Mentions & Notifications
Mentions are the primary way to direct someone's attention to a message in Copera. Combined with flexible notification settings, they give you precise control over who gets notified and how much noise you receive.
Types of Mentions
@User Mentions
Type @ followed by a team member's name in the message input. An autocomplete list appears showing matching participants in the current channel. Select the person you want to notify and their name is inserted as a highlighted mention.
When you mention someone, they receive a notification that links directly to your message, even if they have the channel muted. User mentions are the most reliable way to get a specific person's attention.
@Channel Mentions
Type @channel to notify every member of the current channel. Use this for important announcements that everyone needs to see, such as deadline changes, incident alerts, or team-wide updates.
Because @channel notifies all members regardless of their online status, use it sparingly to avoid notification fatigue.
@Here Mentions
Type @here to notify only the members who are currently online in the channel. This is useful when you need a quick response from whoever is available right now, without disturbing team members who are offline or away.
@Channel Mentions (Cross-Channel)
You can also mention another channel by typing # followed by the channel name. This inserts a clickable link to that channel, making it easy to reference related conversations. Channel mentions do not send notifications --- they simply create a navigation shortcut.
How Mentions Appear
In the Conversation
Mentions are displayed as highlighted text within the message, making them easy to spot when scanning the conversation. Your own mentions are typically styled with a distinct background color so you immediately see when someone is addressing you.
In the Notification Panel
When you are mentioned, a notification appears in the Mentions panel accessible from the top navigation bar. The mentions icon displays a badge with the count of unread mentions so you always know when someone needs your attention.
Click on a notification to jump directly to the message where you were mentioned, even if it is in a thread or a channel you have not visited recently.
Notification Settings
Copera lets you fine-tune how you receive notifications on a per-channel basis, so you stay informed without being overwhelmed.
Per-Channel Notification Levels
Right-click on any channel in the sidebar or open the channel overview to access notification settings. You can choose from:
| Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|
| All messages | Receive a notification for every new message in the channel |
| Mentions only | Only receive notifications when you are directly @mentioned |
| Muted | Suppress all notifications from the channel, including mentions |
Default Notification Preferences
In Settings > Notifications, you can set default notification levels that automatically apply to all new channels you join:
- Default for text channels --- Choose whether new text channels default to all messages, mentions only, or muted.
- Default for direct messages --- Set a separate default for DM conversations.
You can also apply your current default to all existing channels at once using the Apply to existing buttons, which is useful when you want to reset your notification preferences across the workspace.
Mute Duration Options
When muting a channel, you can choose how long the mute lasts:
- Until I turn it back on --- Permanently muted until you manually unmute.
- For a specific duration --- Mute for a set period (e.g., 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week), after which notifications automatically resume.
Push Notifications
Copera sends push notifications to your desktop or mobile device for messages that match your notification settings. If you are actively viewing a channel in the app, desktop notifications for that channel are suppressed to avoid duplication.
Email Notifications for Missed Messages
If you have been away from Copera and have unread mentions or important messages, Copera can send email digests to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Email notification behavior is managed from the Settings > Notifications page.
To quickly check all your unread mentions across every channel, click the @ icon in the top navigation bar. This opens a consolidated view of every message where someone mentioned you, sorted by most recent.