# Action items

> Action items are the small things somebody still owes, such as a document to send, an approval to give or a payment to make. Cooper picks them up from your chats, email, texts, calls, meeting notes and records, and you can add them by hand.

Source: https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/action-items
Last updated: 2026-10-05
Keywords: action items, to-do, todo, follow-ups, follow up, commitments, owed, waiting on, reminders, nudge, snooze, delegate, morning brief, tasks

An **action item** is one thing somebody still owes. "Muhsan to send the site pictures", "Waiting on John to approve the proposal" and "Pay ABC Supply by Friday" are all action items. Each one says who has to do it, who is waiting on it, and when it is due.

Cooper watches your chats and inbox and turns requests into action items. Records add them too: an unanswered RFI or an unpaid payment request becomes an item for the right person. You can also add items by hand. The **Action items** board shows what you have to do, what others owe you and what Cooper suggests, and lets you finish, snooze, hand off or chase each item.

Action items are not project tasks. Project tasks live on a project's schedule. An action item can be linked to a project task, and then finishing either one closes the other.

![The Action items board with the morning brief, list tabs, the grouped list and the selected item's details](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/screenshots/connect/action-items-board.png)

*Screenshot: The Action items board. 1: Add item, 2: morning brief, 3: list tabs, 4: Open / Overdue / Snoozed / Done, 5: the list, 6: the selected item.*

## Key concepts

| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **Owner** | The person who has to do it. Shown as **Owner** on the item. |
| **For** | The person waiting on it, if anyone. |
| **Direction** | **They owe us** (an outside person owes your company), **We owe them** (your team owes an outside person) or **Inside the team** (both people are on your team). Cooper works this out from the owner and the person waiting. |
| **Due** | An optional due date. A date Cooper read from a message ("by Friday") shows **Inferred from "…"** under it. |
| **Source** | Where the item came from: **From a record**, **From chat**, **Picked up from chat**, **From email**, **From a text**, **From a call**, **From meeting notes**, **Added by hand** or **Added by an agent**. |
| **State** | **Open**, **Done** or **Dismissed**. Snoozed items are open but hidden until their snooze ends. |
| **Suggestion** | A check Cooper ran on something said in chat. For example, someone says "RFI #5 is answered" while Cooper still shows RFI #5 open. Nothing changes until you approve. |
| **Looks done** | An open item that a later message suggests is already finished. |
| **Reference** | Every item has a short reference such as **AI-1042**, shown at the top right of its details. |

## Open Action items

1. In the sidebar, open **Connect**.
2. Click **Action items**.

The page lives at `/connect/action-items`. Every member sees the items they own, are waiting on or created. To see everyone's items, your role needs **Connect** > **Action items** > **Read**. See [Permissions](#permissions).

The header shows how many chats and inboxes Cooper reads for you, for example **Watching 14 chats · 2 inboxes**.

## Where action items come from

Cooper creates action items in these ways:

- **Chat**: Cooper reads new messages in your chats for requests and promises. It also notices when a message says something was done and closes the item. When it is less sure, it posts a card in the chat asking you to confirm.
- **Email**: Cooper reads mail in the inboxes you connected. A reply that suggests an item is finished marks the item **Looks done**.
- **Texts and calls**: Cooper reads text threads and call summaries the same way.
- **Meeting notes**: actions in meeting notes that have an owner and a date become action items. Dismissing one on either side dismisses both.
- **Records**: rules over your records create items and close them when the record changes. They cover proposals and pay applications waiting on client approval, payment requests and vendor payment requests waiting on payment, vendor quotes waiting on a quote, purchase orders waiting on acknowledgement, RFIs waiting on an answer, submittals waiting on review, upcoming meetings, and leave requests and timesheets waiting on approval. A nightly pass catches anything missed.
- **By hand**: from the board, from a person's page in [Humans](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/humans.md), from the **+** > **Action** menu in a chat, or from a line in a call transcript.
- **Agents**: Cooper's AI agents, or any assistant connected through the CooperBuild MCP server, can add items. These show **Added by an agent**.

The same request said twice, for example in a meeting and again in chat, becomes one item when the owner, project and wording match.

