Notifications
ProBeya sends notifications to keep you informed about changes relevant to your work. You control what notifications you receive and how they are delivered.
Notification Center
Click the bell icon in the sidebar to open the notification center. Notifications are displayed in reverse chronological order (newest first) and grouped by item.
The notification bell shows an unread count badge when you have unread notifications. This count is fetched via the notifications.unreadCount query and updates in real time.
Notification Actions
- Mark as read — click a notification or use the checkmark icon.
- Mark all as read — click the Mark all as read button at the top. This marks every unread notification as read in a single action.
- Navigate to source — click the notification to open the related item.
- Mute thread — click the mute icon to stop receiving notifications for a specific item.
Empty State
When you have no notifications, the center displays "You're all caught up -- no new notifications."
Notification Types
| Event | Default |
|---|---|
| Assigned to you | In-app + Email |
| Mentioned in a comment | In-app + Email |
| Reply to your comment | In-app + Email |
| Item you created was updated | In-app |
| Item you are subscribed to was updated | In-app |
| Due date approaching (1 day before) | In-app + Email |
| Due date overdue | In-app + Email |
| New comment on subscribed item | In-app |
| Invitation to a workspace | In-app + Email |
How Notifications Are Created
Notifications are created server-side by the createNotification helper, which is called from mutation handlers across the system (comment creation, item assignment, status changes, etc.). Each notification record includes:
- userId — the recipient of the notification.
- type — the notification category (mention, assignment, comment, etc.).
- title — a short summary (e.g., "Alice mentioned you in a comment").
- link — a URL to the related item or entity.
- read — boolean flag indicating whether the user has seen it.
- createdAt — timestamp for ordering.
Unlike most features that are scoped to a single organization, notifications are personal to your user account and span across all your organizations. You see notifications from every organization you belong to in a single unified feed.
Pagination
The notification list supports cursor-based pagination for efficient infinite scrolling. Each page returns up to 20 notifications (configurable up to 50). The cursor is the id of the last notification in the previous page, which avoids issues with new notifications arriving between page loads.
Configuring Preferences
Navigate to Settings > Notifications to customize your notification preferences:
- Toggle each notification type on or off.
- Choose delivery channel: In-app only, Email only, or Both.
- Set a quiet hours schedule to pause email notifications during off-hours.
- Choose your email digest preference: Instant, Hourly, or Daily summary.
Subscribing and Unsubscribing
You are automatically subscribed to notifications for:
- Items you created.
- Items assigned to you.
- Items where you have been mentioned.
- Items you have commented on.
To manually subscribe or unsubscribe from an item, click the bell icon in the item detail panel.
Desktop Notifications
If you are using ProBeya in a browser, you can enable desktop push notifications:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Toggle Desktop Notifications on.
- Allow the browser permission prompt.
Desktop notifications use the browser's native Notification API and appear even when the ProBeya tab is in the background.
Device Token Registration
For mobile push notifications (when using ProBeya as a PWA), the app registers a device token stored in the deviceTokens table. This token is used to deliver push notifications to your specific device.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| No notifications appearing | Check that notification types are enabled in Settings > Notifications. Verify you are subscribed to the relevant items. |
| Email notifications not arriving | Check your spam folder. Verify that email delivery is enabled for the notification type. Check quiet hours settings. |
| Unread badge stuck | Try clicking Mark all as read to reset. If the issue persists, refresh the page. |
| Desktop notifications blocked | Check your browser's notification permissions for the ProBeya domain. The browser may have blocked them. |
Notification vs. Activity Feed
Notifications and the activity feed serve complementary but distinct purposes:
| Aspect | Notifications | Activity Feed |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Personal (only events relevant to you) | Entity-wide (all changes on an item/board) |
| Delivery | In-app, email, desktop push | In-app only (viewed on demand) |
| Read state | Tracks read/unread per notification | No read tracking |
| Configurable | Yes (per type and channel) | No (always shows all changes) |
Use notifications for real-time awareness of events that require your attention. Use the activity feed for after-the-fact auditing and review.
Best Practices
- Configure quiet hours to avoid email notifications during evenings and weekends.
- Use mute thread on items where you have been mentioned but no longer need updates.
- Enable desktop notifications if you work primarily in a browser so you do not miss time-sensitive assignments.
- Prefer hourly or daily digests if you receive many notifications to reduce inbox clutter.
Next Steps
- Mentions — understand how @mentions trigger notifications.
- Comments — see how comment notifications work.
- Activity Feed — view the full change history without notification filtering.