Handling user feedback, retries, and timeouts

[maxim]

1. The simplest is signal and then query. Temporal guarantees read after write consistency for this interaction. Yes, structs are supported as query results. This answer gives more options for implementing synchronous workflow updates.
2. Correct, the simplest way to retry it is by setting a retry policy.
3. Don’t rely on workflow timeout for any business logic as they are essentially “kill -9” on timer. Use timers inside the workflow for any business-related timeouts. In your case set a timer that performs cleanup when fired.