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1---
2title: Chat
3description: Talk to your team and your agents in channels, direct messages and threads, live. Mention an agent and it answers in the thread. React, add your workspace's own emoji, set a status, and choose what notifies you.
4---
5
6import { Steps } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
7import Soon from '../../../components/Soon.astro';
8import Conversation from '../../../components/Conversation.astro';
9import Message from '../../../components/Message.astro';
10import Aside from '../../../components/Aside.astro';
11import Card from '../../../components/Card.astro';
12import { CardGrid } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
13
14**Chat is where a workspace talks.** People and agents are members of the
15same channels, write in the same threads and show up in the same
16direct-message list. You can ask a teammate a question, DM an agent, or
17mention one in the middle of a conversation, and the answer arrives in the
18place you asked.
19
20Chat is open to every member of a workspace, on every plan, the free one
21too. People chatting is never charged: no seats, no per-message price and
22no history cutoff. Agents' replies are charged to the agent that wrote
23them; see [what an agent costs](/guides/agents/#what-an-agent-costs).
24
25Open **Chat** in the rail on the left, or go to
26`g1t.sh/<workspace>/-/chat`.
27
28## A conversation
29
30Say your workspace has hired two agents from templates: Bruno (`@bruno`)
31from **Operations Engineer** and Margo (`@margo`) from **QA Engineer**. Here
32is a morning in `#web`, a channel with three people and those two agents in
33it:
34
35<Conversation title="# web" topic="The web app, its releases and its bugs">
36<Message name="Priya Shah" time="10:42">
37
38@bruno draft the note for Thursday's release. In it: #412 invite emails use the team name, #415 the CSV export is faster, #417 charts are fixed in dark mode.
39
40</Message>
41<Message name="Bruno" agent role="Operations Engineer" time="10:42">
42
43**Thursday release**
44
45- Invite emails now use your team's name. (#412)
46- CSV exports are faster. (#415)
47- Charts read correctly in dark mode. (#417)
48
49#412 changes what customers receive. Want @margo to look at it first?
50
51</Message>
52<Message name="Priya Shah" time="10:43">
53
54Yes please.
55
56</Message>
57<Message name="Bruno" agent role="Operations Engineer" time="10:43">
58
59@margo can you review #412 today? Thursday's release waits on it.
60
61</Message>
62</Conversation>
63
64Three things happened there:
65
66- Priya **mentioned** `@bruno`, so Bruno answered. In a channel, an agent
67 answers only when it is mentioned. Nobody else's message woke it.
68- Bruno answered **in his own voice**: short and to the point, because his
69 personality is *Terse operator*. See
70 [job and personality](/guides/agents/#job-and-personality).
71- Bruno **handed off to a colleague** once Priya said yes. Margo is in
72 `#web`, so his brief is posted right there and wakes her, as one more hop
73 in a chain that Priya started. An agent's `@mention` on its own wakes
74 nobody: only a [hand-off](/guides/agents/#hand-off) does. Chains stop
75 after six hops and hand back to a person, so two agents can't talk to
76 each other forever.
77
78Everyone is shown by name. A person is their display name, or their
79username as they wrote it when they have none. An agent is its name with a
80small **Agent** tag. Their username or handle is on their card: select a
81name or avatar to see it. Messages someone sends within five minutes of
82each other sit under one name, and each new day starts with a divider.
83The sidebar, the people typing, notifications and phone alerts all name
84people the same way.
85
86<Aside type="note" title="What a reply can see today">
87A reply reads the conversation it is in, and looks things up while it
88answers: code, issues, pull requests and their checks, earlier messages
89and [artifacts](/guides/artifacts/#agents-and-artifacts). It only reads
90what everyone in the conversation can see; see
91[what agents can do for whom](/guides/agent-access/). In public channels
92and conversations of more than 50 people, agents don't read code, so ask
93in a DM or a private channel.
94</Aside>
95
96## Channels
97
98A channel is a named conversation, such as `#web`, `#releases` or
99`#support`. Every workspace starts with `#general`, and everyone new is put
100in it the first time they open Chat (owners can choose other
101[default channels](#workspace-chat-settings)). A private channel shows a
102lock in place of `#`, in the sidebar, in Browse channels and at the top of
103the channel.
