diff --git a/internal/dialogue/clarify.go b/internal/dialogue/clarify.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..699fb3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/dialogue/clarify.go
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+package dialogue
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// Slot names one piece of information a turn needs. A question is always about
+// exactly one of these.
+type Slot string
+
+const (
+	SlotTime Slot = "time"
+	SlotKey  Slot = "key"
+	SlotFn   Slot = "fn"
+	SlotText Slot = "text"
+)
+
+// MaxAttempts — she asks once and then drops the request. Asking twice about
+// the same utterance reads as nagging, and the non-goals forbid that.
+const MaxAttempts = 1
+
+// PendingQuestion — a request she could not act on, parked while she waits for
+// the one missing piece. The original slots are kept so the answer only has to
+// carry the gap, not the whole request again.
+type PendingQuestion struct {
+	Intent    Intent
+	Slots     Slots
+	Missing   []Slot
+	Utterance string // the original request, so the answer inherits its wording
+	Asked     time.Time
+	TTL       time.Duration
+	Attempts  int
+}
+
+// IsExpired — an answer that arrives after the TTL is a new request, not an
+// answer. Same reasoning as the confirm gate: a stale question must not eat an
+// unrelated later utterance.
+func (q *PendingQuestion) IsExpired(now time.Time) bool {
+	return now.After(q.Asked.Add(q.TTL))
+}
+
+func (q *PendingQuestion) CanAsk() bool {
+	return q.Attempts < MaxAttempts
+}
+
+// Answer merges the parsed answer into the parked slots. It fills only the
+// slots that were missing when the question was asked — an answer can never
+// overwrite something she already understood, so a stray word in the answer
+// cannot silently change the request.
+func (q *PendingQuestion) Answer(text string, answer Slots) Slots {
+	out := q.Slots
+	for _, slot := range q.Missing {
+		switch slot {
+		case SlotTime:
+			if !out.HasTime && answer.HasTime {
+				out.Time, out.HasTime = answer.Time, true
+			}
+		case SlotKey:
+			if !out.HasKey && answer.HasKey {
+				out.Key, out.HasKey = answer.Key, true
+			}
+		case SlotFn:
+			if !out.HasFn && answer.HasFn {
+				out.Fn, out.Args, out.HasFn = answer.Fn, answer.Args, true
+			}
+		case SlotText:
+			if out.Text == "" {
+				out.Text = text
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if out.Text == "" {
+		out.Text = text
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// StillMissing returns the wanted slots that the given slots do not fill, in
+// the order they were wanted. Empty result ⇒ the request can be acted on.
+func StillMissing(want []Slot, s Slots) []Slot {
+	var out []Slot
+	for _, slot := range want {
+		filled := false
+		switch slot {
+		case SlotTime:
+			filled = s.HasTime
+		case SlotKey:
+			filled = s.HasKey
+		case SlotFn:
+			filled = s.HasFn
+		case SlotText:
+			filled = s.Text != ""
+		}
+		if !filled {
+			out = append(out, slot)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// ClarifyStore holds the parked questions. One entry per dialogue id; a new
+// question overwrites the old one (last-asked wins, single-user box).
+type ClarifyStore struct {
+	mu         sync.Mutex
+	questions  map[string]*PendingQuestion
+	defaultTTL time.Duration
+}
+
+func NewClarifyStore(defaultTTL time.Duration) *ClarifyStore {
+	if defaultTTL <= 0 {
+		defaultTTL = 90 * time.Second
+	}
+	return &ClarifyStore{
+		questions:  make(map[string]*PendingQuestion),
+		defaultTTL: defaultTTL,
+	}
+}
+
+// Get returns the live question for id, or nil. An expired question is dropped
+// on read so the caller never sees one.
