---
name: Syncro workflow rules — preview comments, appointment ownership/dates, blank contact
description: Process and etiquette rules for Syncro work — always preview comments before posting, verify appointment day-of-week before creating, ask who the appointment owner is, leave the contact field blank by default for all customers.
metadata:
  type: feedback
---

Rules only. Incident detail and ticket numbers live in [[feedback_syncro_history]] — read on-demand. API mechanics: [[feedback_syncro_api]]. Billing rules: [[feedback_syncro_billing]].

---

## 1. ALWAYS preview comments before posting — no exceptions

Canonical rule + the incident that forged it: [[feedback_syncro_preview_mandatory]] (SSOT — read it). In short: show the full comment text and wait for explicit confirmation before posting **any** comment to a Syncro ticket. No exceptions — not billing, not resolution notes, not client-facing, not internal/hidden notes.

**Apply:** draft → show as a formatted block → "Good to post?" → wait for yes → only then POST. Also ALWAYS ask for minutes + labor type before logging time — never assume a default.

Once posted, comments can't be deleted via API (manual GUI cleanup required). See also [[feedback_syncro_api]] §2 (no idempotency).

---

## 2. Verify appointment day-of-week before creating

Print the weekday and confirm it matches intent before posting:
```bash
py -c "import datetime; d=datetime.date(2026,5,24); print(d.strftime('%A %Y-%m-%d'))"
# Sunday 2026-05-24
```

**Catch:** always show `Day YYYY-MM-DD` (e.g. "Saturday 2026-05-23") in the preview — never just the numeric date.

---

## 3. Ask explicitly who the appointment owner is

When creating a ticket with an appointment (Onsite, Remote, Phone Call, etc.), explicitly ask **who the appointment owner is** in the preview. Do NOT default to the ticket's assigned tech; do NOT silently add other techs as attendees.

The owner is whose calendar the appointment lands on as the **primary entry** — they are accountable for being there. Additional `user_ids` only add the entry as secondary items on other techs' calendars (clutter + ambiguity).

**Preview format:**
```
APPOINTMENT
-----------
Type:                 Onsite
Owner:                <ASK USER — whose calendar?>
Additional attendees: (optional, blank unless explicitly added)
Start:                <start_at>
End:                  <end_at>
```

API payload: owner is the FIRST entry in `user_ids`. If only the owner, `user_ids` has ONE id. Additional attendees only after explicit confirmation.

**Don't:** auto-add the ticket's `user_id` as owner without asking; add attendees without direction; treat owner as passive inheritance.

---

## 4. Leave the contact field BLANK by default

When creating or billing tickets, leave `contact_id` / `contact_name` / `contact_email` blank ("Not Assigned") by default for any customer. Only set a contact when the user explicitly says to.

Blank contact lets Syncro apply **company-level email defaults**, routing notifications to the right people. Setting a specific contact overrides those and may push to a secondary email, bypassing the customer's intended distribution.

**Apply:**
- `POST /tickets`: omit `contact_id` from the body entirely. Don't fetch contacts via `GET /customers/{id}` and pick one.
- `PUT /tickets/{id}`: send only fields you're changing. NEVER include `contact_id`/`contact_name`/`contact_email`, even matching the existing value — PUT can re-apply.
- Billing/invoices: same rule. Drop `contact_id` if it shows up in any payload.
- Verify after writes: `GET /tickets/{id}` → `.ticket.contact_id` should be `null`. If set, blank it: `PUT /tickets/{id}` with `{"contact_id": null}`.

**Watch for Syncro's auto-default:** the contact picker often pre-selects the first-alphabetical or most-recently-used contact (Cascades' Meredith Kuhn is the canonical bad-default — see [[feedback_syncro_history]]). The rule applies the same way: ignore the pre-selection, leave null.
