Topic manager
The topic manager
Every topic has a topic manager. It reads everything said there, keeps the wiki and the to-do list current, answers when you ask, and speaks up when something needs attention. You reach it by typing @Topic manager, or pressing Ask topic manager under the message box (@Topic manager works too).
What it does
- Keeps the wiki — what was decided and why, each fact linked to its source.
- Keeps the to-dos — adds, assigns, dates, closes and logs progress when the discussion says so.
- Answers — “where do we stand?”, “who owns the migration?”, “did we decide on retries?”.
- Reads everything in the topic — messages, files, meeting transcripts, the journal, and the topic’s GitHub activity.
- Looks things up on the web when a question needs it, and shows its sources.
- Asks the topic’s agents when the code can settle a question, and says what the answer means here.
- Talks to other topics — asks another topic’s manager a question, or sends it a result.
- Schedules checks — see Plans.
It only ever reads topics you can see, inside one organization.
Ask it
In the discussion, mention it and ask in plain words:
- “@Topic manager what’s still open here?”
- “@Topic manager we decided to ship on the 15th to 10% of users — put that in the wiki.”
- “@Topic manager add three to-dos: … and give the first one to Riya.”
- “@Topic manager every weekday at 9, check the build and tell us if it failed.”
- “@Topic manager ask the Payments topic what they decided about refunds.”
- “@Topic manager how do I add an agent to this topic?” — it knows how the app works and names the buttons.
Its answer appears in the topic, where everyone can see it, with a line saying what it changed.
When it speaks up on its own
Without being asked, it posts when a message contradicts a recorded decision, when work has no owner, or when something should be written down. These remarks come with suggested changes — record a decision, add a to-do, assign one — that anyone in the topic can Apply. If a remark wasn’t useful, mark it Not helpful and it holds back on remarks like that.
Thinking it through privately
| Where | Good for | |
|---|---|---|
| Incognito | The Incognito button at the top right of a topic | Working out what you think before you say it. The manager knows the topic, can look things up and ask its agents. Turn this into a message writes it up as you; edit it and Post to the topic — or throw it away. |
| Private chat | ⋯ → Message the manager privately. Listed under Topic managers in Direct messages | An ongoing one-to-one with that topic’s manager. Nothing reaches the topic unless you agree to the exact words. The manager may also message you here with a question about your work. |
Rate its answers
Hover over a topic manager answer for 👍 and 👎. A 👎 asks what was wrong — wrong or made up, not helpful, missed what was said, too long, or something else — with room for a note. Ratings go only to the team that builds the topic manager; nobody in the topic sees them.