---
name: reply-with-task-status-in-origin-thread
description: People should not have to chase you to learn where a job stands.
category: Knowledge System Maintenance
stage: —
definitive_article: https://blitzmetrics.com/always-reply/
status: needs-work
---

# Reply with task status in the original thread

People should not have to chase you to learn where a job stands. This guide helps you give a short, useful reply in the place that asked. Start by checking the real work and the exact thread.

**The path:** Original ask → Real state → Useful reply → Verified send

**Start when:** A received task needs acknowledgment, a meaningful state update, or a checked outcome reply.

## Inputs

- The exact originating thread and direct question, with request time.
- Actual work state, proof, next date/owner and any absence coverage.
- Existing authority to send to those recipients in that channel.

## Steps

1. Open the exact thread and read the request, recipients and latest replies. Confirm you owe the answer; a copied notification alone does not make you the task owner.
2. Check the work in its source system. Choose done, doing, blocked or parked from evidence. A draft, merge or sent message alone may not prove the requested outcome.
3. Write the appropriate short line: done with result/location; doing with a defensible next date; blocked with the exact dependency/owner; parked with reason and living owner. Do not use an empty acknowledgment.
4. Reply within the standing 24-hour rule. If already late, give the real state now and preserve the actual send time. If away, name agreed coverage rather than a guessed substitute.
5. Send in that thread under existing communication authority. If sending is not authorized, save the exact draft and record the sending gate; another thread does not count as this reply.
6. Check the sent copy’s recipients, thread and content. Keep any promised next step in the actual work record and update this thread when the state materially changes.

## Definition of done (QA checklist)

[Quality assurance (QA)](https://localservicespotlight.com/article-guidelines/) means checking the work against the agreed result.

- [ ] Reply answers the direct ask with truthful state and next action.
- [ ] Original thread/recipients and actual send time are verified, or draft-only state is explicit.
- [ ] Done has evidence; dates, dependencies and coverage are not invented.

## Example(s)

**Fictional teaching example. This is not a client result or proof of a completed run.**

A fictional repair is saved but its public page is stale. The reply says: “Doing. The source is saved; I’m checking the public copy. Next update tomorrow at 10:00.” It does not say done. A reply posted in another project would still leave the original requester without an answer.

## Handoff and Content Factory context

This work supports the [Content Factory, our four stages of using real content](https://blitzmetrics.com/content-factory/): Produce → Process → Post → Promote. Use the specific inputs and next task below to place the work; a maintenance task does not manufacture transcripts, clips or other stage outputs it does not call for.

The named task owner keeps the next action; use the same original thread for any required later status.

## Run with an agent

Give the AI worker this recipe, the real Inputs above, the intended result and the actions already authorized. Ask it to return the saved output, checks, evidence and remaining owner. Check its work against this guide; loading a skill does not prove access, installation of a job, or successful execution. Keep media muted with volume at zero if playback is needed.

For recurring work, keep the actual trigger, owner and runtime in the job record. Scheduling and observed firings are separate. Do not create a schedule merely because this guide mentions a review interval.

## Record the real execution

Open the run record when the work starts. Keep the exact starting recipe revision, one execution ID, source evidence and actual state. Write a [meta article, the record of one run](https://blitzmetrics.com/meta-article-prompt/) with decisions, results, checks, failures and next owner. Link it to this task and register it through the [Task Library](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/) execution process. Writing is part of the work; public release follows existing authority.

Reuse the same execution ID for revisions, QA, meta writing and retries within that run. A blocked run stays open with its dependency and next owner; do not invent a finish time. Use supported findings to propose and verify a better recipe. A historical public-example count without distinct run IDs remains dated article volume, not verified execution frequency.


<!-- factory-layer:start -->

## Factory chain (do not treat this as isolated)

- **Phase:** —
- **Importance:** 2/5 `●●○○○` — frequency 2, revenue 1, gating 2 (supporting)
- **Suggested previous station:** —
- **Suggested next station:** —
These stations are generated neighbors, not verified prerequisites or handoffs. Follow the task’s actual Inputs and Handoff sections.
- **Handoff:** Save this task’s actual output, source, date and checks where the receiving owner can read them. Follow the Inputs and Handoff sections for its next step.

## Model routing (same factory, any engine)

- **This task's lane:** `any` — Any capable chat model (Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini). SOP following, drafts, checklists.
- **Single-engine path:** Use the capable AI app you already have. Check its required tools and access before starting. Pass the actual result and proof to the next task.
- **Optional multi-engine:** A tested local model may draft; a stronger model may review facts and voice. Use supported tools for approved actions. Pick models from observed quality and cost; a model name does not prove it can run this task.
- **Never** store the working state in one vendor's memory. Files in the Content Library are the bridge.

<!-- factory-layer:end -->
## Definitive article & links

- [Maintained source guide](https://blitzmetrics.com/always-reply/)
- [This task in the Task Library](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/?task=reply-with-task-status-in-origin-thread#task-reply-with-task-status-in-origin-thread)
- [Article Guidelines](https://localservicespotlight.com/article-guidelines/)
- [current article guide](https://blitzmetrics.com/definitive-article-guide/)
- [How recipes and run records work together](https://localservicespotlight.com/meta-articles/)

## Review and evidence still needed

The inherited contributor status is `needs-work`. It is preserved, not promoted by this rewrite. That label alone does not verify document readiness, a client outcome, access or an executed task.

A real execution still needs its own source, reviewer, saved result and handoff evidence. The fictional example teaches the method; a real example with relevant proof is still needed where required. The task-specific flow above is source guidance; its visible presentation and the full document need a named reviewer and desktop/mobile checks.