Chat

Overview

Real-time messaging built into Kanvas AI. Each project has its own set of channels for team-wide conversations, and any two workspace members can have a direct message thread. Messages support rich text, @mentions, emoji reactions, threaded replies, image attachments, and embedded Figma frames and Loom recordings.

Use it for: project discussions, quick decisions, async updates, one-on-one conversations, sharing screenshots and recordings without leaving Kanvas AI.

How it works

  1. Open the Direct Messages section in the left sidebar to see your conversations. Channels appear under each project; direct messages appear under their own list.
  2. Click any conversation to open it. The most recent messages are loaded; scroll up to load earlier ones.
  3. Type in the composer at the bottom of the conversation, hit Enter to send. Messages from others arrive in white bubbles; your own show in light grey, so it’s easy to scan who said what. New messages appear live without a refresh.
  4. Replies in a thread keep side-conversations out of the main feed. Click Reply in thread on any message to start one.
  5. The conversation list shows an unread indicator next to any conversation with new messages since you last visited.

Usage

Create a channel. Open the chat sidebar, click + under a project, and add a channel with a name and optional description. Channel settings let you rename or remove it later.

Start a direct message. Click New DM, search for a workspace member, and start typing. The thread is private to the two of you.

Mention someone. Type @ in the composer to bring up the mention picker. Pick a teammate to notify them. You can also mention tasks (#) and documents to embed a live preview link.

React with an emoji. Hover a message and click the smiley to add a reaction. Quick reactions appear on hover; the full picker is one more click away.

Reply in a thread. Hover a message and choose Reply in thread. A side panel opens with just that conversation. Send replies as you would in the main channel.

Quote a message. Hover a message and click Quote in reply. The message drops into the composer as a quote — author, time, text, and the names of any attachments — ready for you to type your answer underneath. Use a quote for an inline answer in the main feed; use a thread when you want a side-conversation.

Attach a file. Drag-and-drop a file into the composer, or click the attachment icon. Images preview inline; other files show a download chip.

Embed designs and recordings. Paste a Figma frame URL or a Loom video URL into a message. Kanvas AI replaces the URL with a live embed so anyone can preview without leaving chat.

Edit your last message. With the composer empty, press the Up arrow to recall your most recent message in the conversation into the composer — just like Slack or Discord. Make your changes and press Enter to update it in place; the message keeps its position in the timeline and shows an (edited) marker.

See who’s typing. A typing indicator appears under the composer when other members are typing in the same conversation.

Pin a task to a channel. Open the project tasks sidebar inside a channel to see related tasks and link them in messages with one click. Each task card in the sidebar shows its type emoji (🐛 Bug, ⚡ Enhancement, etc.) before the task ID — the same emoji you see on the board card and in the task drawer header.

Edge cases & limits

  • Messages persist. Sent messages stay in the conversation until someone deletes them. Edits are marked as edited.
  • Channel settings need project access. Only members of the project that owns a channel can change its name, description, or remove it.
  • Direct messages are private. Only the two participants can see DM history. Workspace admins cannot read DMs through the product UI.
  • Unread tracking is per-device account. Marking a conversation read on one device clears the badge for that account everywhere.
  • Long sidebar lists are capped. The sidebar shows up to ten channels and ten direct messages. Click Show all (N) to expand a list, Show less to collapse it again.
  • Reactions are public. Anyone in the conversation can see who reacted with which emoji.
  • Thread updates. New thread replies surface a small indicator on the parent message so you know there’s been activity since you last looked.
  • Live updates. Messages, reactions, and edits appear live. No refresh is needed.
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