Channels and messages
Public and private channels, direct messages, sending, editing and deleting messages, unread markers, typing and the 4,000-character limit.
Updated
Channels are where your team talks. Every channel is text first, and any channel can open an audio room when people want to talk instead.
Public and private channels
| Public channel | Private channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can see it | Everyone in the workspace | Only the people added to it |
| Who can join | Anyone: open it and start writing | Someone already in the channel adds you |
| In the sidebar | # icon | Lock icon |
Anyone in the workspace can create a channel. The person who creates it is its first member.
Create a channel
- Choose + next to Channels in the sidebar, or + → New channel.
- Type a Name and, if you like, a Description of what the channel is for.
- Under Who can see it, choose Public or Private.
- Choose Create channel.
Channel names are lowercase and use hyphens instead of spaces; other punctuation is dropped (Design crit becomes
design-crit, Release 2.5 becomes release-25). They have up to 60 characters and must be unique among the
workspace's active channels. Descriptions have up to 250 characters.
Add people to a private channel
- Open the channel and choose the gear icon (Channel settings).
- Under People, choose someone from the workspace.
- Choose Add. The timeline shows who added whom.
Anyone already in a private channel can add other people from the workspace.
Rename, describe or archive
In Channel settings → About:
- Name: admins and the person who created the channel can rename it. The timeline records the old and new names.
- Description: anyone who can see the channel can change it.
To archive a channel, an admin opens Channel settings → Archive channel and confirms. The channel leaves the list, any open audio room closes and its incoming webhooks stop posting. Its messages stay stored, but nobody can open the channel anymore, in the app or through the API, and archiving can't be undone from either.
Direct messages
A direct message is a private conversation between two people in the workspace. There is only ever one per pair: opening it again takes you back to the same conversation.
- Choose a person under Direct messages in the sidebar, or press Ctrl + K (⌘ + K on a Mac) and type their name.
- Direct messages have an audio room, like channels.
- You can't add a third person, archive a direct message, or point an incoming webhook at it.
Sending messages
- Enter sends. Shift + Enter starts a new line.
- A message can have up to 4,000 characters.
- Messages are plain text. Links become clickable.
- If a message fails to send, it's marked "Not sent" in the timeline and its text goes back into the message box, so you can send it again.
Mentions
To get someone's attention, write @ followed by their name:
@Maya the build for 2.4 is green, can you check the release notes?A mention is part of the message text: everyone in the channel sees it, and the channel shows as unread for anyone who hasn't opened it since.
Edit and delete
Hover over a message (or focus it with the keyboard) to see its actions.
| Action | Who can do it | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Edit message | The author, on their own messages | The text changes for everyone and shows "(edited)". Esc cancels, Enter saves. |
| Delete message | The author, on their own messages | After you confirm, everyone sees "Message deleted" in its place. |
| Delete message | Admins and owners, on any message | Same as above. Use it for messages from people, webhooks or API keys. |
Messages from webhooks and API keys can't be edited in the app. An API key itself can only edit or delete the messages it posted, even when an admin created it.
Unread and typing
- Unread: a channel with messages you haven't seen shows in bold with a dot in the sidebar. Opening it marks it as read.
- Typing: while someone writes, the channel shows "Maya is typing…", "Maya and Theo are typing…", or "Several people are typing…" from three people up.
- In audio: channels with an open audio room show a headphones icon and how many people are in it.
Timeline pills
Besides messages, the timeline shows short lines (pills) for what happens in the channel, with who did it and when:
- the channel was created or renamed, or someone was added to it or joined with an invite link;
- voice, camera or screen sharing was turned on or off;
- the audio room opened, someone joined or left (guests with "(guest)" after their name), someone started or stopped sharing their screen, and the room closed (with how long it lasted);
- transcription started, and where the transcript went;
- an incoming webhook was created or revoked.
When several people join or leave at once, Fishcamp groups them into one line.
Presence
Your status shows next to your name in the Direct messages list of the sidebar, and on your own name at the bottom of the sidebar, where you choose it.
| Status | How it's set |
|---|---|
| Online | The default when you open Fishcamp, or you choose it. If you had chosen Away or Do not disturb, this browser remembers it. |
| Away | You choose it, or it turns on by itself after Fishcamp has been in a background tab for 5 minutes. |
| Do not disturb | You choose it. It stays on even while you're in an audio room. |
| In audio | Automatic while you're in an audio room. |
| Offline | Automatic when you close Fishcamp. |
Limits
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| Message length | 4,000 characters |
| Channel name | 60 characters, unique in the workspace |
| Channel description | 250 characters |
| Workspace name | 2 to 60 characters |
Build your first agentNew
Build a small AI agent in Node.js with no dependencies. It checks Fishcamp's signature, answers mentions and lists what to track from a meeting.
Audio rooms
Talk, turn on your camera and share your screen inside any channel. Per-channel switches, timeline pills, keyboard shortcuts and browser support.