Address action-demanding transitions to the assignee; neutral verdict label

Send-back/unblock/cancel by someone else now land in the worker's queue (only cancel did — send-backs woke nobody); done stays unaddressed.
The Request changes button drops the send-to-X phrasing — it's a board write, delivery is the queue's job.

coworker/teams/store.py

@@ -545,12 +545,21 @@ class TeamStore:
                     f"illegal transition {current.value} → {target.value}"
                 )
             self._check_transition_authority(actor, item, current, target)
-            # Canceling an assigned item ADDRESSES the notice to its assignee — the
-            # top-priority queue entry whose delivery (or in-flight interrupt) makes
-            # the worker actually stop, instead of finishing into the void.
+            # When someone ELSE moves your assigned item to a state that needs
+            # YOUR action, the event is addressed to you: a send-back
+            # (review→in_progress with feedback), an unblock, a cancel (whose
+            # delivery/in-flight interrupt makes the worker actually stop). This
+            # is a board write, not a message — delivery is the queue projection
+            # doing its job. DONE is deliberately unaddressed: waking a worker to
+            # say its finished item is finished would burn a turn for nothing.
+            action_needed = {
+                ItemState.IN_PROGRESS,
+                ItemState.BLOCKED,
+                ItemState.CANCELED,
+            }
             recipient = (
                 item["assignee"]
-                if target is ItemState.CANCELED
+                if target in action_needed
                 and item["assignee"]
                 and item["assignee"] != actor.id
                 else None

surfaces/gui/e2e/board.spec.ts

@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ test("item detail: timeline with attachment, worker link, request changes", asyn
   // Request changes… discloses a comment box; sending returns the item to work
   await detail.getByRole("button", { name: "Request changes…" }).click();
   await detail.getByPlaceholder("What needs to change?").fill("totals drift on Tom");
-  await detail.getByRole("button", { name: "Send to security" }).click();
+  await detail.getByRole("button", { name: "Request changes", exact: true }).click();
   await expect(detail).toContainText("In progress");
   // switching rows switches the pane
   await page.getByTestId("board-item-3").click();

surfaces/gui/src/components/BoardPanel.tsx

@@ -358,6 +358,8 @@ function DetailActions({
               onChange={(e) => setChangesText(e.target.value)}
             />
             <div className="board-changes-row">
+              {/* A board write, not a message: review → in_progress with the
+                  comment attached; delivery to the assignee is the queue's job. */}
               <button
                 className="board-btn primary"
                 disabled={!changesText.trim()}
@@ -365,7 +367,7 @@ function DetailActions({
                   onTransition(detail.id, "in_progress", changesText.trim())
                 }
               >
-                Send to {detail.assignee || "worker"}
+                Request changes
               </button>
               <button className="board-btn ghost" onClick={() => setChangesOpen(false)}>
                 Cancel

tests/test_team_wake.py

@@ -408,6 +408,27 @@ def test_item_detail_timeline_and_blocker_fact(manager):
     assert blocked["blocker"] == "need the staging tfvars"
 
 
+def test_transitions_by_others_address_the_assignee(store):
+    """A send-back or unblock is a board write, not a message — but the queue
+    projection addresses it to the worker whose action it demands (owner
+    question 2026-08-17 exposed the gap: only cancel was addressed)."""
+    item_id = assigned(store)
+    store.consume("swe-worker", store.pending_for("swe-worker")[-1]["seq"])
+    store.transition(SPACE, WORKER, item_id, "in_progress")
+    store.transition(SPACE, WORKER, item_id, "review", comment="ready")
+    assert store.pending_for("swe-worker") == []  # own moves never self-address
+    # the lead's send-back reaches the worker's queue, feedback attached
+    store.transition(SPACE, LEAD, item_id, "in_progress", comment="totals drift")
+    pending = store.pending_for("swe-worker")
+    assert [e["payload"]["to"] for e in pending] == ["in_progress"]
+    assert pending[-1]["payload"]["comment"] == "totals drift"
+    store.consume("swe-worker", pending[-1]["seq"])
+    # ...but done is deliberately unaddressed — no wake to hear "it's finished"
+    store.transition(SPACE, WORKER, item_id, "review", comment="fixed")
+    store.transition(SPACE, LEAD, item_id, "done")
+    assert store.pending_for("swe-worker") == []
+
+
 def test_cancel_notice_is_addressed_to_the_assignee(store):
     item_id = assigned(store)
     store.consume("swe-worker", store.pending_for("swe-worker")[-1]["seq"])