diff --git a/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.test.ts b/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.test.ts
index 86850f8fc915..cf81e6ea4d5b 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.test.ts
@@ -74,10 +74,12 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
       const threadPayload = extractToolPayload(threadResult) as {
         thread: { id: string; title: string };
         target: string;
+        threadId: string;
       };
       expect(threadPayload.thread.id).toMatch(/^thread-/);
       expect(threadPayload.thread.title).toBe("QA thread");
-      expect(threadPayload.target).toContain(threadPayload.thread.id);
+      expect(threadPayload.target).toBe("channel:qa-room");
+      expect(threadPayload.threadId).toBe(threadPayload.thread.id);
 
       const replyResult = await handleAction({
         channel: "qa-channel",
@@ -86,6 +88,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
           target: threadPayload.target,
+          threadId: threadPayload.threadId,
           message: "thread reply",
           text: "ignored legacy reply",
         },
@@ -111,6 +114,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
           to: threadPayload.target,
+          threadId: threadPayload.threadId,
           messageId: outbound.id,
           emoji: "white_check_mark",
         },
@@ -123,6 +127,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
           target: threadPayload.target,
+          threadId: threadPayload.threadId,
           messageId: outbound.id,
           message: "message (edited)",
           text: "ignored legacy edit",
@@ -136,6 +141,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
           to: threadPayload.target,
+          threadId: threadPayload.threadId,
           messageId: outbound.id,
         },
       });
@@ -165,6 +171,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
           to: threadPayload.target,
+          threadId: threadPayload.threadId,
           messageId: outbound.id,
         },
       });
@@ -188,7 +195,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         cfg,
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
-          target: "channel:canonical-room",
+          target: "channel:canonical/room",
           to: "channel:legacy-to-room",
           channelId: "legacy-channel-id-room",
           threadName: "Canonical target thread",
@@ -197,10 +204,12 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
       const threadPayload = extractToolPayload(threadResult) as {
         thread: { id: string; conversationId: string };
         target: string;
+        threadId: string;
       };
 
-      expect(threadPayload.thread.conversationId).toBe("canonical-room");
-      expect(threadPayload.target).toBe(`thread:canonical-room/${threadPayload.thread.id}`);
+      expect(threadPayload.thread.conversationId).toBe("canonical/room");
+      expect(threadPayload.target).toBe("channel:canonical/room");
+      expect(threadPayload.threadId).toBe(threadPayload.thread.id);
 
       const replyResult = await handleAction({
         channel: "qa-channel",
@@ -209,13 +218,14 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
           target: threadPayload.target,
+          threadId: threadPayload.threadId,
           channelId: "legacy-reply-room",
           message: "canonical target reply",
         },
       });
       expect(extractToolPayload(replyResult)).toMatchObject({
         message: {
-          conversation: { id: "canonical-room", kind: "channel" },
+          conversation: { id: "canonical/room", kind: "channel" },
           text: "canonical target reply",
           threadId: threadPayload.thread.id,
         },
@@ -246,6 +256,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
       const threadPayload = extractToolPayload(threadResult) as {
         thread: { id: string; title: string };
         target: string;
+        threadId: string;
       };
       expect(threadPayload.thread.title).toBe("Legacy thread");
 
@@ -279,6 +290,7 @@ describe("qa-channel direct message actions", () => {
         accountId: "default",
         params: {
           to: threadPayload.target,
+          threadId: threadPayload.threadId,
           messageId: outbound.id,
           text: "legacy edit",
         },
diff --git a/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.ts b/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.ts
index 847dd208126d..c2baca8cf507 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-channel/src/channel-actions.ts
@@ -214,7 +214,11 @@ export const qaChannelMessageActions: ChannelMessageActionAdapter = {
         });
         return jsonResult({
           thread,
-          target: `thread:${target.conversationId}/${thread.id}`,
+          target: buildQaTarget({
+            chatType: target.conversationKind,
+            conversationId: target.conversationId,
+          }),
+          threadId: thread.id,
         });
       }
       case "thread-reply": {
diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check-scenario.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check-scenario.ts
index f039d1e2f7dd..3c4801479745 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check-scenario.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check-scenario.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ export function createQaSelfCheckScenario(options?: {
 }): QaScenarioDefinition {
   const waitTimeoutMs = options?.waitTimeoutMs ?? 5_000;
   let lifecycleTarget: string | undefined;
+  let lifecycleThreadId: string | undefined;
   return {
     name: "Synthetic Slack-class roundtrip",
     steps: [
@@ -39,12 +40,13 @@ export function createQaSelfCheckScenario(options?: {
           });
           const threadPayload = extractQaToolPayload(
             threadResult as Parameters<typeof extractQaToolPayload>[0],
-          ) as { target?: string; thread?: { id?: string } } | undefined;
-          const threadId = threadPayload?.thread?.id;
-          if (!threadId || !threadPayload?.target) {
+          ) as { target?: string; threadId?: string; thread?: { id?: string } } | undefined;
+          const threadId = threadPayload?.threadId;
+          if (!threadId || threadId !== threadPayload?.thread?.id || !threadPayload.target) {
             throw new Error("thread-create did not return thread id and target");
           }
           lifecycleTarget = threadPayload.target;
+          lifecycleThreadId = threadId;
 
           await state.addInboundMessage({
             conversation: { id: "qa-room", kind: "channel", title: "QA Room" },
@@ -78,12 +80,13 @@ export function createQaSelfCheckScenario(options?: {
           if (!outboundMessage) {
             throw new Error("threaded outbound message not found");
           }
-          if (!lifecycleTarget) {
+          if (!lifecycleTarget || !lifecycleThreadId) {
             throw new Error("thread target not found");
           }
 
           await performAction("react", {
             to: lifecycleTarget,
+            threadId: lifecycleThreadId,
             messageId: outboundMessage.id,
             emoji: "white_check_mark",
           });
@@ -97,6 +100,7 @@ export function createQaSelfCheckScenario(options?: {
 
           await performAction("edit", {
             to: lifecycleTarget,
+            threadId: lifecycleThreadId,
             messageId: outboundMessage.id,
             text: "qa-echo: inside thread (edited)",
           });
@@ -110,6 +114,7 @@ export function createQaSelfCheckScenario(options?: {
 
           await performAction("delete", {
             to: lifecycleTarget,
+            threadId: lifecycleThreadId,
             messageId: outboundMessage.id,
           });
           const deleted = await state.readMessage({ messageId: outboundMessage.id });
diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check.test.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check.test.ts
index 1aff1be8e461..d886d0550ad7 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/self-check.test.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,8 @@ describe("createQaSelfCheckScenario", () => {
       if (action === "thread-create") {
         return {
           details: {
-            target: "thread:qa-room/thread-1",
+            target: "channel:qa-room",
+            threadId: "thread-1",
             thread: { id: "thread-1" },
           },
         };
@@ -120,11 +121,7 @@ describe("createQaSelfCheckScenario", () => {
     await threadStep.run({ state: testState, performAction });
     await lifecycleStep.run({ state: testState, performAction });
 
-    expect(targets).toEqual([
-      "thread:qa-room/thread-1",
-      "thread:qa-room/thread-1",
-      "thread:qa-room/thread-1",
-    ]);
+    expect(targets).toEqual(["channel:qa-room", "channel:qa-room", "channel:qa-room"]);
     const deletedMessage = state.getSnapshot().messages.find((message) => message.deleted);
     if (!deletedMessage) {
       throw new Error("self-check did not preserve its deleted message tombstone");