyBody(BaseModel):
+    """Optional author override. Nothing else is configurable from the
+    dashboard — model + prompt come from ``auxiliary.triage_specifier``
+    in config.yaml, same as the CLI."""
+
+    author: Optional[str] = None
+
+
+@router.post("/tasks/{task_id}/specify")
+def specify_task_endpoint(
+    task_id: str,
+    payload: SpecifyBody,
+    board: Optional[str] = Query(None),
+):
+    """Flesh out a triage-column task via the auxiliary LLM and promote
+    it to ``todo``. Maps 1:1 to ``hermes kanban specify <task_id>``.
+
+    Returns the outcome shape used by the CLI: ``{ok, task_id, reason,
+    new_title}``. A non-OK outcome is NOT an HTTP error — the UI renders
+    the reason inline (e.g. "no auxiliary client configured") so the
+    operator knows what to fix, and retries without a page reload.
+
+    This endpoint runs in FastAPI's threadpool (sync ``def``) because
+    the underlying LLM call can take tens of seconds to minutes on
+    reasoning models, which would block the event loop if we used
+    ``async def`` without an explicit ``run_in_executor``.
+    """
+    board = _resolve_board(board)
+    # Pin the board for the duration of this call so the specifier module
+    # (which calls ``kb.connect()`` with no args) hits the right DB.
+    prev_env = os.environ.get("HERMES_KANBAN_BOARD")
+    try:
+        os.environ["HERMES_KANBAN_BOARD"] = board or kanban_db.DEFAULT_BOARD
+        # Import lazily so a missing auxiliary client at import time
+        # doesn't break plugin load.
+        from hermes_cli import kanban_specify  # noqa: WPS433 (intentional)
+
+        outcome = kanban_specify.specify_task(
+            task_id,
+            author=(payload.author or None),
+        )
+    finally:
+        if prev_env is None:
+            os.environ.pop("HERMES_KANBAN_BOARD", None)
+        else:
+            os.environ["HERMES_KANBAN_BOARD"] = prev_env
+
+    return {
+        "ok": bool(outcome.ok),
+        "task_id": outcome.task_id,
+        "reason": outcome.reason,
+        "new_title": outcome.new_title,
+    }
+
+
 class ReassignBody(BaseModel):
     profile: Optional[str] = None  # "" or None = unassign
     reclaim_first: bool = False

tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_cli.py

@@ -286,3 +286,58 @@ def test_run_slash_reassign_with_reclaim_flag(kanban_home):
     assert "Reassigned" in out, out
     out2 = kc.run_slash(f"show {tid}")
     assert "newbie" in out2
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# /kanban specify — slash surface (same entry point CLI + gateway use)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def test_run_slash_specify_end_to_end(kanban_home, monkeypatch):
+    """The /kanban specify slash command routes through run_slash, which
+    both the interactive CLI and every gateway platform use. This test
+    covers both surfaces."""
+    from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+    # Create a triage task via the same slash surface.
+    create_out = kc.run_slash("create 'rough idea' --triage")
+    import re
+    m = re.search(r"(t_[a-f0-9]+)", create_out)
+    assert m, f"no task id in: {create_out!r}"
+    tid = m.group(1)
+
+    # Mock the auxiliary client so we don't hit a real provider.
+    resp = MagicMock()
+    resp.choices = [MagicMock()]
+    resp.choices[0].message.content = (
+        '{"title": "Spec: rough idea", "body": "**Goal**\\nShip it."}'
+    )
+    fake_client = MagicMock()
+    fake_client.chat.completions.create = MagicMock(return_value=resp)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "agent.auxiliary_client.get_text_auxiliary_client",
+        lambda *a, **kw: (fake_client, "test-model"),
+    )
+
+    # Specify via slash.
+    out = kc.run_slash(f"specify {tid}")
+    assert "Specified" in out
+    assert tid in out
+
+    # Task is promoted and retitled.
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        task = kb.get_task(conn, tid)
+    assert task.status in {"todo", "ready"}
+    assert task.title == "Spec: rough idea"
+
+
+def test_run_slash_specify_help_is_reachable(kanban_home):
+    """`--help` on a subcommand is handled by argparse itself — it prints
+    to the process stdout and raises SystemExit before run_slash's output
+    redirection is installed, so the returned string is the usage-error
+    sentinel. All we're asserting here is that the subcommand is
+    registered (no "unknown action" error) — the shape of the help text
+    is covered by the direct argparse tests in test_kanban_specify.py."""
+    out = kc.run_slash("specify --help")
+    # Either the usage-error sentinel (stdout swallowed by argparse) or
+    # a real help rendering — both mean the subcommand exists.
+    assert "usage error" in out.lower() or "specify" in out.lower()

tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_specify.py

@@ -0,0 +1,337 @@
+"""Tests for the specifier module + `hermes kanban specify` CLI surface.
+
+The auxiliary LLM client is mocked — these tests don't hit any network or
+real provider. They exercise the prompt plumbing, response parsing, DB
+writes, and CLI flag surface.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import json as jsonlib
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+
+from hermes_cli import kanban as kanban_cli
+from hermes_cli import kanban_db as kb
+from hermes_cli import kanban_specify as spec
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def kanban_home(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    home = tmp_path / ".hermes"
+    home.mkdir()
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(home))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "home", lambda: tmp_path)
+    kb.init_db()
+    return home
+
+
+def _fake_aux_response(content: str):
+    """Build a minimal object shaped like an OpenAI chat.completions result.
+
+    The specifier only reads ``resp.choices[0].message.content``, so we
+    avoid importing the openai SDK and build the tree with MagicMock.
+    """
+    resp = MagicMock()
+    resp.choices = [MagicMock()]
+    resp.choices[0].message.content = content
+    return resp
+
+
+def _mock_client_returning(content: str):
+    client = MagicMock()
+    client.chat.completions.create = MagicMock(return_value=_fake_aux_response(content))
+    return client
+
+
+def _patch_aux_client(content: str, *, model: str = "test-model"):
+    """Patch get_text_auxiliary_client at its source + at the module that
+    imported it lazily inside specify_task. Both patches are needed
+    because kanban_specify imports the function inside the function body.
+    """
+    client = _mock_client_returning(content)
+    return patch(
+        "agent.auxiliary_client.get_text_auxiliary_client",
+        return_value=(client, model),
+    ), client
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# JSON extraction helpers
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def test_extract_json_blob_handles_plain_json():
+    raw = '{"title": "T", "body": "B"}'
+    assert spec._extract_json_blob(raw) == {"title": "T", "body": "B"}
+
+
+def test_extract_json_blob_handles_fenced_json():
+    raw = '```json\n{"title": "T", "body": "B"}\n```'
+    assert spec._extract_json_blob(raw) == {"title": "T", "body": "B"}
+
+
+def test_extract_json_blob_handles_prose_preamble():
+    raw = 'Sure! Here you go:\n{"title": "T", "body": "B"}\nThanks.'
+    assert spec._extract_json_blob(raw) == {"title": "T", "body": "B"}
+
+
+def test_extract_json_blob_returns_none_for_unparseable():
+    assert spec._extract_json_blob("no json here") is None
+    assert spec._extract_json_blob("") is None
+    assert spec._extract_json_blob("{not: valid}") is None
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# specify_task (module-level entry point)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def test_specify_task_happy_path(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="rough", triage=True)
+
+    content = jsonlib.dumps({
+        "title": "Refined rough",
+        "body": "**Goal**\nA concrete goal.",
+    })
+    p, _ = _patch_aux_client(content)
+    with p:
+        outcome = spec.specify_task(tid, author="ace")
+
+    assert outcome.ok is True
+    assert outcome.task_id == tid
+    assert outcome.new_title == "Refined rough"
+
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        task = kb.get_task(conn, tid)
+    # Parent-free → recompute_ready promotes to ready.
+    assert task.status == "ready"
+    assert task.title == "Refined rough"
+    assert "**Goal**" in (task.body or "")
+
+
