What is task mining?
Task mining records what people do on their computers (clicks, keystrokes, apps and screens) with an agent installed on each desktop, then maps how tasks really get done. It produces a map of the work; automating it goes to an RPA team, IT or a partner.
Best when the work lives entirely in desktop applications, legacy terminals or virtual desktops with no usable system of record, or when the goal is detailed productivity and time-use measurement and the organization is prepared for a desktop monitoring rollout.
How Caddi's approach is different
Caddi is the end-to-end process automation solution. It doesn't stop at discovering your processes: it also builds the automation that replaces them and governs every run.
- Cheaper. Free to start. No six-figure contract, no data-volume pricing.
- Faster. Findings in 15 to 30 minutes. No event logs, desktop agents or consultants.
- Agentic first. The AI forms hypotheses about how your work runs and validates each one against your data.
- Build it right away. The person who does the work builds the automation. No IT project.
- Governed. Every run and decision is logged and reviewable. No black box.
Task mining is the desktop-level cousin of process mining. Where process mining reads system event logs, task mining installs an agent on employee computers that captures user interactions (clicks, keystrokes, application and window changes, often screenshots) and uses machine learning, sometimes computer vision, to group them into tasks and show how work is actually done, including the copy-and-paste between apps that no system log ever records.
It fills a real blind spot, but it comes with a real cost: a recorder on every desktop, which means a privacy review, a works council or employee conversation, and an IT rollout before the first insight. And like process mining, it stops at the map. Caddi takes a different route. Caddi Discover reads the systems of record a firm already uses, read only, with no desktop agent, then Caddi Automate lets the person who does the work build the automation and Govern logs every run and decision. Discover, Automate, Govern, without recording anyone's screen.
How task mining works, and what it asks of your people
A task mining program starts with deployment. An agent, sometimes called a recorder or collector, is installed on the desktops or virtual desktops of the team being studied. For a set period, often weeks, it captures user interactions: which application is in focus, which fields are clicked, what is typed, and in many products periodic screenshots that are processed with optical character recognition or computer vision. The data is then clustered into tasks and variants, so analysts can see that a claims handler copies the same seven fields from an email into a policy system forty times a day.
The common vendors are Skan.ai, Mimica, KYP.ai, Soroco, UiPath Task Mining and Celonis Task Mining, and Microsoft's Power Automate includes a desktop recorder for capturing task steps. Most offer masking and redaction, and the serious ones take privacy seriously. Even so, the rollout means a privacy and security review, an employee or works council conversation about being recorded, and IT packaging an agent for every machine in scope. Many programs stall right there.
The larger issue is what happens after the map. Task mining produces a list of automation candidates, and the build goes to an RPA team, IT or a partner, usually as screen-level bots that break when a UI changes. The recorder measures activity; it does not see or govern the automations someone builds later. Caddi Discover reads the same work where it lands, in the systems of record, and carries it straight through Automate and Govern.
Morning Inbox Triage and Matter Filing
Read each new message in Outlook, open any Docusign envelope, match it to the matter in Clio and file the executed copy to NetDocuments.
Microsoft Outlook
Docusign
Clio
NetDocumentsWhat Caddi saw
- 1,204messages read in Outlook in the last 30 days
- 418Docusign envelopes opened from those messages
- 412matters matched in Clio and filed to NetDocuments
- 6exceptions raised for review in Teams
Why it’s worth automating
Every message already names the client and the matter. The four steps are the same each time, and the tools never talk to each other, so you carry the details between them by hand.
Reads the tools you already use, read only. No event logs, no desktop agents.
- Microsoft Outlook
Gmail- Clio
- NetDocuments
iManage
Salesforce
Wealthbox
Redtail
Box- Docusign
QuickBooks
HubSpot- 150+ tools
Task mining vs. Discover, Automate, Govern
Three differences separate desktop task mining from Caddi. Each removes a hand-off or a rollout between spotting repeated work and getting the hours back.
Discover: the systems of record, not a recorder on every desktop
Caddi Discover installs nothing on employee machines and records no screens or keystrokes. It reads the activity already in the tools a firm has connected (Clio, iManage, NetDocuments, Outlook and Microsoft 365, Gmail, Salesforce, Wealthbox, Redtail, Box, DocuSign and more), under the access the user already has, read only, always. It forms hypotheses about which processes are running, checks them against the data, and shows only what the data supports, ranked by hours. No agent rollout, no weeks of capture: a first run usually takes 15 to 30 minutes.