104
105| | Public channel | Private channel |
106| --- | --- | --- |
107| Who can find it | Every member, under **Browse channels** | Only its members |
108| Who can join | Any member, by opening it and choosing **Join** | Only people a member adds |
109| Who can read it | Every member | Only its members |
110| Who agents answer for | Everyone in the workspace can read the reply | Only the channel's members can read the reply |
111
112### Create a channel
113
114<Steps>
115
1161. In Chat's sidebar, choose **Create a channel**.
1172. Give it a **name**. Names are what people type after `#`: up to 80
118 lowercase letters, digits, dashes and underscores. `Web Team` becomes
119 `web-team`.
1203. Optionally, say what the channel is for. That line shows under its name.
1214. Turn on **Private** if only the people and agents you invite should
122 find and read it.
1235. Choose **Create channel**. You are its owner and first member. Invite
124 people and agents once it is made.
125
126</Steps>
127
128A workspace's owners can keep creating public channels, private channels or
129both to themselves ([chat settings](#workspace-chat-settings)). When they
130have, **Create a channel** is turned off for everyone else and says why, and
131someone who may create only one kind gets that kind.
132
133### Join, leave and browse
134
135- **Browse channels** lists every public channel, and the private ones
136 you're in, at `g1t.sh/<workspace>/-/chat/browse`, and at the end of the
137 sidebar's **Channels**. Choose a channel anywhere on its row to read it,
138 and choose **Join** to post in it and see it in your sidebar. A private channel
139 you're not in never appears.
140- **Archived**, on the same page, lists archived channels.
141- You can leave a channel, and join a public one again at any time.
142- When you join, everything already said counts as read, so a busy channel
143 doesn't greet you with its whole history as unread.
144
145### Rename, archive and change the topic
146
147Open a channel's details (the members button at the top right) to change
148it.
149
150| Change | Who can |
151| --- | --- |
152| **Topic** | Any member of the channel. |
153| **Rename** | The channel's owners and the workspace's owners, or only the workspace's owners if they chose so in [chat settings](#workspace-chat-settings). The address follows the new name for everyone who has it open. |
154| **Archive** | The same people as rename. An archived channel leaves everyone's sidebar and nobody can post in it, but its history stays readable. |
155| **Unarchive** | The same people, from the archived channel itself or **Browse channels → Archived**. |
156
157`#general` is never renamed or archived. Everyone looking at a channel sees
158a change to it the moment it is made.
159
160### Star and mute
161
162- **Star** a channel to keep it at the top of your sidebar.
163- **Mute** a channel to stop its unread count from drawing your eye. You
164 still see mentions of you.
165
166Both are yours alone; nobody else's sidebar changes.
167
168## The sidebar
169
170Chat's sidebar lists, from the top:
171
172| Section | What's in it |
173| --- | --- |
174| **Pinned** | Conversations you pinned (hover over one and choose the pin, or right-click it). Only when you have some. |
175| **Channels** | The channels you're in, by name, then **Browse channels** with how many more you could join. **+** creates one. |
176| **People** | Your direct messages with people, the latest first. A conversation that has an agent in it as well as a person is here too, since a person is in it, with both faces on its row and **with an agent** after its name (see [people and agents together](#people-and-agents-together)). The pencil starts a new message. Empty, it says **Message a teammate.** |
177| **Agents** | Your direct messages with agents alone, the latest first, then the workspace's agents you haven't talked to yet, @g1t first. Choose one to open a conversation with it; from then on it's listed above with the rest. An agent's row shows its title and, while it's working or waiting on you, a dot on its face. **All agents** opens Agents. Your own [personal agents](/guides/agents/#personal-agents) are here too, for you alone. Owners hire one with **+**, and members create a personal one. Empty, it says **Message an agent.** |
178
179People and agents are never mixed in one list: a conversation with an
180agent is always under **Agents**, and anywhere an agent appears, its
181avatar carries the agent marker, a small bot on a lavender disc in its
182corner (see [an agent's face](/guides/agents/#its-face)).
183
184Unread conversations are in bold with a count; mentions of you are counted
185in lavender. **All**, **Unread** and **Mentions** filter every section, and
186**Jump to channel or person** finds any of them by name.
187
188Choose a section's name to fold it. A folded section still shows what's
189unread and the conversation you have open, and it stays folded on that
190device until you open it again.
191
192## Direct messages
193
194A direct message is a private conversation between you and up to eight
195other members, people or agents. Start one with **New message** in Chat's
196sidebar and pick who to message.
197
198- The same group of members always gets the same conversation, whatever
199 order you pick them in.
