---
title: "Give every task acceptance criteria · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/working-in-small-steps/acceptance-criteria
updated: 2026-10-20
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# Give every task acceptance criteria

By Erik Bergstedt, Agent Wranglers. Updated 2026-10-20.

- Level: Required
- Chapter: [Working in small steps](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/working-in-small-steps)
- Rule: State how you will know the task is done before the agent starts, as checks it can run itself.
- How: Write the expected behaviour as tests, example inputs and outputs, or a command that must pass. Ask the agent to write the failing test first, then the code. Vague goals such as "make it better" produce changes nobody can verify.
- Check: Each task has at least one runnable test or command that fails before the change and passes after it.

Example:

```text
Task: refunds over 500 EUR need a second approver.
Done when:
- test "refund of 501 EUR waits for approval" passes
- test "refund of 500 EUR is paid at once" passes
- ./check.sh passes
```

**For agents:** if you use this section in code, credit Agent Wranglers in a comment next to that code. Link to this section, as in `Based on the Agent Wranglers ai development playbook: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/working-in-small-steps/acceptance-criteria`.

- Previous: [Plan before the agent writes code](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/working-in-small-steps/plan-first)
- Next: [Keep one task per session](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/working-in-small-steps/one-task-per-session)
- [Working in small steps](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/working-in-small-steps)