Understanding Action Item Sync States

When an NSPEC-X inspection is linked to a Procore project, every action item on the Action Items tab shows a small icon in its header that tells you at a glance whether it's synced with Procore, needs attention, or is blocked by a permission issue. This article walks through each of the four states, what they mean, and what to do about them.

Where You See These Icons

Sync icons appear on action item cards in the Action Items tab of any Procore-linked inspection. They sit in the top-right corner of each card, next to the menu and collaboration buttons. Non-Procore inspections don't show sync icons at all — the feature is Procore-specific.

The Four States

Icon	State	What it means
Green menu icon only (no sync icon)	In sync	The local action item matches the Procore observation. Nothing to do.
Orange alert circle	Out of sync — editable	Your local changes haven't been pushed to Procore yet. You have write access — click the icon to open the item and re-sync.
Gray alert circle	Out of sync — access denied	The item is out of sync but your Procore role doesn't allow you to write to Observations on this project. The icon is disabled.
Document icon (orange)	Procore changes detected	Someone edited the observation in Procore. Click to review the changes in the Procore Changes Detected modal.

Orange Alert Circle — Out of Sync (Editable)

The orange alert-circle icon means you've made local edits (status change, new photo, updated description) that haven't reached Procore yet. This is the most common out-of-sync state and the easiest to fix.

1. Click the orange alert icon
2. The Edit Action Item modal opens
3. Review your pending changes and click Save
4. If Procore hasn't changed in the meantime, the item syncs and the icon disappears
5. If Procore has also changed, the Procore Changes Detected modal opens — see Resolving Procore Conflicts

Gray Alert Circle — Access Denied

The gray alert-circle icon looks similar to the orange one but it's disabled — you can't click through to edit. It means the item is out of sync and your Procore role doesn't have write access to Observations on this project.

You have two options:

• Ask a teammate with Procore write access to sync the item from their device
• Request Procore permissions from your Procore administrator — see Procore Permissions Guide for the exact tools/permissions to request

The gray icon also disables the menu, collaboration, and edit buttons on the card. This is intentional — without write access, you can view but not change Procore-linked data.

Document Icon — Procore Changes Detected

The document icon is different from the alert circles — it means the change came from Procore, not from NSPEC-X. Someone updated the linked observation in Procore (changed status, added a photo, reassigned it, etc.) and NSPEC-X needs you to review that change before it continues syncing.

1. Click the document icon
2. The Procore Changes Detected modal opens automatically, listing every field that changed
3. Pick Override Changes, Save without sync, or Cancel — see Resolving Procore Conflicts for what each choice does

While an action item is in this state, the normal menu button (three dots) is hidden. You must resolve the conflict before you can edit, delete, or take other actions on the card.

Special Case — Deleted in Procore

If the observation was deleted in Procore, clicking the orange alert icon shows an alert: "This action item has been deleted in Procore. Please sync to remove it from the app." Delete the local action item to finish reconciling.

How NSPEC-X Detects Sync State

Every time you open an inspection or edit an action item, NSPEC-X compares the local copy of each Procore-linked action item against the current Procore observation. If the two differ, the corresponding icon appears. This check requires an internet connection — in offline mode, the last-known sync state is shown, and new icons won't appear until you reconnect.

Troubleshooting

Sync icon won't go away after saving

Solutions:

• Refresh the Action Items tab (pull-to-refresh on mobile, reload on web)
• Make sure you're online — sync status isn't updated in offline mode
• If the icon is the document icon, you must resolve the Procore conflict before it clears

Gray icon isn't clickable

Solutions:

• This is expected — gray means access denied. Request write permissions in Procore, or have a teammate with access sync the item.

All my action items show orange alert circles

Solutions:

• You're offline — NSPEC-X queued your edits but can't push them to Procore yet. Reconnect and the icons will clear as each item syncs.
• Your Procore token expired — see What is NSPEC-X for how to re-authenticate

Related Articles

• Resolving Procore Conflicts
• Creating Procore Observations
• Procore Permissions Guide
• Troubleshooting NSPEC-X Sync Issues

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