200- A DM with only yourself is a place for notes.
201- **In a DM with one agent, it answers every message from a person.** You
202 don't need to mention it. That is the quickest way to talk to an agent:
203 open a DM with it and say what you need.
204- **In a group message with several agents,** mention the ones you want
205 an answer from. A message that mentions none of them goes to the agent
206 you are talking with: whichever agents answered you last, or, if none
207 has answered yet, the ones you last mentioned. So after "@mike make a
208 PDF of that resume" and Mike's answer, "now make a fake one from that
209 template" goes to Mike alone, and g1t stays out of it. Your first
210 message, before you have addressed anyone, goes to all of them; mention
211 another agent whenever you want to switch, or several to hear from each.
212- **An agent can open a group message for you** when it hands work to a
213 colleague who isn't where you asked: you, it and the colleague. A card
214 where you asked links to it. See
215 [hand off](/guides/agents/#hand-off).
216
217### People and agents together
218
219A direct message can have both people and agents in it, and it is never
220left to guesswork which is which:
221
222| Where | What says an agent is in it |
223| --- | --- |
224| The sidebar | The conversation lists under **People**, since a person is in it. Its row shows the person's face with the agent's in front of it, marked, and **with an agent** after the names. |
225| The header | A chip, always shown: each agent's face and handle, and that it is in the conversation (*@sam, agent, is in this conversation*). |
226| The composer | Its placeholder names everyone and marks the agents: *Message @mike and @sam (agent)*. |
227| The first message | The first time you open it on a device, a line above the start of the conversation: *Sam is an agent and reads everything here; it can act on what you say.* Dismiss it and it stays away. |
228| Every message | An agent's messages carry the agent marker on its avatar and **Agent** beside its name, as everywhere. |
229
230Everything said in such a conversation is read by the agents in it, and
231they answer every message from a person, as in any direct message with an
232agent.
233
234## Threads
235
236Reply to any message to start a thread under it. The thread keeps a side
237conversation out of the channel, and the message shows how many replies it
238has and when the last one came.
239
240When you mention an agent in a thread, it reads that thread, not the whole
241channel, and answers in it. Keep one request to one thread, and the agent
242always has the context it needs.
243
244The **⋯** on a message (hover over it; on a phone, press and hold it) and
245the **⋯** at the top of an open thread have:
246
247- **Copy link to thread**: a link that opens the conversation with the
248 thread beside it, to paste anywhere in g1t.
249- **Write this up as an artifact**: choose where the doc goes (shared
250 with this conversation, your Private, or a space you can add to), a title
251 if you have one, and the agent that writes it (@g1t unless you pick
252 another agent in the conversation). g1t posts the ask in the thread, as
253 you, where everyone can see it, with the thread's link: *@g1t write this
254 thread up as an artifact (a doc) in the Engineering space titled "Launch
255 plan". Link this thread as the source: …*. The agent answers it like any
256 mention, starts a session if it needs one, and replies with a link to the
257 doc. See [Artifacts](/guides/artifacts/#write-a-thread-up).
258
259## Mentions
260
261Type `@` and a name to mention a person by username or an agent by handle:
262`@priya`, `@margo`. Suggestions match display names too, so `@Pri` finds
263Priya Nair. In the conversation the mention reads as the name people know,
264`@Priya Nair`, and opens their card; the message itself keeps `@priya`.
265The sidebar counts mentions of you separately from other unread messages,
266so they stand out.
267
268| You mention | What happens |
269| --- | --- |
270| A person | It is counted as a mention in their sidebar. |
271| An agent that is in the channel | The agent answers in the thread. |
272| An agent that is not in the channel | Nothing. Invite the agent first. |
273| `@g1t` | In a channel, g1t joins the first time it is mentioned, with no invite, and answers in the thread. A DM never gains a member, so to talk to g1t alone, open a DM with it. See [g1t, the orchestrator](/guides/agents/#g1t-the-orchestrator). |
274
275An address such as `me@example.com` is never read as a mention.
276
277An agent's messages wake no other agent, mentions or not. When an agent
278mentions someone who isn't in the conversation, the mention shows as a
279plain name, with no link and no notification, since it reaches no one.
280
281## Format a message
282
283Messages can have bold, italic and struck-through words, links, inline
284code, code blocks, lists and quotes. Format as you write, three ways:
285
286- **The formatting bar** above the text. **T** at the bottom left of the
287 composer shows or hides it, and your choice is kept on that device. On a
288 phone it starts hidden; when it is shown, swipe it sideways for the rest.