## Find your items with tabs and views

**Tabs** choose whose items you see. Each tab shows a count.

| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Mine** | Items you own: things you have to do. This is where the board opens. |
| **Owed to me** | Items you are waiting on from someone else. |
| **All** | Every item you are allowed to see. |
| **Suggestions** | Checks Cooper ran on chat messages that involve you. |

**Views** narrow by state. Use the switch next to the search box.

| View | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Open** | Open items that are not snoozed. |
| **Overdue** | Open items past their due date. |
| **Snoozed** | Items snoozed for later. |
| **Done** | Finished and dismissed items, grouped by project. |

Type in **Search** to match the item's text, the owner's name or the name of the person waiting.

The list shows up to 100 items. If there are more, the bottom of the list says **Showing 100 of _total_ — search to narrow it down**.

## Read the list

In the **Open**, **Overdue** and **Snoozed** views you can group the list two ways with **Group by**:

- **Priority** (default):
  - **Do today**: overdue, due today, or no due date.
  - **This week**: due in the next seven days.
  - **Later**: everything after that.
- **Project**: one group per project. Items with no project go under **No project**.

Inside **Do today**, overdue items come first, then items due today, then undated items, then Cooper's suggestions, then items that look done. The first plain item gets a **Do next** badge.

Each card shows:

- The item's text.
- One line on why it matters now, such as "Dana has waited 3 days." or a quote from the message it came from.
- Where it lives (the project, or **Unassigned**), who it is for, and a due chip: **Today**, **Tomorrow**, a date, or **Overdue · _date_** in red.
- A badge where one applies: **Do next**, **Suggested** or **Looks done**.

Click a card to open its details on the right. Dates follow your company's time zone.

## Use the morning brief

The **Morning brief** at the top of the board suggests where to start, for example "I would start with Send the revised drawings — Dana has waited 3 days." It also shows four counts: **Due today**, **Overdue owed to you**, **Suggestions** and **Look done**.

- Click **Start with this** to jump to the suggested item.
- Click **Hide** to collapse the brief for the rest of the day in this browser. Click **Show** to bring it back.

If nothing is waiting on you, the brief says "Nothing is waiting on you right now."

Each morning Cooper also posts a brief in a chat thread of your own named **Cooper**. You hear from it only when something is open for you. You can reply in that thread, for example "done with the timesheet", and Cooper closes the matching item.

## Add an action item

### Step 1: Open the form
Click **Add item** at the top right of the board. The **Add an action item** panel opens.

### Step 2: Say what needs doing
In **What needs doing**, write it the way you would in chat, for example "Send John the updated drawings". Put the person's name in the field below, not in the sentence. The limit is 500 characters.

### Step 3: Pick who does it
Choose a teammate in **Who does it**.

### Step 4: Add the optional details
- **For**: the person waiting on it.
- **Project**: an active project.
- **Due**: a date from today onward.

### Step 5: Save
Click **Add action item**, or press Enter in **What needs doing**. Click **Cancel** to close without saving.

The owner gets a notification: "New action item for you: …". If an identical open item already exists for the same owner and project, Cooper keeps the existing one and tells you "That one already exists".

You can also add items from:

- **A person's page**: in [Humans](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/humans.md), open the person, go to **Timeline** and click **Add item**. The item is linked to that person.
- **A chat**: click **+** in the message box and choose **Action**. The **New action** panel opens. The item is posted as a card in the chat.

![The Add an action item panel](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/screenshots/connect/action-items-add.png)

*Screenshot: Add an action item. 1: What needs doing, 2: Who does it, 3: For, 4: Project and Due, 5: Add action item.*

## Mark an action item done

Do one of the following:

- Click the round tick on the item's card.
- Select the item and click **Mark done** in its details.
- Select the item and press **E**.

The person waiting is notified that it is finished. Done items move to the **Done** view and show who finished them and when.

To undo, open the item in the **Done** view and click **Reopen**.

Suggestions cannot be ticked done. You act on them through their suggestion card. See [Review Cooper's suggestions](#review-coopers-suggestions).

