# acknowledge

URL: /business/nouns/incident/acknowledge · Id: `verb:Incident.acknowledge` · Call: `await $.Incident.acknowledge({ … })` (SDK) or the `do` tool at `https://api.sb/mcp`. Inputs says what to pass, Outputs what returns, When it waits who approves.

> Acknowledge records that an on-call Worker owns an open Incident and stops its escalation.

Acknowledge records that an on-call [Worker](/business/nouns/worker) owns an open [Incident](/business/nouns/incident) and stops its escalation.

## Inputs
| Input | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `incident` | [Incident](/business/nouns/incident) | Yes | The open Incident. |

## Outputs
| Output | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `incident` | [Incident](/business/nouns/incident) | Yes | The acknowledged Incident. |

## Effects
- Emits [`Incident.acknowledged`](/business/events/Incident.acknowledged).
- Performed by the [Reliability Engineer](/agents/engineering/reliability-engineer).
- Two-way: it runs at once, in the `try`, `send` and `do` modes.
- Stops paging the next Worker in the rota.

## Refuses when
| Check | Error | Fix | Then call |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The key is valid, but its scopes do not allow this operation. | [`forbidden`](/code/api/errors/forbidden) | Use a key whose scopes cover the operation, or ask an owner of the namespace to grant them. | [Incident.acknowledge](/business/nouns/incident/acknowledge) |

## When it waits
| Gate | Default |
| --- | --- |
| Decision class | Low: two-way, nothing at stake |
| [Delay window](/systems/trust-and-governance/controls/one-way-windows) | None: it runs once review passes. |
| Limit | The call [Limit](/business/nouns/limit) of the [Permission](/business/nouns/permission) it runs under. |
| Over the Limit | It waits `pending` for an [Approval](/business/nouns/approval) from the [Founder](/agents/founding/founder). Approved, it runs; refused, it ends `refused` with [`limit-exceeded`](/code/api/errors/limit-exceeded); unanswered by its deadline, it ends `canceled`. |

## Example

**Ask**

```text
Acknowledge the latest incident.
```

**API**

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.sb/petpantry.shop/incidents/incident_1/acknowledge \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"
```

```json
{
  "api": "https://api.sb/petpantry.shop",
  "incident": {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/petpantry.shop/incidents/incident_1",
    "$type": "Incident",
    "status": "pending",
    "mode": "try",
    "severity": "minor",
    "detectedAt": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "action": {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/petpantry.shop/actions/action_1",
    "operation": "Incident.acknowledge",
    "status": "done"
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "https://api.sb/petpantry.shop/actions/action_1"
  }
}
```

**SDK**

```ts
import { $ } from 'startup-builder'

const incident = await $.Incident.acknowledge({ incident: 'incident_1' })
```

**CLI**

```bash
npx startup-builder do Incident.acknowledge --json '{"incident":"incident_1"}'
```

**MCP**

```json
{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "return await $.Incident.acknowledge({ incident: 'incident_1' })"
  }
}
```