289- **Shortcuts.** Select words, or start typing after one. The keyboard
290 button at the end of the bar lists them too.
291- **Markdown, typed inline.** It turns into its formatting as you type:
292 `*bold*` becomes **bold** when you type the closing `*`.
293
294| Formatting | Shortcut (⌘ on a Mac) | Or type |
295| --- | --- | --- |
296| Bold | Ctrl+B | `*bold*` or `**bold**` |
297| Italic | Ctrl+I | `_italic_` |
298| Strikethrough | Ctrl+Shift+X | `~struck~` or `~~struck~~` |
299| Link | Ctrl+K | Select words and paste an address over them |
300| Inline code | Ctrl+Shift+C or Ctrl+E | `` `code` `` |
301| Code block | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C | ` ``` ` then Enter, or ` ```ts ` to name the language |
302| Bulleted list | Ctrl+Shift+8 | `- ` at the start of a line |
303| Numbered list | Ctrl+Shift+7 | `1. ` at the start of a line |
304| Quote | Ctrl+Shift+9 | `> ` at the start of a line |
305
306**Ctrl+K** asks where the link goes, and for its text when nothing is
307selected. On a link already, it changes the address or removes the link.
308A link goes to a web address, an email address or a page on g1t; anything
309else is refused. Undo (**Ctrl+Z**) takes formatting back off.
310
311### Enter and new lines
312
313| Key | In a line of text | In a list | In a code block |
314| --- | --- | --- | --- |
315| **Enter** | Sends | Adds an item; on an empty item, leaves the list | Adds a line; three in a row leave the block |
316| **Shift+Enter** | Starts a new line | Adds an item | Adds a line |
317| **Ctrl+Enter** | Sends | Sends | Sends |
318
319In a quote, Enter sends and Shift+Enter starts the next line of the quote.
320
321### What a message shows
322
323Every message, a person's or an agent's, is shown with its formatting.
324Code blocks with a language g1t knows (`ts`, `rust`, `python`, `sh`,
325`sql`, `json` and others) are coloured, and have a copy button. A web
326address on its own becomes a link, and links open in a new tab. Headings
327an agent writes show as a bold line, and a rule as a line across.
328
329A table written in Markdown shows as a table: a header row, a row of
330`---` under it (`:--`, `:-:` or `--:` to line a column up left, centre
331or right), then a row per line. A wide table scrolls sideways inside the
332message. The composer has no table to edit, so editing a message with
333one shows its rows as the lines they were written as.
334
335```md
336| Session | Length | Who |
337| --- | --: | --- |
338| Welcome and tour | 45 min | Ana |
339| Your first issue | 60 min | Margo |
340```
341
342Chat never shows HTML: `<b>` reads as typed. An image written in Markdown
343shows as a link to it, not the image.
344
345### Messages are Markdown
346
347What you send is kept as Markdown, the formatting written as `**bold**`,
348`_italic_`, `~~struck~~` and so on. That is what agents read and write,
349and what you edit when you change a message, so formatting survives the
350round trip. Text you paste without formatting, such as from a terminal, is
351read as Markdown too; paste with **Ctrl+Shift+V** to keep it exactly as it
352is. Notifications, pop-ups and browser notifications show a message's
353words without the marks: `**Release** is _done_` reads *Release is done*.
354
355To show a character that would format, put a backslash before it: `\*`
356shows `*`.
357
358## Agents in channels
359
360Invite an agent to a channel the way you invite a person. Only agents of
361the same workspace can be invited.
362
363<Aside type="note" title="An invite grants read, never write">
364Adding an agent to a channel lets it read that channel and answer there. It
365does not give the agent access to anything else. What an agent may change is
366set on the agent itself; see [what agents can do for whom](/guides/agent-access/).
367</Aside>
368
369While an agent works on a reply, the channel shows it as typing, the same
370as a person, for as long as it works: a reply that reads code, consults a
371colleague or starts a session can take a minute or more, and after ten
372seconds the line says the agent is still working on it. If it is out of
373budget, it says so in the thread instead of answering, and tells you who
374can raise its limit.
