[dot / Desktop] Local task awaiting approval remains in progress in the main dot conversation #49531

What issue are you seeing?

A local task started by a dot on my connected, authorized Mac needed approval in the desktop task, but that approval requirement did not reach the main dot conversation. The status available to dot continued to say the task was in progress, with no reported error or assistant progress. I also use iOS, so having to manually inspect the desktop task defeats the remote workflow.

Observed on September 30, 2026 (UTC):

• Around 08:01: the read-only local task was accepted.
• Repeated status checks from the main conversation showed only the original task request and an in-progress status, without an actionable approval notification.
• Around 08:17: I opened the desktop task myself, found the pending authorization prompt, and approved it.
• Around 08:20: the task completed and its assistant result became available in the main conversation.

The time the approval prompt first appeared was not captured, so this does not establish that the entire interval was spent waiting for approval.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Observed workflow, not yet a deterministic minimal reproducer:

1. Connect and authorize a Mac for tasks from a dot.
2. Ask dot in its main conversation to perform a read-only task on that Mac.
3. Let the desktop task reach an approval boundary.
4. Check the task's progress from the main dot conversation without opening the desktop task.
5. Compare the reported state with the approval prompt visible when opening the desktop task.

In this occurrence, the main conversation could not identify the pending approval or tell me what to approve. I had to discover it on the desktop.

What is the expected behavior?

• Propagate a distinct waiting-for-approval state to dot and the originating conversation, including when the user is on mobile.
• Show the action requiring approval, its reason, and the supported next step.
• Offer an approval action where that approval type is supported remotely. If it must be handled locally, explicitly say so and direct the user to the desktop task.
• Keep the pending state visible until resolved, then synchronize the updated status.

Additional information

Environment: connected Mac, dot main conversation, and iOS usage. Exact desktop/mobile app versions, OS versions, and the approval prompt's type/text were not captured.

This report concerns approval visibility and status propagation. It does not establish which component failed. Browser/screen reads later timed out even after approval; those failures are separate, and approval is not claimed to have fixed every execution problem.

Related: #25606 (mobile missing approval state) and #39346 (mobile approval banner without controls). This occurrence specifically concerns a dot-created local task and the missing approval state in the originating dot conversation, rather than only viewing a desktop task directly through mobile Remote. Please consolidate if this integration path is already covered.

Prepared with AI assistance at the affected user's request.