> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aciona.me/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Acknowledge and take ownership

> ACK stops escalation; taking ownership sets the incident's owner.

These are two different actions, and the distinction matters.

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Acknowledge (ACK)" icon="circle-check">
    "I saw it and I'm looking." Stops automatic escalation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Take ownership" icon="user-check">
    "This incident is mine." Sets you as the owner.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Acknowledge (ACK)

ACK is the most important action in the flow. It:

* Records **who** acknowledged and **when**.
* Moves the incident to `acknowledged`.
* **Stops automatic escalation** — aciona.me stops looking for the next person.
* Becomes visible on the timeline for the whole team.

<Warning>
  Acknowledging is not resolving. An acknowledged incident stays open until someone resolves it. ACK only says it is no longer unattended.
</Warning>

### Where to acknowledge

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Web dashboard">
    Open the incident and click **Acknowledge**.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Mobile app">
    Straight from the push notification, or from the incident screen.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Email">
    Through the action link in the notification email, without opening the dashboard.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Slack and Microsoft Teams">
    Through the action link on the card sent to the channel.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The action source is recorded on the timeline — you can tell whether the ACK came from a phone at 3 a.m. or from the dashboard during business hours.

## Take ownership

Taking ownership sets you as the incident's owner (`assigned`). Anyone allowed to act on incidents can take an incident for themselves.

Use it when:

* You acknowledged and will drive the resolution.
* The incident reached someone else, but you already have context and will fix it.
* You want to make it explicit to the rest of the team that the problem has an owner.

<Tip>
  The healthy sequence is: **acknowledge** fast (to stop escalation) and **take ownership** right after (to make the owner clear). Many teams do both within the same minute.
</Tip>

## Who can

Owners, admins and members can acknowledge, take, resolve, close and escalate manually. **Viewers cannot act** — only view.

Assigning to **someone else** has its own rule: see [Assign to someone else](/en/incidents/assign).