375
376### Session cards
377
378When an agent starts a longer piece of work, it posts a **session card**:
379the session's title, a line such as *Step 3 · 12 tools · $0.14*, and its
380state. The card changes in place as the session moves, for everyone looking,
381and opens the session's page in Agents. Its buttons let you message the
382session, stop it or approve more spend without leaving the conversation;
383see [cards you can act on](#cards-you-can-act-on).
384
385| State | Means |
386| --- | --- |
387| **Queued** | Waiting to start. |
388| **Working** | Running now. The chip pulses softly. |
389| **Waiting on helpers** | Another agent is doing part of the work. |
390| **Needs approval** | Waiting for someone to approve a step. Shown in amber. |
391| **Done** | Finished. Shown in green. |
392| **Stopped** | Someone stopped it. |
393| **Failed** | It could not finish. Shown in red. |
394
395## Cards you can act on
396
397What an agent posts in chat is something you can act on where you read it.
398A card has a title, its state, often a preview and a few labelled facts
399(such as **Repository** and **Labels**), and a row of buttons. Buttons that
400open a place, such as **Open**, take you there. The others do the thing
401right in the conversation:
402
403- A button that can't be undone, such as **Stop**, asks you first.
404- A button that needs something from you opens a field under the card: an
405 amount in dollars for **Approve more**, already filled in with a
406 suggestion, or a line of text for **Message** and **Follow up**. Press
407 Enter to send, Shift+Enter for a new line, and Esc to put the field away.
408- While it works, the button spins and the card's other buttons wait. A
409 note then says what happened, such as *Approved up to $4.00. It's going
410 on.*, or why it didn't.
411- The card itself changes in place, for everyone in the conversation, once
412 the work is done: a filed draft becomes **Filed** with a link to the
413 issue, a stopped session reads **Stopped**.
414
415A long preview shows its first few lines; choose **Show more** to read the
416rest. Cards work the same in a thread and on a phone. A session's updates
417go in its card's thread; open the thread and the card stays at the top,
418live, with its buttons.
419
420When a card waits on you (a session at its cap, a draft issue you asked
421for), its pop-up has the card's buttons, and so does **Waiting on you in
422chat** at the top of the notifications panel (the bell), for a day or until you
423act. **Approve more** asks for the amount right there; **Stop** asks
424first. A browser notification has the buttons that need nothing typed,
425such as **Stop** and **Open**.
426
427| Card | Its buttons |
428| --- | --- |
429| A session that is working | **Message** (it reads it at its next step), **Stop**, **Open** |
430| A session that needs approval | **Approve more** (type the new cap), **Stop**, **Open** |
431| A session that is done | Its report as the preview, **Follow up** (it picks up again with what it already knows), **Open** |
432| A draft issue | The issue as it would be filed, its repository and labels, **File issue**, **Discard** |
433| A filed issue | **Open issue** |
434
435### Who can press what
436
437Anyone who can read the conversation sees the same buttons. What happens
438when you press one depends on who you are:
439
440| Button | Who can |
441| --- | --- |
442| **Message**, **Follow up** | Anyone who can read the conversation. |
443| **Stop** | Anyone who can read the conversation. |
444| **Approve more** | The workspace's owners. The new cap must be more than the session has already spent. |
445| **File issue** | Anyone who can read the repository. The issue is filed as you, with a line saying which agent drafted it. |
446| **Discard** | Whoever asked the agent for the draft, or a workspace owner. |
447
448If two people press at once, the first one wins and the second is told
449someone got there first. Agents never file, approve or stop anything
450through a card on their own: a person always presses the button.
451
452## Live
453
454Chat is live. Messages, edits and deletions appear for everyone in the
455channel the moment they happen, without reloading. You also see:
456
457- **Typing.** Who is writing right now, people and agents, in the channel
458 or in a thread. An agent shows for as long as it works on its reply, and
459 as *still working on it* once that has been a while.
460- **Channel changes.** A new name, topic, or archiving.
461- **Cards.** An agent's session card, or any other card, changing state.
462- **Read state.** Your sidebar shows unread counts per channel, and the
463 channel scrolls to the first message you haven't read.
464
465If your connection drops, Chat reconnects on its own and fills in what you
466missed.
467
468## Edit and delete
469
470You can edit or delete your own messages. On a computer, hover your message,
471open its **⋯** and choose **Edit message**: it opens in the composer, in
472place, with its formatting. Enter or **Save** keeps the change, Esc or
473**Cancel** leaves it as it was. On a phone, press and hold the message and
474choose **Edit**. An edited message says so. A deleted message is removed
475for everyone; replies under it stay.
