The user initiates the encounter; the agent recognizes the open and aligns quickly to a topic.
- U → A: Greeting or first move (“Hi”, “I need a quote”).
- A: Receipt + capability/role (brief), and topic alignment (accept the stated topic or offer nearby options).
- A: Transition into the selected activity (user inquiry, open request, or agent inquiry), or request clarification via agent repair.
Support & transitions
- Use agent inquiry for missing parameters; agent repair for disambiguation.
- If the user changes their mind immediately, allow abort.
Metrics
Time-to-topic; unnecessary clarification rate after user openings; drop-offs before first action.
Consequences
- the actor's topic is on the table and the agent has aligned to it; the shape of what they brought decides the activity — a question answerable in one turn passes straight into user inquiry, a goal with steps behind it into an open request, and one stated too loosely to act on needs the agent to ask first
- the actor has named a topic but nothing has been acted on yet, so an immediate change of mind costs nothing to honour
Related patterns
Precedes
- Inquiry (User) — the actor's topic is on the table and the agent has aligned to it; the shape of what they brought decides the activity — a question answerable in one turn passes straight into user inquiry, a goal with steps behind it into an open request, and one stated too loosely to act on needs the agent to ask first
- Open request — the actor's topic is on the table and the agent has aligned to it; the shape of what they brought decides the activity — a question answerable in one turn passes straight into user inquiry, a goal with steps behind it into an open request, and one stated too loosely to act on needs the agent to ask first
- Inquiry (Agent) — the actor's topic is on the table and the agent has aligned to it; the shape of what they brought decides the activity — a question answerable in one turn passes straight into user inquiry, a goal with steps behind it into an open request, and one stated too loosely to act on needs the agent to ask first
- Abort — the actor has named a topic but nothing has been acted on yet, so an immediate change of mind costs nothing to honour
Enables
- Conversation — the conversation opens with the actor speaking first; the agent aligns to their topic
Related
- Agent repair — for disambiguating ambiguous or overlapping user openings
Preceded by
- Disengage without closing — the exchange is parked rather than ended: state is saved, the actor can see what persists and for how long, and either side can pick it up again — the agent resuming, or the actor returning on their own initiative