--- a/CHANGES.txt	Tue Nov 05 13:22:20 2019 +0100
+++ b/CHANGES.txt	Thu Nov 07 18:35:33 2019 -0500
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@
   needs to be marked as urgent or similar, e.g., Outlook uses an
   "Importance" header, when set to "high" it highlights the message.
   (Ralf Schlatterbeck)
-
+- issue2550926 - Original author adding a second message shouldn't set
+  status to 'chatting'. See upgrading.txt for details. (John Rouillard)
 Fixed:
 
 - issue2550996 - Give better error message when running with -c

--- a/doc/upgrading.txt	Tue Nov 05 13:22:20 2019 +0100
+++ b/doc/upgrading.txt	Thu Nov 07 18:35:33 2019 -0500
@@ -151,6 +151,68 @@
 hours. All examples were with Python 2. Anecdotal evidence shows
 Python 3 is faster, but YMMV.
 
+Merge improvements in statusauditor.py
+--------------------------------------
+
+By default the detector statusauditor.py will change the status from
+"unread" to "chatting" when a second message is added to an issue.
+The distributed classic and jinja templates implement this feature in
+their copies of ``detectors/statusauditor.py``.
+
+This can be a problem. Consider a person sending email to create an
+issue. Then the person sends a followup message to add some additional
+information to the issue. The followup message will trigger the status
+change from "unread" to "chatting". This is misleading since the
+person is "chatting" with themselves.
+
+Statusauditor.py has been enhanced to prevent the status from changing
+to "chatting" until a second user (person) adds a message.  If you
+want this functionality, you need to merge the distributed
+statusauditor.py with your tracker's statusauditor.py. If you have not
+customized your tracker's statusauditor.py, copy the one from the
+distibuted template. In addition to the python file, you also must
+copy/merge the distributed ``detectors/config.ini`` into your
+tracker's detectors directory. Most people can copy
+``detectors/config.ini`` from the distributed templates as they won't
+have a ``detectors/config.ini`` file. (Note this is
+``detectors/config.ini`` do not confuse it with the main
+``config.ini`` file at the root of the tracker home.)
+
+This enhancement is disabled by default. Enable it by changing the
+value in ``detectors/config.ini`` from:
+
+   chatting_requires_two_users = False
+
+to
+
+   chatting_requires_two_users = True
+
+(the values ``no`` and ``yes`` can also be used). Restart the tracker
+to enable the change.
+
+If you don't do this quite right you will see one of two error
+messages in the web interface when you try to update an issue with a
+message::
+
+   Edit Error: Unsupported configuration option: Option
+      STATUSAUDITOR_CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS not found in
+      detectors/config.ini.
+   Contact tracker admin to fix.
+
+This happens if detectors/config.ini is not found or is missing the
+``chatting_requires_two_users`` option in the ``statusauditor``
+section.
+
+If you have an incorrect value (say you use ``T`` rather than
+``True``) you see a different error::
+
+   Edit Error: Invalid value for
+     DETECTOR::STATUSAUDITOR_CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS: 'T'
+   Allowed values: yes, no
+
+to fix this set the value to ``yes`` (True) or ``no`` (False).
+
+
 Migrating from 1.5.1 to 1.6.0
 =============================
 

--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/share/roundup/templates/classic/detectors/config.ini	Thu Nov 07 18:35:33 2019 -0500
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+[statusauditor]
+# Options for statusauditor.py
+#
+# Option: chatting_requires_two_users
+# Assume an issue has a status of unread and was created by the
+# demo user.
+# If False, a new message on the issue sets status to chatting.
+# If True, a new message sets the status to chatting only if the
+#   author of the new message is not demo. A message sent by demo
+#   keeps the issue status at unread. As a result a user can open
+#   a new message and add information without setting the status
+#   to chatting.
+chatting_requires_two_users = False

--- a/share/roundup/templates/classic/detectors/statusauditor.py	Tue Nov 05 13:22:20 2019 +0100
+++ b/share/roundup/templates/classic/detectors/statusauditor.py	Thu Nov 07 18:35:33 2019 -0500
@@ -19,10 +19,32 @@
 # SOFTWARE.
 #
 
