> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clarky.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Team Chat

> Slack-style channels and DMs for your team, with Clarky in the room

Team Chat is Clarky's internal messaging surface: a place for your team to talk that lives in the same app as your customers, calendar and CRM. It is staff-to-staff only and completely separate from customer conversations in the Inbox. And because Clarky is in the room, your CRM is one @mention away from any conversation.

<Info>
  **Plan availability:** Startup or higher for the full experience. Free workspaces get Team Chat too, limited to 3 public channels and the last 30 days of history, without file sharing or @Clarky. See [Plans & Billing](/features/settings/plans).
</Info>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Channels" icon="hashtag">
    Public rooms anyone can join, private channels for sensitive topics
  </Card>

  <Card title="Direct Messages" icon="message">
    1:1 and group DMs with anyone in your workspace
  </Card>

  <Card title="@Clarky in Channels" icon="robot">
    Mention @Clarky anywhere to pull CRM answers into the conversation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Threads and Reactions" icon="comments">
    Keep side discussions tidy and react with emoji
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Where to find it

Chat is the first item in the sidebar (tagged "Internal") and the default screen after you log in. Your channels and direct messages are listed right in the sidebar, with unread and @mention badges so you can see what needs attention at a glance.

<Note>
  Clarky itself is pinned at the top of your Direct messages. That conversation is [Ask Clarky](/features/crm/ask-clarky), your 1:1 line to the CRM assistant.
</Note>

## Channels

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a channel">
    Click the **+** next to **Channels** in the sidebar. Give it a name and an optional description.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose public or private">
    Public channels are visible to everyone in the workspace and anyone can join. Private channels are invite-only and invisible to non-members.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invite people">
    Open the member list in the channel header to add teammates. Posting in a public channel joins it automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Channels can be renamed, given a new description, or archived from the channel menu. Archiving hides the channel from every list but keeps its history.

## Direct messages

Click the **+** next to **Direct messages** to start a DM. Pick one person for a 1:1 or several for a group DM. Starting a DM with the same people always lands you back in the same conversation, so history never splits.

## Threads, reactions, and mentions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Threads">
    Hover any message and choose **Reply in thread** to branch off a side conversation. Threads open in a panel on the right and keep the main channel readable.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Reactions">
    Hover a message to react with an emoji. Reactions stack, and you can tap an existing one to add yours.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="@Mentions">
    Type **@** to bring up an autocomplete of your teammates. Mentioned people get a notification even if they've turned the channel down to mentions-only.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Editing and deleting">
    You can edit or delete your own messages from the hover menu. Deleted messages leave a placeholder so threads stay coherent.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Clarky is a teammate

Mention **@Clarky** in any channel or thread and Clarky answers right there, visible to everyone in the room. It's the same assistant as [Ask Clarky](/features/crm/ask-clarky), with the same access to your contacts, companies, pipeline, bookings, and analytics.

Examples of what to ask in a channel:

* "@Clarky who is on the calendar tomorrow?"
* "@Clarky which quotes have gone quiet this week?"
* "@Clarky what's in the pipeline for Acme Corp?"
* "@Clarky pull up Jordan Smith's contact details"

<Note>
  @Clarky answers with the CRM visibility of the person who mentioned it, and the reply is visible to everyone in the channel. Available on paid plans.
</Note>

## File sharing

Attach files to any message in a channel or DM. Images preview inline; everything else shows as a downloadable file. Uploads count toward your workspace storage and are available on paid plans, up to 25 MB per file.

## Notifications

You're in control of the noise at two levels.

Each channel has its own setting in the header:

| Level    | Behavior                                                         |
| -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| All      | Every message notifies you (the default for channels you create) |
| Mentions | Only @mentions notify you (the default when you are invited)     |
| Muted    | No notifications; unread counts still accrue                     |

DMs always notify. The **Team chat** row on [Notifications](/features/settings/notifications) is the global on/off for Team Chat push notifications.

Notifications arrive as push messages on your devices. If someone DMs or @mentions you and you don't have a push device set up, Clarky emails you instead (at most one email per channel every 30 minutes, so a busy conversation never floods your inbox).

## Who can use Chat

Every workspace member has Chat access by default. Admins can turn it off per member with the **Chat** toggle on [Settings > Users](/features/settings/users), including when sending an invite. Admins always have access.

## Free plan limits

Free workspaces get a real, working Team Chat with a few limits:

|                                   | Free         | Startup and up      |
| --------------------------------- | ------------ | ------------------- |
| Public channels                   | 3            | Unlimited           |
| Private channels                  | —            | Included            |
| Message history                   | Last 30 days | Everything, forever |
| File sharing                      | —            | Included            |
| @Clarky in channels               | —            | Included            |
| DMs, threads, reactions, mentions | Included     | Included            |

<Note>
  Older messages on the Free plan are hidden, not deleted. Upgrade and your full history reappears.
</Note>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Ask Clarky" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/features/crm/ask-clarky">
    Your pinned 1:1 conversation with the CRM assistant
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plans & Billing" icon="credit-card" href="/features/settings/plans">
    See what each plan includes
  </Card>
</CardGroup>