Read extraction operation states
An operation is one recorded extraction attempt. Its identity stays the same while you inspect it. HTTP success describes the request to the service; operation.state describes the extraction.
Documented states
| State | What is available | Next action |
|---|---|---|
reserved | A recorded request, not a completed document | Inspect the same operation again. |
completed | operation.result.markdown and result metadata | Check provenance, warnings and truncation. |
failed | A saved operation.error | Preserve it and diagnose before new work. |
cancelled | A recorded cancellation, not completed Markdown | Keep the identity; do not treat cancellation as output. |
These are the four states in the public extraction contract. If a workbench reports another pending or unconfirmed state, retain its exact wording and operation ID; do not map it to success or invent an undocumented completion state.
Inspect identity and outcome together
In the workbench, expand Page request and keep its Operation ID. Use Check selected request to inspect that request again. Check that the displayed requested page still matches the work you meant to follow. A status such as Still pending is a reason to keep inspecting, not to press Read page again.
The MDN explanation of HTTP 202 explains the general distinction between acceptance and completion. It does not mean Zilch promises a 202 response: even HTTP 200 can carry a failed extraction.
A missing result on completed, an unexpected identity or an unreadable state needs support, not a fabricated empty document. See output fields for what a usable result must contain.