## Mark an action item as started

When you own an item, or created it, and have begun work, click **Started** in its details. The person waiting is notified. The item stays open. Click **Not started** to undo.

Only the owner and the creator see this button. The person waiting cannot mark it started for you.

## Snooze an action item

Snoozing hides an item from **Open** and **Overdue** until a time you choose.

1. Select the item.
2. Click **Snooze**, or press **S**.
3. Pick a time:
   - **Later today**: 4:00 PM, or three hours from now if it is already past 3:30 PM.
   - **Tomorrow**: 8:00 AM tomorrow.
   - **Next week**: 8:00 AM next Monday.
   - **Until someone replies**: only for items that came from a chat. The item returns when a new message arrives.

A snoozed item shows "Snoozed until …" in its details. Click **Unsnooze** to bring it back now. Snoozed items are in the **Snoozed** view. Due-date reminders are not sent while an item is snoozed.

![The Snooze menu open on an action item](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/screenshots/connect/action-items-snooze.png)

*Screenshot: Snooze choices. 1: Snooze, 2: the times on your company clock.*

## Delegate an action item

1. Select the item.
2. Click **Delegate**, or press **D**.
3. Type in **Find someone** and pick a teammate.

The new owner gets a notification: "Handed to you: …". If you owned the item, you become the person waiting on it, so it moves to your **Owed to me** tab.

## Nudge the person who owes it

When somebody else owns an open item, its details show **Nudge _name_** with a short follow-up Cooper drafted.

1. Edit the message if you like.
2. If both are available, choose **Chat** or **Email**.
3. Click **Send nudge**.

A chat nudge posts in the chat the item came from, if you are a member of it. Otherwise it goes to your direct messages with the person. An email nudge is sent from your connected mailbox to the person's email address, with the subject "Following up: …". The line under the button tells you where it goes. Nudges are sent as you.

## Reply to the email an item came from

When an item came from an email, its details show the email. If the email came into a mailbox you can send from, Cooper drafts a reply for you to check.

1. Read and edit the reply.
2. Click **Send reply and mark done** to send it in the same email thread and close the item.
3. Or click **Save draft** to keep it for later.

If the email came into someone else's mailbox, you see "Only the mailbox this came into can reply from here."

## Jump to where an item came from

- **Open source** opens the chat message, or the project inbox, the item came from.
- For items from chat, the **Picked up from chat** card shows the original message. Click **Jump to message** to open it in the chat. You must be a member of that chat.
- The **Activity** list at the bottom of the details shows the item's history, such as when it was created, started, reassigned or finished.

![An action item's details with the action buttons and the Nudge card](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/screenshots/connect/action-items-detail.png)

*Screenshot: Item details. 1: Owner, For and Due, 2: Mark done, Started, Snooze, Delegate, 3: Open source, 4: Nudge.*

## Review Cooper's suggestions

When someone says in chat that a record-keeping step happened, Cooper checks the record. Examples are "RFI #5 response received", "the glazing submittal is approved" or "task done". If Cooper does not show it yet, it creates a suggestion. Suggestions have a dashed border, a **Suggested** badge and the heading **Cooper found this in chat**.

A suggestion card shows what was said, what the record shows, and the steps on offer. Examples are closing the RFIs with the answer from the message, marking a submittal approved, or adding a follow-up. Possible states include **Cooper shows it**, **Not in Cooper yet**, **Cooper shows something else**, **Not found in Cooper** and **Which one was meant?**

- Approve a step to apply it. Nothing is submitted until you approve.
- Use **Edit response** to change an RFI answer before closing it.
- Use **Pick the right one** when Cooper found more than one possible record.
- Use **Not now** to leave it.

A suggestion closes by itself once the record shows the change. Some steps need permission in that area. For example, closing RFIs needs permission to answer RFIs.

## Select several action items

1. Click **Select** above the list, or press **X**.
2. Tick the items you want.
3. Click **Mark done** or **Snooze until tomorrow** in the bar at the bottom.

Cooper reports how many succeeded, for example "Marked done: 3 of 3". Click **Done** to leave select mode. Suggestions are left out of bulk actions.

