Polymath Zero

Developers

Work item (case model)

Work is the primary unit in Zero. Each Work item — a bug, feature, epic, refactor, or greenfield project — is stored internally as a case and tracks structured engineering intent from definition to verified resolution.

Object shape

{
  "id": "uuid-v4",
  "title": "auth timeout on /api/login",
  "state": "VERIFYING",
  "outcome": null,
  "session_count": 4,
  "summary": "JWT expiry check uses < instead of <=",
  "tags": ["bug", "auth"],
  "project_id": "uuid-v4",
  "archived": false,
  "blocked_reason": null,
  "wont_fix_reason": null,
  "assignee_id": null,
  "schema_version": 2,
  "created_at": "2026-04-21T09:00:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-04-23T14:32:00Z"
}

Fields

FieldDescription
idUUID v4. Stable identifier for the Work item.
titleShort descriptive name. Set at creation.
stateCurrent execution state. See Work item states.
outcomeSet when resolved. See Outcomes.
session_countNumber of sessions run on this Work item.
summaryShort plain-text summary. Written during planning.
tagsString array of operator-assigned tags.
project_idParent project UUID, if assigned.
archivedWhether the Work item is archived.
blocked_reasonSet when state is BLOCKED. Null otherwise.
wont_fix_reasonSet when operator marks Work as won't fix.
githubPresent if Work item was imported from a GitHub issue. Contains owner, repo, issue_number, issue_url, linked_pr_numbers.
schema_versionInternal schema version for migration compatibility.

State transitions via API

PUT /cases/:id/state
{ "state": "INVESTIGATING" }

Returns 422 if the transition is not allowed.

Related: Session model, API reference.