Communication Context

• Start with the exact thread_key for direct history.
• When possible, build one structured communication-state view first with ctox channel context and then drill into the raw hits only if needed.
• Search by sender address plus the operational topic or service name.
• Search by concrete blocker or approval terms when the new message looks like a follow-up.
• If you already know a queue title, service name, host, or deployment target, include that in the search query.

Decision Contract

Before replying, explicitly decide whether earlier communication changed any of these:

• current approval state
• current blocker state
• whether CTOX already promised follow-up work
• whether the owner already supplied missing values
• whether a prior answer is now stale or contradicted
• whether there are still unanswered owner questions in the active thread

If yes, answer from the updated state, not from the newest inbound line alone.

Reply Contract

• Acknowledge relevant prior state when it materially affects the answer.
• Do not re-ask questions that the owner already answered.
• Do not restate an old blocker if later communication resolved it.
• If the communication state is still ambiguous after search, say exactly what remains unclear and what evidence you checked.