µTask

µTask is an automation engine for multi-step operational processes. You describe a workflow as a YAML template — a set of inputs, a graph of steps, and the dependencies between them — and µTask handles asynchronous execution, transient error retries, and an encrypted audit trail of every intermediate state. It was built by OVH, one of Europe’s largest cloud providers, for their own internal operations.

The feature that distinguishes it from simpler job runners is the human-in-the-loop step. A workflow can pause mid-execution and present a form to an operator for input or approval before continuing. This makes it practical for processes that cannot be fully automated: a payment antifraud check that escalates to human review when a risk score is ambiguous, or an employee onboarding flow that needs the new hire to submit an SSH public key before account provisioning can proceed.

The execution model is asynchronous and fault-tolerant. µTask works its way through the dependency graph, retrying individual steps on transient failures without re-running the steps that already succeeded. Each run keeps a full encrypted record of inputs, outputs, and state transitions, which makes it suitable for regulated environments where you need to show what happened and when.

The tool comes with a web dashboard for requesting new tasks, monitoring running ones, and browsing available templates. The REST API covers the same surface, making it straightforward to trigger workflows from external systems.

The cost is complexity. Authoring templates requires understanding the dependency graph model, and extending µTask with custom step types requires writing Go. This is a tool for platform and DevOps teams, not a no-code workflow builder.

µTask: Pros & Cons