Everyday use
Chat & messages
The message box works the same everywhere — in a topic’s discussion, in a direct message and in a private chat with a topic manager. Enter sends, Shift Enter starts a new line.
Formatting
Select some text and press B, I or the code button under the box — or ⌘B, ⌘I, ⌘E. The text shows bold, italic or as code right away while you type; the small markers around it are faded. Press the same button again to take the formatting off. Link and list buttons sit beside them.
Messages support tables, checklists, strikethrough and code blocks. A code block that names its language (```python) is coloured, and has a Copy button.
Mentions
Type @ to pick someone:
- A person — they get an alert (see Alerts & mentions).
- The topic manager — type @Topic manager (or @Topic manager), or press Ask topic manager under the box. See The topic manager.
- An agent — the picker marks agents, with what each is for. See Agents.
In a topic, # links a to-do or a pull request from that topic into your message.
Replies, reactions, editing
Hover over a message for its tools: four quick reactions and more emoji, Reply, Branch off from this message (in topics), and Edit / Delete on your own messages. Click the quote above a reply to jump to the original.
Files and images
Attach with the paperclip, drag files onto the conversation, or paste them. Up to 10 files per message, 25 MB each. Images open in a viewer (arrow keys to move between them). Pasting more than 8,000 characters turns the text into an attached file; a pasted meeting transcript is offered to the topic’s Meetings tab.
Writing help
Drafts are kept
Leave a conversation halfway through a message and it is still there when you come back — per conversation, in this browser, for up to 30 days. A pencil in the sidebar marks topics with a draft. Drafts don’t follow you to another browser or device.
Refine a draft
The sparkle button (⌘⇧Enter) suggests a clearer version of what you wrote. Nothing changes until you press Apply, and you still press send yourself.
Say it instead of typing
The microphone button turns speech into text in the box, using your browser’s speech recognition. It never sends by itself. Not available in Firefox.
Finding things in a conversation
- Search this discussion — the magnifier in the conversation’s header finds text in its messages, with older/newer arrows.
- Hide AI — the button in a topic’s header hides the topic manager’s and agents’ messages so you can read just what people said. Anything addressed to you stays visible. Click Show all to bring them back.
- Long messages fold after a few lines — Show more opens them.
Direct messages
A conversation between you and one other person in the organization. Start one with + beside Direct messages in the sidebar. Direct messages are private: the wiki, to-dos and topic manager never read them. To bring something from a DM into a topic, use Add to topic on the message.
Calls and meetings
| How | |
|---|---|
| Call someone | The video-call button in a direct message. Turn the camera off for a voice call. You can share your screen; the chat inside a call isn’t saved. |
| Meet as a topic | The topic’s Meetings tab → Start a meeting, online or in a room. If the organization has transcription on, the transcript is saved to the topic and the topic manager reads it. |
| Add notes from elsewhere | Meetings → Add meeting notes: paste a transcript, match the speakers to people, and add it. |