![Select mode with two action items ticked and the bulk action bar](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/screenshots/connect/action-items-select.png)

*Screenshot: Select mode. 1: Select / Done, 2: ticked items, 3: Mark done and Snooze until tomorrow.*

## Keyboard shortcuts

These work on the board when you are not typing in a field.

| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| **J** / **K** | Move to the next / previous item. |
| **E** | Mark the selected item done. |
| **S** | Open **Snooze**. |
| **D** | Open **Delegate**. |
| **X** | Turn select mode on or off. |

## Set a due date or dismiss an item

On a person's **Timeline** in [Humans](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/humans.md), each open item has a **More** menu:

- **Set due date**: pick a date, or clear it. Changing the date resets its reminders.
- **Already done**: dismiss it because it was already done.
- **No longer needed**: dismiss it.

Hover over an item and click **Dismiss** (the **x**) to dismiss it as not a real item. Dismissed items show in the **Done** view. Cooper learns from items you dismiss that it picked up from conversations.

## Notifications and reminders

Cooper sends in-app and push notifications:

| When | Who is notified |
|---|---|
| An item is created for someone | The owner ("New action item for you: …"). |
| An item is delegated | The new owner ("Handed to you: …"). |
| An item is marked started | The person waiting. |
| An item is marked done | The person waiting ("_name_ finished: …"). |
| The day before the due date | The owner ("Due tomorrow: …"). |
| On the due date | The owner ("Due today: …"). |

Due-date reminders go out once each, at about 9:00 AM in your company's time zone. You are never notified about something you did yourself.

## Fields reference

| Field | Required | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| What needs doing | **Yes** | The item, in plain words. Up to 500 characters. |
| Who does it | Yes, on the board | The owner. On the board you pick from your teammates. |
| For | No | Who is waiting on it. Only on the board. On a person's page it is that person; in chat it is you. |
| Project | No | An active project. Groups the item under that project. |
| Due | No | The due date. Today or later. |

## Permissions

Everyone can work with their own items without any extra permission:

| You are… | You can… |
|---|---|
| The creator | Do everything on the item. |
| The owner | Mark done, reopen, dismiss, snooze, set the due date, delegate, link a task and mark started. |
| The person waiting | Mark done, dismiss, snooze, set the due date, delegate and link a task. You cannot mark it started or reopen it. |

Role permissions under **Connect** > **Action items** widen this:

| Permission | What it adds |
|---|---|
| **Read** | See everyone's items in **All**, not just your own. |
| **Write** | Act on anyone's items. |

The **Action items** link sits in the **Connect** menu next to **Humans**.

## Tips and best practices

- Start each day from the morning brief and **Start with this**.
- Write items the way you would say them: "Send the revised drawings to Dana". Put the person in **Who does it** or **For**, not in the text.
- Add a due date when there is one. Reminders and the **Overdue** view depend on it.
- Use **Snooze** > **Until someone replies** for items you cannot move until someone answers.
- Delegate rather than reassigning in conversation. The new owner is notified, and the item stays on your **Owed to me** tab so you can follow up.
- Check the **Suggestions** tab regularly. Approving a suggestion keeps your records in step with what the team says in chat.

## Troubleshooting

### I can't see Action items in the sidebar

The link sits under **Connect** with **Humans**. If you can't see it, your role does not have access to Humans. Ask an admin.

### I only see my own items in All

Without **Connect** > **Action items** > **Read**, you see only items you own, are waiting on or created. Ask an admin for Read access to see everyone's.

### 'You cannot resolve this action item' (or snooze, reassign…)

You are not the creator, owner or person waiting on this item, and your role does not have **Action items** > **Write**. Ask the owner, or ask an admin for Write access.

### The tick on an item is disabled

The item is a suggestion or was made from a claim Cooper checked. It closes by itself once Cooper shows the change on the record. Use its suggestion card, or dismiss it as **not tracked in Cooper**. The tick is also disabled when you are not allowed to mark the item done.

### 'That one already exists'

An open item with the same owner, project and wording already exists. Cooper kept the existing item instead of adding a duplicate.

### 'This action item is already done' (or dismissed)

Somebody already closed the item. Find it in the **Done** view and click **Reopen** if it is not finished.

