diff --git a/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceCommandImplementation.php b/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceCommandImplementation.php
--- a/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceCommandImplementation.php
+++ b/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceCommandImplementation.php
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
   abstract public function getCommandName();
   abstract public function canApplyToItem(NuanceItem $item);
 
+  public function canApplyImmediately(
+    NuanceItem $item,
+    NuanceItemCommand $command) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
   abstract protected function executeCommand(
     NuanceItem $item,
     NuanceItemCommand $command);
diff --git a/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceTrashCommand.php b/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceTrashCommand.php
--- a/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceTrashCommand.php
+++ b/src/applications/nuance/command/NuanceTrashCommand.php
@@ -14,6 +14,12 @@
     return ($type instanceof NuanceFormItemType);
   }
 
+  public function canApplyImmediately(
+    NuanceItem $item,
+    NuanceItemCommand $command) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
   protected function executeCommand(
     NuanceItem $item,
     NuanceItemCommand $command) {
diff --git a/src/applications/nuance/controller/NuanceItemActionController.php b/src/applications/nuance/controller/NuanceItemActionController.php
--- a/src/applications/nuance/controller/NuanceItemActionController.php
+++ b/src/applications/nuance/controller/NuanceItemActionController.php
@@ -53,6 +53,25 @@
     $impl->setViewer($viewer);
     $impl->setController($this);
 
+    $executors = NuanceCommandImplementation::getAllCommands();
+    $executor = idx($executors, $action);
+    if (!$executor) {
+      return new Aphront404Response();
+    }
+
+    $executor = id(clone $executor)
+      ->setActor($viewer);
+
+    if (!$executor->canApplyToItem($item)) {
+      return $this->newDialog()
+        ->setTitle(pht('Command Not Supported'))
+        ->appendParagraph(
+          pht(
+            'This item does not support the specified command ("%s").',
+            $action))
+        ->addCancelButton($cancel_uri);
+    }
+
     $command = NuanceItemCommand::initializeNewCommand()
       ->setItemPHID($item->getPHID())
       ->setAuthorPHID($viewer->getPHID())
@@ -64,17 +83,29 @@
 
     $command->save();
 
-    // TODO: Here, we should check if the command should be tried immediately,
-    // and just defer it to the daemons if not. If we're going to try to apply
-    // the command directly, we should first acquire the worker lock. If we
-    // can not, we should defer the command even if it's an immediate command.
-    // For the moment, skip all this stuff by deferring unconditionally.
+    // If this command can be applied immediately, try to apply it now.
 
-    $should_defer = true;
-    if ($should_defer) {
+    // In most cases, local commands (like closing an item) can be applied
+    // immediately.
+
+    // Commands that require making a call to a remote system (for example,
+    // to reply to a tweet or close a remote object) are usually done in the
+    // background so the user doesn't have to wait for the operation to
+    // complete before they can continue work.
+
+    $did_apply = false;
+    $immediate = $executor->canApplyImmediately($item, $command);
+    if ($immediate) {
+      // TODO: Move this stuff to a new Engine, and have the controller and
+      // worker both call into the Engine.
+      $worker = new NuanceItemUpdateWorker(array());
+      $did_apply = $worker->executeCommands($item, array($command));
+    }
+
+    // If this can't be applied immediately or we were unable to get a lock
+    // fast enough, do the update in the background instead.
+    if (!$did_apply) {
       $item->scheduleUpdate();
-    } else {
-      // ...
     }
 
     if ($queue) {
diff --git a/src/applications/nuance/worker/NuanceItemUpdateWorker.php b/src/applications/nuance/worker/NuanceItemUpdateWorker.php
--- a/src/applications/nuance/worker/NuanceItemUpdateWorker.php
+++ b/src/applications/nuance/worker/NuanceItemUpdateWorker.php
@@ -6,9 +6,7 @@
   protected function doWork() {
     $item_phid = $this->getTaskDataValue('itemPHID');
 
-    $hash = PhabricatorHash::digestForIndex($item_phid);
-    $lock_key = "nuance.item.{$hash}";
-    $lock = PhabricatorGlobalLock::newLock($lock_key);
+    $lock = $this->newLock($item_phid);
 
     $lock->lock(1);
     try {
@@ -55,9 +53,6 @@
   private function applyCommands(NuanceItem $item) {
     $viewer = $this->getViewer();
 
-    $impl = $item->getImplementation();
-    $impl->setViewer($viewer);
-
     $commands = id(new NuanceItemCommandQuery())
       ->setViewer($viewer)
       ->withItemPHIDs(array($item->getPHID()))
@@ -68,8 +63,60 @@
       ->execute();
     $commands = msort($commands, 'getID');
 
+    $this->executeCommandList($item, $commands);
+  }
+
+  public function executeCommands(NuanceItem $item, array $commands) {
+    if (!$commands) {
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    $item_phid = $item->getPHID();
+    $viewer = $this->getViewer();
+
+    $lock = $this->newLock($item_phid);
+    try {
+      $lock->lock(1);
+    } catch (PhutilLockException $ex) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      $item = $this->loadItem($item_phid);
+
+      // Reload commands now that we have a lock, to make sure we don't
+      // execute any commands twice by mistake.
+      $commands = id(new NuanceItemCommandQuery())
+        ->setViewer($viewer)
+        ->withIDs(mpull($commands, 'getID'))
+        ->execute();
+
+      $this->executeCommandList($item, $commands);
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      $lock->unlock();
+      throw $ex;
+    }
+
+    $lock->unlock();
+
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  private function executeCommandList(NuanceItem $item, array $commands) {
+    $viewer = $this->getViewer();
+
     $executors = NuanceCommandImplementation::getAllCommands();
     foreach ($commands as $command) {
+      if ($command->getItemPHID() !== $item->getPHID()) {
+        throw new Exception(
+          pht('Trying to apply a command to the wrong item!'));
+      }
+
+      if ($command->getStatus() !== NuanceItemCommand::STATUS_ISSUED) {
+        // Never execute commands which have already been issued.
+        continue;
+      }
+
       $command
         ->setStatus(NuanceItemCommand::STATUS_EXECUTING)
         ->save();
@@ -105,4 +152,10 @@
     }
   }
 
+  private function newLock($item_phid) {
+    $hash = PhabricatorHash::digestForIndex($item_phid);
+    $lock_key = "nuance.item.{$hash}";
+    return PhabricatorGlobalLock::newLock($lock_key);
+  }
+
 }