+def test_specify_task_falls_back_to_body_only_on_bad_json(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="keep title", triage=True)
+
+    # Model returned plain markdown, no JSON object.
+    content = "Goal: Do a thing.\nApproach: Steps here."
+    p, _ = _patch_aux_client(content)
+    with p:
+        outcome = spec.specify_task(tid)
+
+    assert outcome.ok is True
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        t = kb.get_task(conn, tid)
+    # Title preserved (no JSON with a title key).
+    assert t.title == "keep title"
+    # Body replaced with the raw response.
+    assert "Goal:" in (t.body or "")
+
+
+def test_specify_task_rejects_non_triage_task(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="ready task")
+
+    p, client = _patch_aux_client("unused")
+    with p:
+        outcome = spec.specify_task(tid)
+
+    assert outcome.ok is False
+    assert "not in triage" in outcome.reason
+    # LLM must not be invoked for a non-triage task — fail cheap.
+    assert client.chat.completions.create.call_count == 0
+
+
+def test_specify_task_unknown_id(kanban_home):
+    p, client = _patch_aux_client("unused")
+    with p:
+        outcome = spec.specify_task("t_nope")
+    assert outcome.ok is False
+    assert "unknown task" in outcome.reason
+    assert client.chat.completions.create.call_count == 0
+
+
+def test_specify_task_no_aux_client_configured(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="rough", triage=True)
+
+    with patch(
+        "agent.auxiliary_client.get_text_auxiliary_client",
+        return_value=(None, ""),
+    ):
+        outcome = spec.specify_task(tid)
+
+    assert outcome.ok is False
+    assert "auxiliary client" in outcome.reason
+    # Task must stay in triage — we never touched it.
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, tid).status == "triage"
+
+
+def test_specify_task_llm_api_error_keeps_task_in_triage(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="rough", triage=True)
+
+    client = MagicMock()
+    client.chat.completions.create = MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("429 rate limited"))
+    with patch(
+        "agent.auxiliary_client.get_text_auxiliary_client",
+        return_value=(client, "test-model"),
+    ):
+        outcome = spec.specify_task(tid)
+
+    assert outcome.ok is False
+    assert "LLM error" in outcome.reason
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, tid).status == "triage"
+
+
+def test_specify_task_empty_llm_response(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="rough", triage=True)
+
+    p, _ = _patch_aux_client("")
+    with p:
+        outcome = spec.specify_task(tid)
+
+    assert outcome.ok is False
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, tid).status == "triage"
+
+
+def test_list_triage_ids(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        a = kb.create_task(conn, title="a", triage=True)
+        b = kb.create_task(conn, title="b", triage=True, tenant="proj-1")
+        kb.create_task(conn, title="c")  # not triage — excluded
+
+    ids_all = spec.list_triage_ids()
+    assert set(ids_all) == {a, b}
+    ids_tenant = spec.list_triage_ids(tenant="proj-1")
+    assert ids_tenant == [b]
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# CLI wiring — argparse + _cmd_specify
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _run_cli(*argv: str) -> int:
+    """Invoke the `hermes kanban …` argparse surface directly."""
+    root = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    subp = root.add_subparsers(dest="cmd")
+    kanban_cli.build_parser(subp)
+    ns = root.parse_args(["kanban", *argv])
+    return kanban_cli.kanban_command(ns)
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_requires_id_or_all(kanban_home, capsys):
+    rc = _run_cli("specify")
+    assert rc == 2
+    err = capsys.readouterr().err
