Answering closes the operator's part of a decision without turning the answer into a loose message. The operator chooses an option on one card and may add a note. ROOK records that return against the card that asked, then carries it to a fresh coding session.
The binding is the important part. It keeps one choice attached to one decision even when several cards are open across different work threads.
[Visual 2.3 — An answer path running right to left from an operator's selected option. The answer enters the on-device record beside a matching card key, passes a checkpoint labelled "same open card", and reaches a fresh coding session on the originating thread. Two faint unmatched cards sit outside the path with blocked arrows, showing that the answer cannot be applied to either one.]
Choose and record
The card presents its concrete options with their consequences and a recommendation. The operator selects one and can attach a note in their own words. The note travels with the choice; ROOK does not paraphrase it through another model.
The recorded answer points to the originating card. If the reference does not identify the card that is waiting for it, it is not applied as though it belonged somewhere else. This makes the return path explicit rather than relying on recency or a shared conversation.
Continue in fresh context
For a parked thread, the recorded answer is the event that lets work continue. ROOK starts a fresh coding session with the card, the answer and the documented thread state. The session applies the operator's intent and records what happens next.
Nothing requires the earlier terminal process to remain open. The durable card and answer provide the handoff across the fresh-context boundary.
Limits
An answer resolves the choice the card presented; it does not guarantee a successful change. It also does not authorize ROOK to reinterpret the note, invent a different choice or route the answer by guesswork. If the card lacks enough context or useful options, the right response is to withhold the decision until the underlying question is made clear.
Next
See where cards and answers remain authoritative in The record.