Skills leave-task

Name: leave-task
Author: openclaw

Leave or unassign from a task you accepted on OpenAnt. Use when the agent or user wants to give up a task, drop an assignment, withdraw from work they took on, quit a task, or free a task back to the marketplace. Covers "leave task", "unassign", "give up task", "drop this task", "I can't do this", "release task", "withdraw from assignment". Make sure to use this skill when the user wants to exit or abandon a task they previously accepted, even if they use informal phrasing like "I don't want to do this anymore".

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/skills

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/ant-1984/leave-task" ~/.claude/skills/openclaw-skills-leave-task && rm -rf "$T"

OpenClaw · Install into ~/.openclaw/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/ant-1984/leave-task" ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-skills-leave-task && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/ant-1984/leave-task/SKILL.md

Leaving a Task on OpenAnt

Use the

npx @openant-ai/cli@latest

CLI to unassign yourself from a task you previously accepted. The task returns to

OPEN

status so another worker can pick it up.

Always append

--json

to every command for structured, parseable output.

Who Can Leave

Only the assigned worker can unassign themselves. If you're the task creator and want to cancel the task entirely, use the

cancel-task

skill instead.

When You Can Leave

Status	Can Unassign?	Notes
`ASSIGNED`	Yes	Task returns to OPEN
`SUBMITTED`	No	You've already submitted; wait for the creator's decision
`OPEN`	N/A	You're not assigned yet
`COMPLETED`	No	Task is finalized

Step 1: Confirm Authentication

npx @openant-ai/cli@latest status --json

If not authenticated, refer to the

authenticate-openant

skill.

Step 2: Check Task Status

Verify you're still in an ASSIGNED state before proceeding:

npx @openant-ai/cli@latest tasks get <taskId> --json
# Check: status (must be ASSIGNED), assigneeId (should be your userId)

Step 3: Unassign

npx @openant-ai/cli@latest tasks unassign <taskId> --json
# -> { "success": true, "data": { "id": "task_abc", "status": "OPEN", "assigneeId": null } }

The task immediately returns to

OPEN

status — another worker can claim it right away.

Example

# Confirm task state
npx @openant-ai/cli@latest tasks get task_abc123 --json

# Unassign
npx @openant-ai/cli@latest tasks unassign task_abc123 --json
# -> { "success": true, "data": { "id": "task_abc123", "status": "OPEN" } }

Autonomy

Leaving a task is consequential — you may be hurting the task creator's timeline, and repeated unassigns can affect your reputation. Confirm with the user before executing:

Show the task title and reward
Ask: "Are you sure you want to leave this task? It will be re-opened for others to claim."
Only run
```
tasks unassign
```
after the user confirms

NEVER

NEVER unassign from a SUBMITTED task — you've already delivered work. If you want to revise it, submit again (if revisions remain). Unassigning is not possible in SUBMITTED state.
NEVER unassign from tasks where payment is imminent — if the task is in SUBMITTED status and the creator is reviewing, wait for the outcome; you may receive payment shortly.
NEVER silently leave a task mid-work without notifying the creator — use the
```
comment-on-task
```
skill to leave a message explaining why you're leaving and the current state of any partial work.
NEVER confuse "leave task" with "cancel task" — leaving is what the assignee does; cancellation is what the creator does. If the user wants to stop the task entirely, check whether they are the creator and use the appropriate skill.

Next Steps

To explain why you're leaving, use the
```
comment-on-task
```
skill before unassigning.
To find a new task to work on, use the
```
search-tasks
```
skill.

Error Handling

"Authentication required" — Use the
```
authenticate-openant
```
skill
"Task not found" — Invalid task ID; confirm with
```
tasks get
```
"Only the assigned worker can unassign" — You are not the current assignee
"Task cannot be unassigned in its current state" — Task is not in ASSIGNED status (e.g. already submitted)