+    assert "requires a task id or --all" in err
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_rejects_both_id_and_all(kanban_home, capsys):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="rough", triage=True)
+    rc = _run_cli("specify", tid, "--all")
+    assert rc == 2
+    err = capsys.readouterr().err
+    assert "either a task id OR --all" in err
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_single_id_success(kanban_home, capsys):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="rough", triage=True)
+
+    content = jsonlib.dumps({"title": "clean", "body": "body"})
+    p, _ = _patch_aux_client(content)
+    with p:
+        rc = _run_cli("specify", tid)
+    assert rc == 0
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert tid in out
+    assert "→ todo" in out or "-> todo" in out or "→" in out
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_all_success_and_json(kanban_home, capsys):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        a = kb.create_task(conn, title="a", triage=True)
+        b = kb.create_task(conn, title="b", triage=True)
+
+    content = jsonlib.dumps({"title": "spec", "body": "body"})
+    p, _ = _patch_aux_client(content)
+    with p:
+        rc = _run_cli("specify", "--all", "--json")
+    assert rc == 0
+    lines = [l for l in capsys.readouterr().out.strip().splitlines() if l]
+    # One JSON object per task + nothing else.
+    assert len(lines) == 2
+    parsed = [jsonlib.loads(l) for l in lines]
+    ids = {row["task_id"] for row in parsed}
+    assert ids == {a, b}
+    assert all(row["ok"] for row in parsed)
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_all_empty_triage_column(kanban_home, capsys):
+    rc = _run_cli("specify", "--all")
+    assert rc == 0
+    assert "No triage tasks" in capsys.readouterr().out
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_all_returns_1_when_every_task_fails(kanban_home, capsys):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        kb.create_task(conn, title="a", triage=True)
+        kb.create_task(conn, title="b", triage=True)
+
+    with patch(
+        "agent.auxiliary_client.get_text_auxiliary_client",
+        return_value=(None, ""),  # no aux client → every task fails
+    ):
+        rc = _run_cli("specify", "--all")
+
+    assert rc == 1
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_tenant_filter(kanban_home, capsys):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        outside = kb.create_task(conn, title="outside", triage=True)
+        inside = kb.create_task(
+            conn, title="inside", triage=True, tenant="proj-a",
+        )
+
+    content = jsonlib.dumps({"title": "spec", "body": "body"})
+    p, _ = _patch_aux_client(content)
+    with p:
+        rc = _run_cli("specify", "--all", "--tenant", "proj-a", "--json")
+    assert rc == 0
+    lines = [
+        jsonlib.loads(l)
+        for l in capsys.readouterr().out.strip().splitlines()
+        if l
+    ]
+    ids = {row["task_id"] for row in lines}
+    assert ids == {inside}
+
+    # The outside task stays in triage.
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, outside).status == "triage"
+        # The inside task was promoted.
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, inside).status in {"todo", "ready"}
+
+
+def test_cli_specify_author_passed_through(kanban_home, capsys):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="rough", triage=True)
+
+    content = jsonlib.dumps({"title": "fresh title", "body": "fresh body"})
+    p, _ = _patch_aux_client(content)
+    with p:
+        rc = _run_cli("specify", tid, "--author", "custom-agent")
+    assert rc == 0
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        comments = kb.list_comments(conn, tid)
+    assert comments and comments[0].author == "custom-agent"

tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_specify_db.py

@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+"""Tests for kb.specify_triage_task — the DB-layer atomic promotion
+from the triage column to todo. LLM-free by design."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+from hermes_cli import kanban_db as kb
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def kanban_home(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Isolated HERMES_HOME with an empty kanban DB."""
+    home = tmp_path / ".hermes"
+    home.mkdir()
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(home))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "home", lambda: tmp_path)
+    kb.init_db()
+    return home
+
+
+def _create_triage(conn, title="rough idea", body=None, assignee=None):
+    return kb.create_task(
+        conn,
+        title=title,
+        body=body,
+        assignee=assignee,
+        triage=True,
+    )
+
+
+def test_specify_promotes_triage_to_todo(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = _create_triage(conn, title="rough idea")
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, tid).status == "triage"
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        ok = kb.specify_triage_task(
+            conn,
+            tid,
+            title="Refined: rough idea",
+            body="**Goal**\nDo the thing.",
+            author="specifier-bot",
+        )
+    assert ok is True
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        task = kb.get_task(conn, tid)
+    # No parents → recompute_ready should have flipped it past todo to ready.
+    assert task.status == "ready"
+    assert task.title == "Refined: rough idea"
+    assert "**Goal**" in (task.body or "")
+
+
+def test_specify_with_open_parent_lands_in_todo_not_ready(kanban_home):
+    # Parent-gated specified tasks must not jump the dispatcher — they go
+    # to todo and wait for parent completion like any other gated task.
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        parent = kb.create_task(conn, title="parent work")
+        child = _create_triage(conn, title="child idea")
+        kb.link_tasks(conn, parent, child)
+        # After linking with an open parent, triage status should still be
+        # 'triage' (linking doesn't touch triage tasks).
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, child).status == "triage"
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        ok = kb.specify_triage_task(
+            conn,
+            child,
+            body="full spec",
+            author="specifier",
+        )
+    assert ok is True
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        t = kb.get_task(conn, child)
+    # Parent still open → specified child sits in 'todo', not 'ready'.
+    assert t.status == "todo"
+
+
+def test_specify_refuses_non_triage_task(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = kb.create_task(conn, title="normal task")
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, tid).status == "ready"
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        ok = kb.specify_triage_task(conn, tid, body="won't apply")
+    assert ok is False
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        # Status unchanged.
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, tid).status == "ready"
+
+
+def test_specify_returns_false_for_unknown_id(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        ok = kb.specify_triage_task(conn, "t_does_not_exist", body="x")
+    assert ok is False
+
+
+def test_specify_rejects_blank_title(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = _create_triage(conn, title="rough")
+    with kb.connect() as conn, pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        kb.specify_triage_task(conn, tid, title="   ", body="ok")
+
+
+def test_specify_emits_event(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = _create_triage(conn, title="rough")
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        kb.specify_triage_task(
+            conn, tid, title="new", body="b", author="ace"
+        )
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        events = kb.list_events(conn, tid)
+    kinds = [e.kind for e in events]
+    assert "specified" in kinds
+    # The specified event records which fields actually changed as a
+    # JSON payload under task_events.payload.
+    spec_ev = next(e for e in events if e.kind == "specified")
+    assert spec_ev.payload is not None
+    fields = spec_ev.payload.get("changed_fields") or []
+    assert "title" in fields
+    assert "body" in fields
+
+
+def test_specify_records_audit_comment_only_when_author_given(kanban_home):
+    # With author → comment added.
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid1 = _create_triage(conn, title="a")
+        kb.specify_triage_task(
+            conn, tid1, title="A-spec", body="b", author="ace"
+        )
+        comments1 = kb.list_comments(conn, tid1)
+    assert len(comments1) == 1
+    assert "Specified" in comments1[0].body
+    assert comments1[0].author == "ace"
+
+    # Without author → no comment (silent).
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid2 = _create_triage(conn, title="b")
+        kb.specify_triage_task(conn, tid2, title="B-spec", body="b")
+        comments2 = kb.list_comments(conn, tid2)
+    assert comments2 == []
+
+
+def test_specify_skips_comment_when_nothing_changed(kanban_home):
+    # Create triage task with title and body already set; pass identical
+    # values to specify. Should promote to todo but skip audit comment.
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = _create_triage(conn, title="same", body="same body")
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        ok = kb.specify_triage_task(
+            conn,
+            tid,
+            title="same",
+            body="same body",
+            author="ace",
+        )
+    assert ok is True
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        # Promoted.
+        assert kb.get_task(conn, tid).status in {"todo", "ready"}
+        # No audit comment because neither field changed.
+        assert kb.list_comments(conn, tid) == []
+
+
+def test_specify_with_only_body_preserves_title(kanban_home):
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = _create_triage(conn, title="keep this title")
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        kb.specify_triage_task(conn, tid, body="new body only")
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        t = kb.get_task(conn, tid)
+    assert t.title == "keep this title"
+    assert t.body == "new body only"
+
+
+def test_specify_second_call_noop_false(kanban_home):
+    # Promoting twice must not crash and the second call returns False
+    # because the task is no longer in triage.
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        tid = _create_triage(conn, title="once")
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        assert kb.specify_triage_task(conn, tid, body="spec") is True
+    with kb.connect() as conn:
+        assert kb.specify_triage_task(conn, tid, body="spec again") is False