+from roundup.configuration import BooleanOption, InvalidOptionError
+
 def chatty(db, cl, nodeid, newvalues):
-    ''' If the issue is currently 'unread', 'resolved', 'done-cbb' or None,
-        then set it to 'chatting'
+    ''' If the issue is currently 'resolved', 'done-cbb' or None,
+        then set it to 'chatting'. If issue is 'unread' and
+        chatting_requires_two_users is true, set state
+        to 'chatting' if the person adding the new message is not
+        the same as the person who created the issue. This allows
+        somebody to submit multiple emails describing the problem
+        without changing it to 'chatting'. 'chatting' should
+        indicate at least two people are 'chatting'.
     '''
+    # If set to true, change state from 'unread' to 'chatting' only
+    # if the author of the update is not the person who created the
+    # first message (and thus the issue). If false (default ini file
+    # setting) set 'chatting' when the second message is received.
+    try:
+        chatting_requires_two_users = BooleanOption(None,
+                        "detector::Statusauditor",
+                        "CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS").str2value(
+        db.config.detectors[
+        'STATUSAUDITOR_CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS' ]
+    )
+    except InvalidOptionError:
+        raise InvalidOptionError("Option STATUSAUDITOR_CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS not found in detectors/config.ini. Contact tracker admin to fix.")
+        
     # don't fire if there's no new message (ie. chat)
     if 'messages' not in newvalues:
         return
@@ -52,8 +74,22 @@
         except KeyError:
             pass
 
+    unread = fromstates[0] # grab the 'unread' state which is first
+
     # ok, there's no explicit change, so check if we are in a state that
-    # should be changed
+    # should be changed. First see if we should set 'chatting' based on
+    # who opened the issue.
+    if current_status == unread and chatting_requires_two_users:
+        # find creator of issue and compare to currentuser making
+        # update. If the creator is same as initial author don't
+        # change to 'chatting'.
+        issue_creator = cl.get(nodeid, 'creator')
+        if issue_creator == db.getuid():
+            # person is chatting with themselves, don't set 'chatting'
+            return
+
+    # Current author is not the initiator of the issue so
+    # we are 'chatting'.
     if current_status in fromstates + [None]:
         # yep, we're now chatting
         newvalues['status'] = chatting_id

--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/share/roundup/templates/jinja2/detectors/config.ini	Thu Nov 07 18:35:33 2019 -0500
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+[statusauditor]
+# Options for statusauditor.py
+#
+# Option: chatting_requires_two_users
+# Assume an issue has a status of unread and was created by the
+# demo user.
+# If False, a new message on the issue sets status to chatting.
+# If True, a new message sets the status to chatting only if the
+#   author of the new message is not demo. A message sent by demo
+#   keeps the issue status at unread. As a result a user can open
+#   a new message and add information without setting the status
+#   to chatting.
+chatting_requires_two_users = False

--- a/share/roundup/templates/jinja2/detectors/statusauditor.py	Tue Nov 05 13:22:20 2019 +0100
+++ b/share/roundup/templates/jinja2/detectors/statusauditor.py	Thu Nov 07 18:35:33 2019 -0500
@@ -19,10 +19,32 @@
 # SOFTWARE.
 #
 
+from roundup.configuration import BooleanOption, InvalidOptionError
+
 def chatty(db, cl, nodeid, newvalues):
-    ''' If the issue is currently 'unread', 'resolved', 'done-cbb' or None,
-        then set it to 'chatting'
+    ''' If the issue is currently 'resolved', 'done-cbb' or None,
+        then set it to 'chatting'. If issue is 'unread' and
+        chatting_requires_two_users is true, set state
+        to 'chatting' if the person adding the new message is not
+        the same as the person who created the issue. This allows
+        somebody to submit multiple emails describing the problem
+        without changing it to 'chatting'. 'chatting' should
+        indicate at least two people are 'chatting'.
     '''
+    # If set to true, change state from 'unread' to 'chatting' only
+    # if the author of the update is not the person who created the
+    # first message (and thus the issue). If false (default ini file
+    # setting) set 'chatting' when the second message is received.
+    try:
+        chatting_requires_two_users = BooleanOption(None,
+                        "detector::Statusauditor",
+                        "CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS").str2value(
+        db.config.detectors[
+        'STATUSAUDITOR_CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS' ]
+    )
+    except InvalidOptionError:
+        raise InvalidOptionError("Option STATUSAUDITOR_CHATTING_REQUIRES_TWO_USERS not found in detectors/config.ini. Contact tracker admin to fix.")
+        
     # don't fire if there's no new message (ie. chat)
     if 'messages' not in newvalues:
         return
@@ -52,8 +74,22 @@
         except KeyError:
             pass
 
+    unread = fromstates[0] # grab the 'unread' state which is first
+
     # ok, there's no explicit change, so check if we are in a state that
-    # should be changed
+    # should be changed. First see if we should set 'chatting' based on
+    # who opened the issue.
+    if current_status == unread and chatting_requires_two_users:
+        # find creator of issue and compare to currentuser making
+        # update. If the creator is same as initial author don't
+        # change to 'chatting'.
+        issue_creator = cl.get(nodeid, 'creator')
+        if issue_creator == db.getuid():
+            # person is chatting with themselves, don't set 'chatting'
+            return
+
+    # Current author is not the initiator of the issue so
+    # we are 'chatting'.
     if current_status in fromstates + [None]:
         # yep, we're now chatting
         newvalues['status'] = chatting_id