The software world
TODO list
todos · task list
The running checklist Claude writes for itself when a task has several steps, shown in the chat with items moving from pending to in-progress to done. It's how Claude keeps a multi-step job organised, and how you watch the work from outside.
Why it matters
Part of Tasks too big for one prompt → It turns a long task from a spinner into something legible: you can see which step it's on, what's still coming, and — most usefully — the seams between steps, which are the cleanest moments to interrupt. Treat it as a live view, not a contract: Claude revises the list as it learns, which is a feature. If a step on it is wrong, say so while it's still pending.
see also