tests/plugins/test_kanban_dashboard_plugin.py

@@ -1582,3 +1582,104 @@ def test_board_exposes_diagnostics_list_and_summary(client):
     assert task_dict["warnings"] is not None
     assert task_dict["warnings"]["highest_severity"] == "error"
     assert task_dict["diagnostics"][0]["kind"] == "repeated_crashes"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# POST /tasks/:id/specify — triage specifier endpoint
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _patch_specifier_response(monkeypatch, *, content, model="test-model"):
+    """Helper: install a fake auxiliary client so the specifier endpoint
+    can run without hitting any real provider."""
+    from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+    resp = MagicMock()
+    resp.choices = [MagicMock()]
+    resp.choices[0].message.content = content
+    fake_client = MagicMock()
+    fake_client.chat.completions.create = MagicMock(return_value=resp)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "agent.auxiliary_client.get_text_auxiliary_client",
+        lambda *a, **kw: (fake_client, model),
+    )
+    return fake_client
+
+
+def test_specify_happy_path(client, monkeypatch):
+    import json as jsonlib
+
+    # Create a triage task.
+    t = client.post(
+        "/api/plugins/kanban/tasks",
+        json={"title": "one-liner", "triage": True},
+    ).json()["task"]
+    assert t["status"] == "triage"
+
+    _patch_specifier_response(
+        monkeypatch,
+        content=jsonlib.dumps(
+            {"title": "Polished", "body": "**Goal**\nDo the thing."}
+        ),
+    )
+
+    r = client.post(
+        f"/api/plugins/kanban/tasks/{t['id']}/specify",
+        json={"author": "ui-tester"},
+    )
+    assert r.status_code == 200
+    body = r.json()
+    assert body["ok"] is True
+    assert body["task_id"] == t["id"]
+    assert body["new_title"] == "Polished"
+
+    # Task should have moved off the triage column.
+    detail = client.get(f"/api/plugins/kanban/tasks/{t['id']}").json()["task"]
+    assert detail["status"] in {"todo", "ready"}
+    assert detail["title"] == "Polished"
+    assert "**Goal**" in (detail["body"] or "")
+
+
+def test_specify_non_triage_returns_ok_false_not_http_error(client, monkeypatch):
+    """The endpoint intentionally returns ``{ok: false, reason: ...}`` for
+    "task not in triage" rather than a 4xx — the dashboard renders the
+    reason inline so the user can fix it without a page reload."""
+    # Create a normal (ready) task — not in triage.
+    t = client.post("/api/plugins/kanban/tasks", json={"title": "x"}).json()["task"]
+
+    _patch_specifier_response(monkeypatch, content="unused")
+
+    r = client.post(
+        f"/api/plugins/kanban/tasks/{t['id']}/specify",
+        json={},
+    )
+    assert r.status_code == 200
+    body = r.json()
+    assert body["ok"] is False
+    assert "not in triage" in body["reason"]
+
+
+def test_specify_no_aux_client_surfaces_reason(client, monkeypatch):
+    t = client.post(
+        "/api/plugins/kanban/tasks",
+        json={"title": "rough", "triage": True},
+    ).json()["task"]
+
+    # Simulate "no auxiliary client configured".
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "agent.auxiliary_client.get_text_auxiliary_client",
+        lambda *a, **kw: (None, ""),
+    )
+
+    r = client.post(
+        f"/api/plugins/kanban/tasks/{t['id']}/specify",
+        json={},
+    )
+    assert r.status_code == 200
+    body = r.json()
+    assert body["ok"] is False
+    assert "auxiliary client" in body["reason"]
+
+    # Task must stay in triage — nothing was touched.
+    detail = client.get(f"/api/plugins/kanban/tasks/{t['id']}").json()["task"]
+    assert detail["status"] == "triage"

