WASHINGTON—The nation’s group chats confirmed Tuesday that a plan to meet up, first proposed in late March, has been “almost finalized” for more than seven weeks, pending only a date, a time, a location, and a single message from anyone that is not an emoji.

According to sources inside the chat, the plan has so far drawn three thumbs-up reactions, one heart on a message that was not really asking for a heart, and one “I’m flexible,” which participants describe as “the most substantive contribution to date.”

“We’re really close,” said one member, who asked not to be named because he is also the person who originally suggested it. “Everybody’s into it. That part is settled. Now we just have to figure out the rest of it, which is all of it.”

The initial message, which read “we should all get together soon!!” and carried a celebratory tone, has since been buried under 412 messages, including a meme about Mondays, a photo of someone’s dog, and a link to an article that nobody has opened.

Dr. Hollis Brandvold-Pruitt, a senior fellow at the Institute for Provisional Socializing at the Lower Midland Center for Applied Intentions, said the phenomenon is well documented. “A plan in this state exists in what we call the Pre-Calendar Zone,” she said. “Everyone is emotionally committed, no one is logistically committed, and the first person to suggest an actual Saturday will be treated as though they have pulled a knife.”

Brandvold-Pruitt noted that the Pre-Calendar Zone can be sustained almost indefinitely so long as at least one person says “let’s make it happen” every six to eight weeks.

“Honestly, I’m just happy we’re all on the same page, which is a page with nothing written on it.”

Efforts to move the plan forward have repeatedly stalled. On April 9, a member proposed “sometime the weekend after next,” prompting a reply of “ooh, that might work, let me check,” after which no one checked. On April 22, another member offered to “make a poll,” a gesture the group praised warmly, and which was never followed through.

A poll was eventually created May 3. It offered four options, each with one vote from a different person, and one option labeled “other.” It remains open.

At press time, the chat’s most active member had reportedly typed, “Okay, I’m going to be more proactive about this,” then gone quiet. Another member responded with a thumbs-up, bringing the total to four and prompting widespread optimism that the plan could be formalized “once things calm down,” a period most participants expect to begin in the fall.

Sources close to the group confirmed that, should a date ever be set, at least two members will cancel the morning of, citing “a crazy week,” and the plan will return to its natural state of being almost finalized.