Adding in Goal Type as a field in the goals-api

English Forum Developers & API
1

Summary

Request to add a goal_type field to the Goals API that allows programmatic setting and updating of goal types (e.g., “Objective” vs standard goals) through API endpoints.

Problem Statement

Currently, the Asana Goals API does not expose a goal_type or equivalent field that allows users to programmatically set whether a goal is an “Objective” type goal versus a standard goal. This functionality is available in the Asana web UI but is not accessible via the API.

This creates a workflow gap where:

  1. Goals must be created via API for automation and scale

  2. Goal types must then be manually updated in the UI

  3. This breaks automation workflows and creates additional manual work

Alternative Workarounds Considered

  1. Manual UI Updates: Not scalable for organizations with many goals

  2. Using is_workspace_level flag: Does not provide the same semantic meaning or UI display

  3. Naming conventions: Prone to errors and doesn’t provide proper filtering/reporting

None of these provide the same functionality as native goal type support.

Similar API Patterns

This request follows established Asana API patterns:

  • Tasks have resource_subtype field (e.g., “default_task”, “milestone”, “approval”)

  • Projects have various type indicators

  • Custom fields have resource_subtype to distinguish field types

Goals should similarly expose their type classification.

2

Hi @Shazeb_Awab and welcome to the forum!

You’re right — that field isn’t currently exposed in the API. My guess is that it wasn’t initially included because it doesn’t directly affect the functionality of the goal itself. However, I can definitely see how it could be useful in certain use cases.

Your request sounds like great feedback for our API team. Could you please submit it through the Developer Feedback Form? That’s the best way to make sure it reaches the right people for review and consideration.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and help improve Asana!

Best,
Dominik