website/docs/reference/cli-commands.md

@@ -378,6 +378,7 @@ Multi-profile, multi-project collaboration board. Each install can host many boa
 | `tail <id>` | Follow a task's event stream. |
 | `dispatch` | One dispatcher pass on the active board. Flags: `--dry-run`, `--max N`, `--json`. |
 | `context <id>` | Print the full context a worker would see (title + body + parent results + comments). |
+| `specify <id>` / `specify --all` | Flesh out a triage-column task into a concrete spec (title + body with goal, approach, acceptance criteria) via the auxiliary LLM, then promote it to `todo`. Flags: `--tenant` (scope `--all` to one tenant), `--author`, `--json`. Configure the model under `auxiliary.triage_specifier` in `config.yaml`. |
 | `gc` | Remove scratch workspaces for archived tasks. |
 
 Examples:

website/docs/user-guide/features/kanban.md

@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ hermes dashboard        # "Kanban" tab appears in the nav, after "Skills"
 ### What the plugin gives you
 
 - A **Kanban** tab showing one column per status: `triage`, `todo`, `ready`, `running`, `blocked`, `done` (plus `archived` when the toggle is on).
-  - `triage` is the parking column for rough ideas a specifier is expected to flesh out. Tasks created with `hermes kanban create --triage` (or via the Triage column's inline create) land here and the dispatcher leaves them alone until a human or specifier promotes them to `todo` / `ready`.
+  - `triage` is the parking column for rough ideas a specifier is expected to flesh out. Tasks created with `hermes kanban create --triage` (or via the Triage column's inline create) land here and the dispatcher leaves them alone until a human or specifier promotes them to `todo` / `ready`. Run `hermes kanban specify <id>` to have the auxiliary LLM expand a triage task into a concrete spec (title + body with goal, approach, acceptance criteria) and promote it to `todo` in one shot; `--all` sweeps every triage task at once. Configure which model runs the specifier under `auxiliary.triage_specifier` in `config.yaml`.
 - Cards show the task id, title, priority badge, tenant tag, assigned profile, comment/link counts, a **progress pill** (`N/M` children done when the task has dependents), and "created N ago". A per-card checkbox enables multi-select.
 - **Per-profile lanes inside Running** — toolbar checkbox toggles sub-grouping of the Running column by assignee.
 - **Live updates via WebSocket** — the plugin tails the append-only `task_events` table on a short poll interval; the board reflects changes the instant any profile (CLI, gateway, or another dashboard tab) acts. Reloads are debounced so a burst of events triggers a single refetch.
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@ hermes dashboard        # "Kanban" tab appears in the nav, after "Skills"
   - **Editable assignee / priority** — click the meta row to rewrite.
   - **Editable description** — markdown-rendered by default (headings, bold, italic, inline code, fenced code, `http(s)` / `mailto:` links, bullet lists), with an "edit" button that swaps in a textarea. Markdown rendering is a tiny, XSS-safe renderer — every substitution runs on HTML-escaped input, only `http(s)` / `mailto:` links pass through, and `target="_blank"` + `rel="noopener noreferrer"` are always set.
   - **Dependency editor** — chip list of parents and children, each with an `×` to unlink, plus dropdowns over every other task to add a new parent or child. Cycle attempts are rejected server-side with a clear message.
-  - **Status action row** (→ triage / → ready / → running / block / unblock / complete / archive) with confirm prompts for destructive transitions.
+  - **Status action row** (→ triage / → ready / → running / block / unblock / complete / archive) with confirm prompts for destructive transitions. For cards in the **Triage** column the row also exposes a **✨ Specify** button that calls the auxiliary LLM (`auxiliary.triage_specifier` in `config.yaml`) to expand the one-liner into a concrete spec (title + body with goal, approach, acceptance criteria) and promote the task to `todo`. The same behaviour is reachable from the CLI (`hermes kanban specify <id>` / `--all`), from any gateway platform (`/kanban specify <id>`), and programmatically via `POST /api/plugins/kanban/tasks/:id/specify`.
   - Result section (also markdown-rendered), comment thread with Enter-to-submit, the last 20 events.
 - **Toolbar filters** — free-text search, tenant dropdown (defaults to `dashboard.kanban.default_tenant` from `config.yaml`), assignee dropdown, "show archived" toggle, "lanes by profile" toggle, and a **Nudge dispatcher** button so you don't have to wait for the next 60 s tick.
 