476
477A message can be up to 40,000 characters, and is written in Markdown (see
478[format a message](#format-a-message)).
479
480## Reactions
481
482A reaction says *seen*, *agreed* or *done* without another message.
483
484| Where you are | How to react |
485| --- | --- |
486| On a computer | Hover a message and choose **React** in the toolbar that appears, then pick an emoji. |
487| On a phone | Long-press a message, then pick one of the quick reactions in the sheet, or open the picker. |
488| On an existing reaction | Click its pill to add yours. Click it again to take yours back. |
489
490The picker has a search box, **Recently used**, the standard emoji by group,
491a skin tone, and a **This workspace** tab for your
492[custom emoji](#custom-emoji). Arrow keys move through it and Enter picks.
493
494Hover a reaction's pill to see who reacted, such as *Priya, Dana and 3
495more*. Your own reactions are highlighted.
496
497| Limit | |
498| --- | --- |
499| Different emoji on one message | 50. More of an emoji already there always fits. |
500| What you can react with | One emoji: a standard one, or one of the workspace's own, written `:name:`. |
501
502### Agents react too
503
504An agent says it has your message before it answers. In a channel, or a
505direct message with more than one person, it reacts with 👀 when it starts
506working on a reply, and swaps it for ✅ when it is done. In a one-to-one DM
507it simply answers, since the typing indicator says the same thing.
508
509## Custom emoji
510
511A workspace can add its own emoji: the team's logo, a mascot, an inside
512joke. Everyone in the workspace can use them in messages and reactions.
513
514### Add an emoji
515
516<Steps>
517
5181. Open the workspace's **Emoji** page: `g1t.sh/<workspace>/-/emoji`.
5192. Under **Add an emoji**, choose an image. It shows in a preview at the
520 size it appears in messages.
5213. Give it a **name**, such as `shipit`. People type it as `:shipit:`.
5224. Choose **Add emoji**.
523
524</Steps>
525
526| | Rules |
527| --- | --- |
528| File | A PNG, GIF or WebP, up to 256 KB and 512×512 pixels. Animated GIFs and WebPs stay animated. The file's type is read from its contents, not its name. |
529| Name | 2 to 32 characters: lowercase letters, digits, `-`, `_` and `+`. Unique in the workspace, and never the name of a standard emoji, such as `:thumbsup:`. |
530
531Custom emoji images are served from `g1tusercontent.com`, apart from the
532site, like avatars.
533
534### Aliases
535
536An **alias** is another name for an emoji you already have: both show the
537same image. Under **Add an alias**, pick the emoji and type the new name.
538Aliases follow the same name rules.
539
540### Who can add emoji
541
542Owners choose in the workspace's [chat settings](#workspace-chat-settings):
543
544| Setting | Means |
545| --- | --- |
546| **Any member** (the default) | Anyone in the workspace can add emoji and aliases. |
547| **Owners only** | Members use the workspace's emoji; only owners add them. |
548
549### Remove an emoji
550
551Whoever added an emoji, and the workspace's owners, can remove it with
552**Remove** beside it. Removing an emoji removes its aliases too.
553
554### Use one
555
556Type `:` and a couple of letters in the composer, and a list of matching
557emoji appears, the workspace's own marked **This workspace**. Up and Down
558move through it, Enter or Tab puts the emoji in, and Escape closes it. A whole
559`:shortcode:` you type yourself works too.
560
561## Workspace chat settings
562
563A workspace's owners decide what members can do in its chat, under
564**Workspace → Chat → Chat settings** (`g1t.sh/<workspace>/-/settings/chat`).
565Every member can open the page to see what is allowed; only owners can
566change it. g1t enforces each setting, whichever app or API the request
567comes from.
568
569| Setting | Choices |
570| --- | --- |
571| **Creating channels** | Who can create public and private channels (**Any member**, the default, or **Owners only**) is set with the workspace's other permissions, under [Permissions → Chat](/guides/permissions/#chat); this page says what is allowed today and leads there. |
572| **Renaming and archiving** | **Channel owners and workspace owners** (the default) or **Workspace owners only**. Any member of a channel can still change its topic. |
573| **Custom emoji** | Who can add them: **Any member** (the default) or **Owners only**. |
574| **Default channels** | The public channels someone new is put in the first time they open Chat. `#general` unless owners choose others. People already in the workspace are not moved, and anyone can leave a default channel. |
575
576Changing a setting doesn't change what already exists: channels already
577made stay, whoever made them.
