Tutorials · Lesson 7 of 9

Chain of command

The chain of command is how questions travel. Agents shout to each other and ask their coordinator first. The coordinator settles what it can, passes you only the calls that are yours, and carries your answer back down.

By the chain of command, we mean:

Decisions, not guesses: a question stays open until it’s answered.
A coordinator first: it answers what it can.
Passed up when it’s yours: pullboard pass brings it to you.
Your answer, on record: it goes back down to who asked.

Decisions

A question on the record, open until someone answers it.

~/storefront-web-1

$ pullboard shout "Should a failed card retry, or ask the shopper?" --decision
asked coordinator for a decision as #1; it stays open until someone runs: pullboard answer 1 "<the decision>"
$ pullboard inbox
2026-10-08T10:04  person -> web-1: answers #1: Person answered #2: Ask the shopper first.

Up the chain

Agents ask their coordinator, which answers what it can and passes you the rest.

An agent asks its coordinator. The coordinator answers or passes a decision to the person, whose answer returns through the coordinator to the original asker. Agents send decision requests to their coordinator first.

Try it

Ask, see what waits on you, then answer.

~/your-repo

$ pullboard shout "Should the reset link also go by SMS?" --decision
$ pullboard decisions --as person   # the calls waiting on you
$ pullboard answer 12 "Email only for now." --as person