+func (c *ClarifyStore) Get(id string, now time.Time) *PendingQuestion {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+	q, ok := c.questions[id]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if q.IsExpired(now) {
+		delete(c.questions, id)
+		return nil
+	}
+	return q
+}
+
+func (c *ClarifyStore) Put(id string, q *PendingQuestion) {
+	if q.TTL <= 0 {
+		q.TTL = c.defaultTTL
+	}
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	c.questions[id] = q
+	c.mu.Unlock()
+}
+
+func (c *ClarifyStore) Delete(id string) {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	delete(c.questions, id)
+	c.mu.Unlock()
+}
diff --git a/internal/dialogue/clarify_test.go b/internal/dialogue/clarify_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f991e02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/dialogue/clarify_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+package dialogue
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+var clarifyNow = time.Date(2026, 7, 31, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+func TestPendingQuestionAnswerFillsOnlyMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	fireAt := clarifyNow.Add(time.Hour)
+	q := &PendingQuestion{
+		Intent:  IntentReminder,
+		Slots:   Slots{Key: "mom", HasKey: true, Text: "напомни позвонить маме"},
+		Missing: []Slot{SlotTime},
+	}
+	got := q.Answer("в 11", Slots{Time: fireAt, HasTime: true, Key: "other", HasKey: true})
+	if !got.HasTime || !got.Time.Equal(fireAt) {
+		t.Fatalf("missing time slot not filled: %+v", got)
+	}
+	if got.Key != "mom" {
+		t.Fatalf("answer overwrote a filled slot: key=%q", got.Key)
+	}
+	if got.Text != "напомни позвонить маме" {
+		t.Fatalf("answer overwrote the original text: %q", got.Text)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPendingQuestionAnswerKeepsGapWhenAnswerIsEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	q := &PendingQuestion{Intent: IntentReminder, Missing: []Slot{SlotTime}}
+	got := q.Answer("не знаю", Slots{})
+	if got.HasTime {
+		t.Fatal("empty answer must not fill the slot")
+	}
+	if len(StillMissing(q.Missing, got)) != 1 {
+		t.Fatal("StillMissing should report the unfilled slot")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStillMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name  string
+		want  []Slot
+		slots Slots
+		left  int
+	}{
+		{"all filled", []Slot{SlotTime, SlotKey}, Slots{HasTime: true, HasKey: true}, 0},
+		{"time gap", []Slot{SlotTime}, Slots{HasKey: true}, 1},
+		{"fn gap", []Slot{SlotFn}, Slots{}, 1},
+		{"text filled", []Slot{SlotText}, Slots{Text: "hi"}, 0},
+		{"nothing wanted", nil, Slots{}, 0},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		if got := StillMissing(tc.want, tc.slots); len(got) != tc.left {
+			t.Errorf("%s: got %v, want %d left", tc.name, got, tc.left)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClarifyStoreExpiry(t *testing.T) {
+	s := NewClarifyStore(90 * time.Second)
+	s.Put("voice", &PendingQuestion{Asked: clarifyNow, Missing: []Slot{SlotTime}})
+
+	if s.Get("voice", clarifyNow.Add(30*time.Second)) == nil {
+		t.Fatal("question inside the TTL should be live")
+	}
+	if s.Get("voice", clarifyNow.Add(2*time.Minute)) != nil {
+		t.Fatal("question past the TTL should be dropped")
+	}
+	if s.Get("voice", clarifyNow) != nil {
+		t.Fatal("an expired question must be deleted on read, not linger")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClarifyStoreDefaultTTL(t *testing.T) {
+	s := NewClarifyStore(0)
+	q := &PendingQuestion{Asked: clarifyNow}
+	s.Put("voice", q)
+	if q.TTL != 90*time.Second {
+		t.Fatalf("default TTL not applied: %v", q.TTL)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCanAskOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	q := &PendingQuestion{}
+	if !q.CanAsk() {
+		t.Fatal("a fresh question should be askable")
+	}
+	q.Attempts = MaxAttempts
+	if q.CanAsk() {
+		t.Fatal("she must not ask twice")
+	}
+}