578
579## Presence and status
580
581Everyone you share a workspace with can see whether you're here, and what
582you've said about yourself, wherever your name shows: beside a direct
583message in the sidebar, on the card over your name, in a channel's member
584list, in the workspace's [People directory](/guides/people-and-teams/#the-directory) and after your name on your messages.
585It all moves live; nobody has to reload.
586
587| The dot on an avatar | It means |
588| --- | --- |
589| Green | **Active**: g1t is open and they've used it in the last 10 minutes. |
590| A ring | **Away**: every tab they have open has sat untouched for 10 minutes, or they set themselves away. |
591| Amber, with a bar | **Notifications paused**: they're here, but nothing pops up for them until the time they chose. |
592| None | **Offline**: no tab of g1t is open. |
593
594Agents have dots of their own, which say what they're doing (idle,
595working, out of budget), not whether they're here.
596
597### Set a status
598
599Open the menu on your avatar at the foot of the rail (on a phone, **More**,
600then **You and help**) and choose **Set a status**. Give it an
601emoji and a few words, or pick one:
602
603| | Clears after |
604| --- | --- |
605| 🗓️ In a meeting | 1 hour |
606| 🚌 Commuting | 30 minutes |
607| 🎯 Focusing | 1 hour |
608| 🤒 Out sick | Today |
609| 🌴 On vacation | Never: it stays until you change it |
610
611**Clear after** can be 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, today (your midnight),
612this week (the end of your Sunday), never, or a time you choose. When the
613time comes your status goes, for everyone at once, whether or not you're
614online. Clear it sooner with **Clear status** in the same menu.
615
616### Away
617
618Your dot turns to a ring by itself after 10 minutes without using g1t, and
619back to green as soon as you do. **Set yourself away** keeps you away
620however much you use it, until you choose **Set yourself active**.
621
622### Statuses from other apps
623
624A status has a source: you, a calendar, or another integration. Calendar
625and integration statuses (such as "In a meeting" while one is on your
626calendar) are coming with those integrations, which you will connect under
627[your integrations](/guides/integrations/#workspace-and-personal). One you set yourself always
628wins: a calendar never replaces or clears it. <Soon />
629
630## Notifications
631
632g1t tells you when something is for you, wherever you are in the app.
633
634| | |
635| --- | --- |
636| **Pop-ups** | While g1t is open in any tab, a message for you pops up in the corner, whichever page you are on: a DM, a mention, a reply in your thread, an agent waiting on you, a review requested. Reply from the pop-up without leaving the page, or open the conversation. A pop-up about a card has its buttons: **Approve more**, **Stop**, **File issue**. |
637| **Sounds** | A short sound when something is for you: a message in a conversation you have open but are not looking at, a direct message, a mention, an agent finishing. Which, and how loud, is yours to set; see [Sounds and do not disturb](#sounds-and-do-not-disturb). |
638| **Counts** | The rail's Chat badge and each conversation's unread and mention counts update live, in every open tab. |
639| **Browser notifications** | Turn them on, and this browser shows a notification when you're away from g1t, even with every tab closed. g1t never pushes to a browser where you're already looking at g1t. A notification about a card has the buttons that need nothing typed or confirmed, such as **Open** and **File issue**; **Stop** asks first, so it waits for the app. |
640
641### Choose what you hear about
642
643Open **Settings → Notifications** (`g1t.sh/settings/notifications`):
644
645| Notify me about | You hear about |
646| --- | --- |
647| **DMs and mentions** (the default) | Direct messages, mentions, replies in your threads, agents waiting on you, and approvals. |
648| **Everything** | Every message in conversations you're in, and everything in your notifications. |
649| **Nothing** | No pop-ups or browser notifications. Counts still update. |
650
651Under **For a workspace**, you can give one workspace a different level,
652such as **Everything** for a small team and **DMs and mentions** for a big
653one. **Send a test notification** shows you what one looks like.
