the language
when
LOCAL business condition · evaluated POST-gate over {vars · env · with · item · index} — tasks.* is illegal here (NIKA-VAR-021 · hoist into with:). false → skipped (spec/03-dag.md §when). One of 59 words the served contract declares, projected from workflow.schema.json, the same file your editor validates against.
- 2surfacestask · on_finally
- optionaleverywherea choice, never a miss
- boolean | stringtypethe declared shape
- 3skeletonscarry this key
the contract
2 declarationsDescriptions are the schema's own; the deeper invariants (value languages and regexes) ride the same projection. A miss is a nika check finding before anything runs.
- task
boolean | stringcel-expressionLOCAL business condition · evaluated POST-gate over {vars · env · with · item · index} — tasks.* is illegal here (NIKA-VAR-021 · hoist into with:). false → skipped (spec/03-dag.md §when).one step of the plan- on_finally
boolean | stringcel-expressionCleanup condition · may read the PARENT task's record (tasks.<parent>.status / .error — the only legal tasks.* target inside on_finally · spec/03-dag.md §on_finally).inside an on_finally step
in a real file
from the gate-and-act skeleton act: with: value: ${{ tasks.check.value }} # the binding IS the edge · check → act # when: is a SKIP gate — routing, not failure (a skipped task is not an error) when: ${{ with.value > const.threshold }} # SLOT: the CEL condition invoke: tool: "nika:notify" # SLOT: the action · notify / write / exec args: channel: webhook target: "${{ secrets.webhook }}" message: "Threshold crossed · ${{ with.value }}" # SLOT severity: warninga verbatim slice, real line numbers from gate-and-act.nika.yaml, conformance-gated upstream on every spec push. open the full skeleton →
cross-references
skeletons that carry it
the check gates that name it
from the blog
defined by
the block it lives in
task: one step of the plan
The whole grammar in one place: the four verbs · the standard library · the spec. Try it in the playground. Read the reference →