Keep an approval asked through a silence of its condition (hq ADR 0259, the confirmation review's M1)

Choosing Silence silenced the condition, the condition was no longer wanted, and the next reconcile
cancelled the Restart or Release ask beside it: an acknowledgement, which any desk click may give,
took an approval back. An open approval ask now stays until it is answered or expires while its
condition is open and silenced with the same answers. The test silences as the controller does; it
failed before (0 open) and passes, and the kept Restart is performed on its warrant.

cmd/mesh-controller/asker.go

@@ -397,11 +397,24 @@ func (a *asker) reconcile(ctx context.Context) error {
 			openNow++
 		}
 	}
+	stillOpen := map[string]conditions.Condition{}
+	for _, c := range open {
+		stillOpen[c.Key] = c
+	}
 	for key, r := range byCondition {
-		if !wanted[key] {
-			if err := a.cancel(ctx, r, "the condition ended, was silenced or needs nothing now"); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
+		if wanted[key] {
+			continue
+		}
+		// **A silence never takes an approval back** (the confirmation review of 2026-10-09, M1). Silence is an
+		// acknowledgement — anyone at the desk may give it — so a condition silenced while its approval is asked
+		// keeps that ask open, unchanged, until it is answered on a channel that proves who answered, or expires.
+		// It is not asked again once it ends, while the silence lasts.
+		if c, open := stillOpen[r.Condition]; open && c.SilencedAt(now) && r.Ask.Highest() != asks.Acknowledge &&
+			now.Before(r.Ask.Expires) && keepsItsAnswers(c, r) {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := a.cancel(ctx, r, "the condition ended, was silenced or needs nothing now"); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 	why := "the router refused the ask"
@@ -411,6 +424,16 @@ func (a *asker) reconcile(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return a.sayUnasked(ctx, unasked, why)
 }
 
+// keepsItsAnswers says a condition still offers the answers an ask kept was asked with.
+func keepsItsAnswers(c conditions.Condition, r asked) bool {
+	for _, p := range partsOf(c) {
+		if partKey(c.Key, p.name) == partKey(r.Condition, r.Part) {
+			return sameAsked(r.Actions, p.actions)
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // sourceAsker raises the asker's own condition.
 const sourceAsker = "asker"
 

cmd/mesh-controller/asker_test.go

@@ -83,6 +83,13 @@ func newAskerRig(t *testing.T) *askerRig {
 		open: func(context.Context) ([]conditions.Condition, error) { return r.open, nil },
 		silence: func(_ context.Context, key string, d time.Duration, by, why string) error {
 			r.silenced = append(r.silenced, key+" for "+d.String()+" by "+by+" because "+why)
+			// As the controller's conditions do (the confirmation review of 2026-10-09, M1): the condition is
+			// silenced from now on, so what is asked next sees it silenced.
+			for i := range r.open {
+				if r.open[i].Key == key {
+					r.open[i].Silenced = &conditions.Silence{Until: r.now.Add(d), By: by, Why: why, Since: r.now}
+				}
+			}
 			return nil
 		},
 		store: r.store,
@@ -641,4 +648,9 @@ func TestAnAcknowledgementNeverSharesAnAskWithAnApproval(t *testing.T) {
 	if open != 1 || len(r.asksSent(t)) != 2 {
 		t.Errorf("after the silence: %d open, %d asked", open, len(r.asksSent(t)))
 	}
+	// And the approval still answers: Restart chosen on a channel that proves who answered is performed.
+	answerWith(t, r, r.warrantFor(t, key, "Restart"))
+	if len(r.called) != 1 || !strings.HasPrefix(r.called[0], "node-service-manager.restart@shanks") {
+		t.Errorf("the approval kept through a silence was not performed: %v", r.called)
+	}
 }