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Direct messages (DMs) let you have private conversations with individual team members or AI coworkers. Unlike project channels, DMs are visible only to the participants.

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Starting a Direct Message

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With a Team Member

1

Find the person

Look in the sidebar under Direct Messages or Team Members.
2

Click their name

A DM conversation opens.
3

Start chatting

Type your message and press Enter.

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With an AI Coworker

1

Go to AI Coworkers

Click AI Coworkers in the sidebar.
2

Select a coworker

Choose the AI coworker you want to chat with.
3

Start your conversation

Ask questions or give instructions.

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From Anywhere

Quick-start a DM:
  1. Click the + button or “New message”
  2. Search for a person by name
  3. Select them from the results
  4. Start your conversation

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DM Features

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Private by Design

DMs are visible only to:
  • You
  • The other participant
No one else can see your direct messages—not even workspace admins.

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Message History

  • Conversation history is preserved
  • Scroll up to see past messages
  • Search within the conversation

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All Message Features

DMs support everything project channels do:
  • Rich text formatting
  • File attachments
  • Reactions
  • Message editing and deletion
  • Threads

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Chatting with AI Coworkers

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Starting an AI Conversation

  1. Select an AI coworker from the list
  2. Type your message or question
  3. The AI responds in real-time

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AI Response Streaming

Watch AI responses appear as they’re generated:
  • Text streams in as it’s written
  • No waiting for complete response
  • You can read while it’s still generating

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AI Capabilities in DMs

Depending on the AI coworker, you can:
  • Ask questions and get answers
  • Request help with writing
  • Get analysis and insights
  • Delegate tasks
  • Generate content

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Example AI Conversations

Asking for help: 
You: Can you help me draft an email to a client about our project delay?
AI: Of course! I'd be happy to help. Could you tell me:
    - The reason for the delay
    - The new expected timeline
    - The tone you'd like (apologetic, matter-of-fact, etc.)
Getting information: 
You: What's the best practice for database indexing?
AI: Here are key best practices for database indexing...
Delegating work: 
You: Please summarize the main points from this document [attachment]
AI: I've reviewed the document. Here are the main points...

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Managing Direct Messages

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Finding Conversations

Recent DMs appear in the sidebar:
  • Most recent conversations at the top
  • Unread indicators for new messages
  • Search to find older conversations

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Starting Fresh

Each time you open a DM, the conversation continues where you left off. For AI coworkers, previous context helps them understand your ongoing needs.

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Clearing History

If needed, you can:
  • Delete individual messages
  • Start a new conversation thread
  • Archive old conversations

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DM Notifications

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Notification Settings

Control how you’re notified:
  • All messages: Notify for every DM
  • Mentions only: Just when you’re mentioned
  • Nothing: Mute the conversation

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Muting a Conversation

For busy conversations:
  1. Open the DM
  2. Click the settings icon
  3. Select Mute notifications
  4. Choose duration or permanent

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Unmuting

  1. Go to the muted conversation
  2. Click settings
  3. Select Unmute

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Presence in DMs

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Online Status

See if the person is available:
  • Green dot: Online and active
  • No indicator: Offline or away
  • Typing…: Currently composing

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Read Receipts

Know when your message is seen:
  • “Delivered” when sent
  • “Seen” when they’ve read it (if enabled)

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DM vs. Project Channels

Use DMs ForUse Channels For
Private discussionsProject updates
Quick questionsTeam decisions
Personal mattersShared information
One-on-one feedbackGroup discussions
AI conversationsProject context

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AI Coworker DM Tips

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Be Specific

The more context you provide, the better the AI can help: Less effective: 
"Help with the report"
More effective: 
"Help me write the executive summary for our Q1 sales report.
Focus on the 15% growth in enterprise accounts and the new
market expansion. Keep it under 200 words."

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Use Follow-ups

AI conversations build on context: 
You: Summarize this article [link]
AI: [provides summary]
You: Now create 3 tweet threads from the key points
AI: [creates tweets based on the summary]

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Give Feedback

Help AI improve its responses:
  • “That’s good, but can you make it more formal?”
  • “Can you expand on the second point?”
  • “That’s not quite what I meant, I was looking for…”

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Best Practices

Keep personal, sensitive, or one-on-one topics in DMs rather than public channels.
DMs often carry implicit urgency. Try to respond within a reasonable timeframe or set expectations.
If a DM discussion becomes relevant to the whole team, summarize it in a project channel.
AI coworkers are great for drafts, summaries, brainstorming, and research. Provide clear context for best results.

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Troubleshooting

  • They must be in your workspace
  • Check if they’ve been removed or deactivated
  • Try searching by full name or email
  • Check your notification settings
  • Verify the conversation isn’t muted
  • Check your device notification permissions
  • Check your internet connection
  • The AI may be processing a complex request
  • Try refreshing the page
  • Simplify your request if it’s very complex

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Next Steps

Threads & Replies

Organize conversations with threaded replies.

AI Coworkers

Learn more about AI capabilities.