What's the best way to handle comments that answer a question?

Question

This happens all too often.

1. Someone asks a question that's mostly clear
2. Another users posts a comment, but inadvertently (or intentionally) answers the question
3. No one actually posted an answer, but the question was ultimately answered

This frequently happens, even with veterans to the site. What is the best way to handle these questions as I encounter them?

• Do I go ahead and post an answer that is near-identical to the comment? I have mixed feelings between "I don't want to get rep that should have been yours" and "You should know better than to answer questions via comments".
• Do I add another comment, requesting the commenter to post it as an answer? I have mixed feelings between "I'm being polite to make sure you get your deserved rep" and "Why bother hounding the commenter when I can just as easily post the answer myself".

Is there a concept of "common courtesy" when it comes to answering questions, or does the community follow "you post your answer, I post mine, let the best answer win"?

Answer 1

Post an answer and give credit to the user in the comments. The person who commented on the post should be able to post their own answer or would have done it first if they knew it was a valid answer.

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Credit to @FoxMcCloud for this helpful answer.

Answer 2

1. Post a Community Wiki answer, quoting any relevant information from the comment and giving credit to whoever posted it.
2. Flag the comment answering the question either as "No longer needed" or with a custom flag such as "This answer was posted as a comment instead".