@@ -496,6 +496,7 @@ All routes are mounted under `/api/plugins/kanban/` and protected by the dashboa
 | `PATCH` | `/tasks/:id` | Status / assignee / priority / title / body / result |
 | `POST` | `/tasks/bulk` | Apply the same patch (status / archive / assignee / priority) to every id in `ids`. Per-id failures reported without aborting siblings |
 | `POST` | `/tasks/:id/comments` | Append a comment |
+| `POST` | `/tasks/:id/specify` | Run the triage specifier — auxiliary LLM fleshes out the task body and promotes it from `triage` to `todo`. Returns `{ok, task_id, reason, new_title}`; `ok=false` with a human-readable reason on "not in triage" / no aux client / LLM error is a 200, not a 4xx |
 | `POST` | `/links` | Add a dependency (`parent_id` → `child_id`) |
 | `DELETE` | `/links?parent_id=…&child_id=…` | Remove a dependency |
 | `POST` | `/dispatch?max=…&dry_run=…` | Nudge the dispatcher — skip the 60 s wait |
@@ -588,6 +589,8 @@ hermes kanban notify-list [<id>] [--json]
 hermes kanban notify-unsubscribe <id>
         --platform <name> --chat-id <id> [--thread-id <id>]
 hermes kanban context <id>                             # what a worker sees
+hermes kanban specify [<id> | --all] [--tenant T]      # flesh out a triage-column idea
+        [--author NAME] [--json]                       #   into a full spec and promote to todo
 hermes kanban gc [--event-retention-days N]            # workspaces + old events + old logs
         [--log-retention-days N]
 ```
@@ -605,6 +608,8 @@ Every `hermes kanban <action>` verb is also reachable as `/kanban <action>` —
 /kanban comment t_abcd "looks good, ship it"
 /kanban unblock t_abcd
 /kanban dispatch --max 3
+/kanban specify t_abcd                  # flesh out a triage one-liner into a real spec
+/kanban specify --all --tenant engineering  # sweep every triage task in one tenant
 ```
 
 Quote multi-word arguments the same way you would on a shell — `run_slash` parses the rest of the line with `shlex.split`, so `"..."` and `'...'` both work.
@@ -658,7 +663,7 @@ The board supports these eight patterns without any new primitives:
 | **P6 `@mention`** | inline routing from prose | `@reviewer look at this` |
 | **P7 Thread-scoped workspace** | `/kanban here` in a thread | per-project gateway threads |
 | **P8 Fleet farming** | one profile, N subjects | 50 social accounts |
-| **P9 Triage specifier** | rough idea → `triage` → specifier expands body → `todo` | "turn this one-liner into a spec' task" |
+| **P9 Triage specifier** | rough idea → `triage` → `hermes kanban specify` expands body → `todo` | "turn this one-liner into a spec'd task" |
 
 For worked examples of each, see `docs/hermes-kanban-v1-spec.pdf`.