A cognitive request management method, system, and computer program product include scanning a stream of incoming messages among at least two users to identify a request sent to a first user, storing the identified request in a list of unfulfilled requests, identifying a response of the first user to the request by backtracking within a message thread of the stream of incoming messages and when the response to a request is detected, the request is moved from the user's unfulfilled request list to a list of fulfilled requests, and displaying the list of unfulfilled requests and the list of fulfilled requests.