654
655### Sounds and do not disturb
656
657Chat makes a sound when something is for you, and only then. Each sound is
658short (under a quarter of a second), warm and two-toned, made by g1t
659itself: nothing is downloaded. What plays when:
660
661| Sound | When |
662| --- | --- |
663| **New message** | A message in a conversation you have open, while the window is behind another or you are in another conversation. |
664| **Direct message** | A direct message from someone, or from an agent, that is not from you. |
665| **Mention** | A message that @mentions you. It wins over the other two. |
666| **Agent finished** | An agent posts a card saying it finished something for you, or is waiting on you. |
667| **Sent** | A soft tick as your message goes. Off until you turn it on. |
668
669The rules behind them:
670
671- Nothing sounds for the conversation you are looking at in a window that
672 is in front: what is on screen is silent.
673- Nothing sounds for your own messages, in a conversation you
674 [muted](#star-and-mute), or while Do not disturb is on.
675- Agents' messages count like people's.
676- At most one sound every 1.5 seconds: a burst of messages is one sound,
677 and the same message never sounds twice.
678- Browsers allow sound only after you have clicked or typed on the page,
679 so the first message after a page opens may be silent.
680
681Open **Settings → Notifications** (`g1t.sh/settings/notifications`),
682under **Sounds & notifications**, to change them. The settings are kept
683with your account, so every device you sign in on sounds the same:
684
685| Setting | What it does | Default |
686| --- | --- | --- |
687| **Sounds** | Whether anything plays at all. Counts and pop-ups still show. | On |
688| **Sound set** | **Soft** (warm and low) or **Bright** (higher and shorter). Press play by any sound to hear it. | Soft |
689| **Volume** | From 0 to 100. | 60 |
690| **New message**, **Direct message**, **Mention**, **Agent finished**, **Sent** | Each sound on or off. | All on but Sent |
691| **Do not disturb** | Off, or for 30 minutes, an hour, two hours, or until tomorrow at 9:00 your time. | Off |
692| **Desktop notifications** | While this window is behind another, a message to you shows as a system notification from the open tab. Turning it on asks the browser's permission once, from this switch and never when a page loads. Not offered where browser notifications above are on: those already show it. In [the desktop app](/guides/desktop/) it is on, and the app shows them itself. | Off |
693
694**Do not disturb** is one thing everywhere: the bell-off button at the top
695of the chat sidebar, **Pause notifications** on the menu on your avatar,
696and the setting above all set it. While it holds, nothing sounds, nothing
697pops up and no browser notification is sent, whatever your settings;
698counts and your notifications still update, the bell in the top bar shows
699a small amber dot, and everyone sees your amber dot. It ends on its own at
700the time you chose; **Resume notifications**, or **Off**, ends it early.
701
702At most three pop-ups show at once. Each stays six seconds (one with a
703card's buttons, twelve), and stays while your pointer or keyboard is on
704it. Nothing pops up for the conversation you have open.
705
706g1t never asks to show browser notifications when a page loads. After
707your first pop-up for a DM or a mention, it offers once: **Get notified
708when someone messages you**. If you say no, it doesn't ask again; turn
709them on later under **Settings → Notifications**.
710
711[Notifications](/guides/notifications/) are separate: they keep every item until you
712deal with it, whatever these settings say.
713
714## Coming soon
715
716These are planned and not built yet:
717
718<CardGrid>
719 <Card title="Cards for everything" icon="layout-list">
720 Pull requests, checks, deploys and approvals as cards in the channels
721 linked to a project, with their buttons working in place. <Soon />
722 </Card>
723 <Card title="Mentions in Notifications" icon="bell">
724 Mentions and approvals as items in [Notifications](/guides/notifications/), so
725 acting in either place settles both. <Soon />
726 </Card>
727 <Card title="Files" icon="paperclip">
728 Files uploaded to a conversation, under the workspace's file rules.
729 <Soon />
730 </Card>
731 <Card title="Your chat app" icon="messages-square">
732 Keep the chat app your company already lives in and use your agents
733 there. See [agents in your chat app](/guides/chat-app/). <Soon />
734 </Card>
735 <Card title="Search" icon="search">
736 Messages in [site-wide search](/guides/search/), with only what you can
737 read. <Soon />
738 </Card>
739 <Card title="Desktop app" icon="monitor">
740 g1t in a window of its own, with notifications from your system and a
741 badge on the icon: [the desktop app](/guides/desktop/). On a phone,
742 [the phone app](/guides/mobile/) has Chat in full, with notifications.
743 </Card>
744</CardGrid>
745
746## Next
747
748- [Agents](/guides/agents/): create one, give it a job and a voice, and set
749 its budget.
750- [What agents can do for whom](/guides/agent-access/): how an agent's
751 answers depend on who is asking and who can read them.