Automate: the person who does the work builds it, over APIs
Task mining hands its candidate list to an RPA team or IT, who build screen-level bots. With Caddi, the ops person teaches the workflow once over a screen-share, or clicks "Build next" on a Discover finding, and Caddi Automate builds it as verified code that runs over APIs across 150+ tools. No IT project, no RPA developer, and no selectors to break when an application updates.
Govern: review the automations, not the employees
Task mining measures people's activity. Govern points the other way: it gives a firm-wide view of the work done by AI and by people, and logs every run and every decision of every automation so it is reviewable and traceable to source. No black box, and no monitoring of anyone's screen.
Task mining vs. Caddi, at a glance
| Task mining | Caddi | |
|---|---|---|
| How it finds work | Desktop agent records clicks, keys and screens | Reads connected systems of record, read only |
| Setup | Agent install, privacy review, weeks of capture | Connect tools; findings in 15 to 30 minutes |
| Employee experience | Desktops recorded during the study | Nothing installed, no screen recording |
| Sees work outside systems of record | Yes, including desktop apps and terminals | No; sees what lands in connected tools |
| After the map | Candidate list handed to RPA or IT | "Build next" turns the finding into an automation |
| Who builds the automation | RPA developers, IT or a partner | The ops person, over a screen-share |
| Governance of automations | Measures activity, not automations | Every run and decision logged and reviewable |
| Pricing | Mostly quote-only enterprise contracts | Free Individual plan; Team $250 per user per month |
How they score where it counts
Which fits your situation?
Both models have a place. Tap the scenario closest to yours to see which approach wins, and why.
Which fits your situation?
Task mining
If the work never lands in a connected system, only a desktop recorder can see it. Task mining is the right tool for that job.
Choosing task mining software in 2026
Caddi runs the whole journey without watching anyone's screen: Discover reads the systems of record, read only, the ops person builds the automation with Automate, and Govern logs every run and decision. Discover and Automate are on the free Individual plan. See how Discover works, browse the 150+ tools it connects to, or book a demo.
Related
- What is process mining?
- What is process intelligence?
- Caddi vs. Skan.ai
- Caddi vs. Mimica
- Caddi vs. KYP.ai
- Caddi vs. UiPath Process Mining
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Frequently asked questions
What is task mining?
Task mining is a technique that captures how people do their work on the desktop, using an agent installed on employee computers to record clicks, keystrokes, application switches and often screenshots. Machine learning then groups those interactions into tasks and variants, showing repeated work, time spent and candidates for automation.
What is the difference between task mining and process mining?
Process mining reconstructs end-to-end processes from system event logs, so it sees cases moving through ERP and CRM systems but not what happens on a person's screen. Task mining records the desktop, so it sees the clicks, copy-and-paste and app switching inside a task but needs an agent on every machine. They are often combined. Caddi Discover is a third option: it reads the activity in connected systems of record, read only, with no event-log extraction and no desktop recorder.
What is UiPath Task Mining?
UiPath Task Mining is UiPath's desktop task mining product. A recorder installed on employee machines captures user actions and screenshots, and machine learning identifies repeated tasks that could be automated. The automations themselves are then built by RPA developers in UiPath Studio, typically through a center of excellence. Caddi takes a different path: Discover reads the systems of record without a recorder, and the ops person builds the automation with Automate over APIs.
Is task mining a privacy concern?
It can be. Recording clicks, keystrokes and screenshots on employee machines usually requires a privacy and security review, clear employee communication and, in some countries, works council agreement. Vendors offer masking, redaction and anonymization, and those help. Caddi Discover avoids the question: it installs nothing on desktops and records no screens, reading only the connected tools under the access the user already has.
How much does task mining software cost?
Most task mining vendors, including Skan.ai, Mimica and KYP.ai, sell by quote on enterprise contracts, and the platform suites bundle task mining into larger process mining or automation licenses. Caddi's Individual plan is free and includes Discover and Automate; Team is $250 per user per month and adds Govern.
What happens after task mining finds an automation candidate?
Usually a hand-off: the candidate list goes to an RPA team, IT or an implementation partner, who build bots that replay screen actions and need maintenance when interfaces change. In Caddi, a Discover finding has a "Build next" button, the person who does the work shows Caddi the workflow once, Automate builds it as verified code over APIs, and Govern logs every run and decision.