[Fix] Automation reports post progress instead of results

packages/cloud-agents/src/server/cloud-agent-workflow.ts

@@ -105,6 +105,30 @@ export function resolveStandardTaskSurface({
   }
 }
 
+export function isResultOnlyAutomationChatDelivery({
+  initiatorKind,
+  slackThreadTs,
+  communicationMessageId,
+}: {
+  initiatorKind?: string | null;
+  slackThreadTs?: string | null;
+  communicationMessageId?: string | null;
+}): boolean {
+  return (
+    initiatorKind === 'automation' && !slackThreadTs && !communicationMessageId
+  );
+}
+
+export function shouldAttachChatLifecycleInstructions({
+  inheritedCommunicationContext,
+  resultOnlyChatDelivery,
+}: {
+  inheritedCommunicationContext: boolean;
+  resultOnlyChatDelivery: boolean;
+}): boolean {
+  return !inheritedCommunicationContext && !resultOnlyChatDelivery;
+}
+
 export async function generatePrompt({
   taskRun,
   taskSpec,
@@ -147,6 +171,7 @@ export async function generatePrompt({
       actorDisplayName: true,
       slackThreadTs: true,
       surface: true,
+      initiatorKind: true,
     },
   });
   const commitAuthor = taskRow
@@ -316,6 +341,16 @@ export async function generatePrompt({
       const communicationMessageId = getCommunicationMessageIdFromTaskPayload(
         taskSpec.payload,
       );
+      const resultOnlyChatDelivery = isResultOnlyAutomationChatDelivery({
+        initiatorKind: taskRow?.initiatorKind,
+        slackThreadTs,
+        communicationMessageId,
+      });
+      const attachChatLifecycleInstructions =
+        shouldAttachChatLifecycleInstructions({
+          inheritedCommunicationContext,
+          resultOnlyChatDelivery,
+        });
       const teamsTenantId = getCommunicationTenantIdFromTaskPayload(
         taskSpec.payload,
       );
@@ -386,6 +421,7 @@ export async function generatePrompt({
         sourceChannelId: communicationChannelId ?? undefined,
         sourceThreadId: communicationThreadId ?? undefined,
         sourceMessageId: communicationMessageId ?? undefined,
+        resultOnlyChatDelivery,
         interactiveMode: taskSpec.payload.bootstrap?.interactiveMode,
         requestFormat,
         linkedWorkItems: taskSpec.payload.linkedWorkItems,
@@ -398,7 +434,7 @@ export async function generatePrompt({
         prAction,
       });
 
-      if (!inheritedCommunicationContext && slackChannel && slackThreadTs) {
+      if (attachChatLifecycleInstructions && slackChannel && slackThreadTs) {
         const slackInstructions = buildSlackMessageInstructions({
           includeRequestUserInputGuidance: true,
         });
@@ -407,7 +443,7 @@ export async function generatePrompt({
           : slackInstructions;
       }
 
-      if (!inheritedCommunicationContext && nonSlackChatProvider) {
+      if (attachChatLifecycleInstructions && nonSlackChatProvider) {
         const chatInstructions =
           nonSlackChatProvider === 'teams'
             ? buildTeamsMessageInstructions()

packages/cloud-agents/src/server/workflows/standardTask.ts

@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ export function standardTask({
   sourceChannelId,
   sourceThreadId,
   sourceMessageId,
+  resultOnlyChatDelivery = false,
   linkedWorkItems,
   interactiveMode = false,
   requestFormat = 'plain',
@@ -122,6 +123,8 @@ export function standardTask({
   sourceChannelId?: string;
   sourceThreadId?: string;
   sourceMessageId?: string;
+  /** Initial automation report with no directed chat turn to acknowledge. */
+  resultOnlyChatDelivery?: boolean;
   linkedWorkItems?: LinkedWorkItem[];
   interactiveMode?: boolean;
   requestFormat?: 'plain' | 'structured';
@@ -258,6 +261,11 @@ export function standardTask({
 `
     : '';
   const defaultMode = interactiveMode ? 'interactive' : 'autonomous';
+  const isChatTaskSurface =
+    taskSurface === 'slack' ||
+    taskSurface === 'teams' ||
+    taskSurface === 'telegram' ||
+    taskSurface === 'discord';
   const taskSurfaceContext =
     taskSurface === 'slack'
       ? `
@@ -330,6 +338,15 @@ ${buildGitHubMessageInstructions()}`
     <rule>If a workflow or packaged skill distinguishes web dashboard tasks from other surfaces, treat this run as a web dashboard task.</rule>
     <rule>When a secure web-task flow exists for the current step, prefer that flow over asking the user to paste secrets into chat or make local-only task edits.</rule>
   </task_surface_context>`;
+  const effectiveTaskSurfaceContext =
+    resultOnlyChatDelivery && isChatTaskSurface
+      ? `
+  <task_surface_context>
+    <rule>This run was launched by an automation with ${taskSurface} as its report destination. It was not launched by a directed chat turn.</rule>
+    <rule>The automation's chat message must always be its result, never an in-progress message. Keep acknowledgements, reactions, progress updates, partial findings, and routine status in the web task only.</rule>
+    <rule>The automation-specific prompt remains authoritative for whether to report, which chat tools to use, and the number and shape of final messages. This context only suppresses acknowledgements and in-progress updates before that delivery contract's result.</rule>
+  </task_surface_context>`
+      : taskSurfaceContext;
   const sourceContext =
     sourceProvider && (sourceChannelId || sourceThreadId || sourceMessageId)
       ? `
@@ -404,7 +421,7 @@ ${buildGitHubMessageInstructions()}`
     <visual_proof_context>Screencast auto-classification is disabled for this task.</visual_proof_context>
   </task_context>
 
-  ${taskSurfaceContext}
+  ${effectiveTaskSurfaceContext}
   ${sourceContext}
   ${sourceControlContext}
   ${codeReviewSelfReviewCloseoutContext}