> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nika.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# after

> Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.

[Language reference](/reference/language/overview) / `after`

## Meaning and placement

### task

The CONTROL boundary · \{producer-task: predicate}. Each entry is one control edge (spec/03-dag.md §after). State, never data — observe outcomes through with:.

| Property             | Declaration                    |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Requirement          | Optional in this object        |
| Schema location      | `/$defs/task/properties/after` |
| type                 | "object"                       |
| additionalProperties | false                          |

**In the same object:** [agent](/reference/language/words/agent) · [exec](/reference/language/words/exec) · [extract](/reference/language/words/extract) · [for\_each](/reference/language/words/for_each) · [group](/reference/language/words/group) · [infer](/reference/language/words/infer) · [invoke](/reference/language/words/invoke) · [lift](/reference/language/words/lift) · [on\_error](/reference/language/words/on_error) · [retry](/reference/language/words/retry) · [returns](/reference/language/words/returns) · [timeout](/reference/language/words/timeout) · [when](/reference/language/words/when) · [with](/reference/language/words/with)

[Schema source (use the pointer above)](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/blob/c5ebbb7b862b68bc6cf7235efba61173b844afc6/schemas/workflow.schema.json)

## In a source template

Excerpt from `templates/corpus-qa.nika.yaml`, source lines 46–55. This is a fragment, not a runnable workflow.

```yaml illustration theme={"system"}
        message: "One corpus id names conflicting source text"

  index_once:
    after:
      duplicates_consistent: success
    invoke:
      tool: nika:jq
      args:
        input: ${{ const.documents }}
        expression: "sort_by(.id) | unique_by(.id)"
```

### Templates containing this field

| Template                                 | Source                                                                                                                                         |
| ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `templates/corpus-qa.nika.yaml`          | [Line 49](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/blob/c5ebbb7b862b68bc6cf7235efba61173b844afc6/templates/corpus-qa.nika.yaml#L49)          |
| `templates/document-to-fields.nika.yaml` | [Line 57](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/blob/c5ebbb7b862b68bc6cf7235efba61173b844afc6/templates/document-to-fields.nika.yaml#L57) |
| `templates/etl-state.nika.yaml`          | [Line 120](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/blob/c5ebbb7b862b68bc6cf7235efba61173b844afc6/templates/etl-state.nika.yaml#L120)        |
| `templates/fanout.nika.yaml`             | [Line 160](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/blob/c5ebbb7b862b68bc6cf7235efba61173b844afc6/templates/fanout.nika.yaml#L160)           |
| `templates/human-gated-ship.nika.yaml`   | [Line 132](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/blob/c5ebbb7b862b68bc6cf7235efba61173b844afc6/templates/human-gated-ship.nika.yaml#L132) |

These are literal key occurrences in the source files, not an execution or conformance claim. [How to instantiate a template](/guides/templates).

## Contract and implementation

This page projects the named specification revision. Check [released engine status](/reference/status) and [the validation workflow](/guides/agent-authoring) before running a file. An optional field is not evidence that every engine supports every value.

Canonical identity: `language:word:after`. Spec revision: [`c5ebbb7b862b`](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/tree/c5ebbb7b862b68bc6cf7235efba61173b844afc6).

[How documentation stays connected](/reference/knowledge-system).