### I can't pick myself in Who does it

On the board, **Who does it** lists your teammates, not you. To track something you owe yourself, ask a Cooper agent, for example "remind me to send the site pictures Friday". An agent adds an item you own when you don't name anyone else.

### There is no Nudge card on an item

**Nudge** appears only on open items that somebody else owes, and only when Cooper can reach them. That means a chat you share with them, a Cooper login for direct messages, or an email address for them plus a mailbox you have connected to Cooper.

### 'Could not load the list'

The list did not load. Click **Retry**. If it keeps failing, reload the page.

## For AI agents

Agents work with action items through two MCP tools. Every user can call them. The service limits what each user can read and change by the same rules as the board.

**`action_item_browse`** (read-only)

- `action`: `list`, `get` (needs `id`) or `summary` (counts for a person, company or project).
- Filters: `humanId` or `query` (a name, email or phone), `externalOrgId`, `projectId`, `state`, `owed`, `overdueOnly`, `search`, `limit` (default 30, max 100), `pageNo`.
- `owed`: `BY_ME` (things I have to do), `TO_ME` (things I am waiting on), `WE_OWE`, `THEY_OWE` or `ANY`.
- `list` returns open items only unless you pass `state`. Use `["done"]` for finished items, or `["open","done","dismissed"]` for everything.
- Examples: "what do I owe" → `list`, `owed: "BY_ME"`. "What am I waiting on" → `list`, `owed: "TO_ME"`. "Anything overdue" → `list`, `overdueOnly: true`.

**`action_item_manage`** (writes)

- Previews by default. Call with `confirm: false` (or omit it) to see what would happen, then again with `confirm: true` to do it.
- Actions:
  - `create`: needs `text`, max 500 characters. Name the owner with `ownerQuery`, `ownerHumanId` or `ownerUserId`. Leave the owner empty when the user means themself. When someone else owes it, the user is recorded as waiting. Optional: `counterpartyHumanId` or `counterpartyUserId`, `dueAt`, `projectId`, and `conversationId` (posts a card in that chat).
  - `resolve` (optional `note`), `reopen`, `dismiss` (`reason`: `not_an_action`, `already_done`, `wrong_person`, `duplicate`, `no_longer_needed`, `tracked_elsewhere` or `other`).
  - `reassign`: owner and/or counterparty.
  - `snooze`: `until`.
  - `set_due`: `dueAt`; omit it to clear.
  - `link_task` (`taskId`) and `unlink_task`.
  - `create_task`: makes a project task from the item. Needs `projectDeliverableId`. Optional: `projectId`, `taskName`, `taskType`, `description`, `scheduledStart`, `scheduledEnd`. Once linked, finishing either one closes the other.

Common errors and fixes:

| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| `TEXT_REQUIRED` / "Say what needs doing" | Pass a non-empty `text`. |
| `ID_REQUIRED` | Pass a valid action item `id`. Get it from `action_item_browse`. |
| `FORBIDDEN` ("You cannot … this item") | The user is not the creator, owner or person waiting, and lacks **Action items** Write. |
| `ALREADY_LINKED` | Call `unlink_task` before `create_task`. |
| `DELIVERABLE_REQUIRED` | Pass `projectDeliverableId` to `create_task`. |
| `NOT_OPEN` | Only open items can become tasks. `reopen` first if needed. |
| "The same person cannot both owe this and be waiting for it" | Pick a different owner or counterparty in `reassign`. |
| "That one already existed; returned it." | Not an error. A matching open item already existed. Use the returned item. |

- Action items are not project tasks. Never answer an action item question with project task tools or `db_find` on project tasks.
- An ambiguous `query` or `ownerQuery` returns candidates. Ask the user which person they mean.
- For a person's whole history, including their open items, use `person_timeline` or `person_status_brief`. See [Humans](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/humans.md).

## Related

- [Humans](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/humans.md): each person's **Timeline** shows what they have to do and what they are waiting for.
- [Organizations](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/organizations.md): items that concern a company.
- [Phone](https://docs.cooperbuild.ai/connect/phone.md): texts and calls Cooper reads for action items.