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

# Chat & shared inbox — overview

> Chat is Vendschat’s shared inbox — every customer message from WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram becomes a thread your team can filter, assign, label,…

**Chat** is Vendschat’s shared inbox — every customer message from WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram becomes a **thread** your team can filter, assign, label, and resolve together.

**Who this is for:** Support agents, team leads, and anyone asking Co-Admin *“Where is the inbox?”*, *“How do I reply?”*, or *“Why can’t I type a message?”*

**Where to go:** Sidebar **Chat** → `/chat`

***

## Quick reference

| Topic              | Answer                                                                                     |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Main inbox         | **Chat** (`/chat`)                                                                         |
| Layout (desktop)   | **Thread list** (left) · **Conversation** (center) · **Recipient panel** (right, optional) |
| Layout (mobile)    | Three screens: **Threads** → **Conversation** → **Recipient**                              |
| Open a thread      | Click a row in the thread list                                                             |
| Reply              | Type in composer → **Send** (or Enter)                                                     |
| 24h window expired | Composer shows banner — use **Templates** (WhatsApp)                                       |
| Filter unread      | Toggle **Unread** above thread list                                                        |
| Filter channel     | Header dropdown — **All channels** or one channel                                          |
| Search threads     | *“Search by Phone or Name…”*                                                               |
| New outbound chat  | **New Chat** (+) → template / channel picker                                               |
| Deep link thread   | `/chat?thread={id}`                                                                        |
| Deep link message  | `/chat?dl={token}` (scrolls + highlights message)                                          |
| Mark read          | Opening a thread marks it read automatically                                               |
| End conversation   | Recipient panel → **End Chat** + optional note                                             |

***

## What Chat is (and isn’t)

| Chat **is**                                          | Chat **is not**                                            |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Shared team inbox for **customer** conversations     | Your internal Slack — (team chat UI exists as placeholder) |
| Real-time updates when customers message             | A personal phone WhatsApp app                              |
| One place for WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram threads | Cross-workspace — threads belong to **current workspace**  |
| Where humans reply, assign, label, resolve           | Where **Co-Admin** lives (that’s the internal assistant)   |

Customer-facing automation uses **AI Agents** on assigned threads — see [AI Agents overview](/ai-agents/ai-agents-overview).

***

## Example: Harbor Legal Services

**Jess** and **Omar** share one WhatsApp number for intake.

| Time      | Action in Chat                                                      |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 9:00      | Jess opens **Chat**, filter **Unread**, label filter `New intake`   |
| 9:05      | Clicks thread — recipient panel shows phone, notes, **Assigned to** |
| 9:10      | Replies in composer; customer sees WhatsApp message                 |
| 9:30      | Tags `Urgent`, assigns **Omar** from recipient panel                |
| 10:00     | Omar resolves — **End Chat**, note: *“Engagement letter sent”*      |
| Next week | Same customer messages — history visible, thread reopens            |

***

## How to open Chat

| Platform                | Navigation                                |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Desktop**             | Left sidebar → **Chat** (messages icon)   |
| **Mobile**              | Bottom nav → **Chat**                     |
| **Direct URL**          | `/chat`                                   |
| **Default after login** | Most users land on **Chat** after sign-in |

**Access:** Role **Member** with Chat page access sees **Chat**. Owners/admins see **Chat** plus **Settings**, **Onboarding**, etc. See [assignments doc](/inbox/assignments-and-teams#roles--page-access).

***

## Screen layout (desktop)

```text theme={null}
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Channel ▼]  [New Chat] [Labels]     ← Chat thread header      │
├──────────────┬──────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┤
│ Thread list  │  Conversation header         │ Recipient panel     │
│              │  (name, labels, assignee)    │ (contact, assign,   │
│ Search       ├──────────────────────────────│  labels, end chat)  │
│ Filters      │  Message timeline            │                     │
│              │  (bubbles, dates, ticks)     │  [hide ◀]           │
│ Rows…        ├──────────────────────────────┤                     │
│              │  Message composer            │                     │
│              │  (channel, templates, AI)    │                     │
└──────────────┴──────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘
```

### Three columns explained

| Column                                     | Purpose                                            |
| ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Thread list** (\~320px)                  | All conversations — search, filters, unread badges |
| **Conversation** (flex)                    | Message history + composer for selected thread     |
| **Recipient panel** (\~320px, collapsible) | Contact profile, assignment, labels, **End Chat**  |

**No thread selected (desktop):** Center shows Vendschat logo empty state.

**Hide recipient panel:** Click the small **chevron** on the panel edge (desktop).

***

## Screen layout (mobile)

Mobile uses **one pane at a time** with slide transitions:

| View             | How to get there                        |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Threads**      | Default when opening Chat               |
| **Conversation** | Tap a thread row                        |
| **Recipient**    | Tap contact info in conversation header |

**Back:** Use back control to return Threads ← Conversation ← Recipient.

***

## Thread list — controls

### Channel filter (top)

**Account selector** in thread list header:

* **All channels** — every connected channel in this workspace
* Or pick one **WhatsApp** / **Messenger** / **Instagram** account

Filters which threads appear in the list.

### Search

Placeholder: **“Search by Phone or Name…”**

Searches contact phone and name. Results refresh after a short debounce.

### Read state toggle

| Value      | Shows                        |
| ---------- | ---------------------------- |
| **All**    | Every thread (default)       |
| **Unread** | Threads with unread messages |
| **Read**   | Threads already read         |

Unread rows show bold preview text, inbound arrow (red when unread), and a **count badge** (e.g. `3`, caps at `99+`).

### Label filter

**Filter icon** (funnel) → dropdown:

* **All labels** — clear filter
* Check individual labels (multi-select)

If your role has **label-scoped access**, only permitted labels appear.

Create labels: **Settings → Workspace → Labels** or header **Labels** shortcut.

### Assigned messages (inbox icon)

Badge on inbox-style button — indicates threads assigned to you (team routing). Use with assignment workflow in [assignments doc](/inbox/assignments-and-teams).

### Infinite scroll

Scroll near the bottom of the thread list to load more (20 per page).

### Thread row details

Each row shows:

| Element                | Meaning                                 |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Avatar + channel badge | Contact + channel type (WhatsApp, etc.) |
| Name                   | Contact display name or phone           |
| Preview                | Last message snippet                    |
| Arrow ↘ / ↖            | Inbound vs outbound last message        |
| Timestamp              | Relative time of last message           |
| Label chips            | Tags on this thread                     |
| Unread badge           | Count of unread messages                |

**Hover menu** (⋯ on row): Mark as read, Mark as unread, Mute, Delete — quick actions on the thread.

***

## Opening & reading threads

### Select a thread

Click a row → conversation loads in the center (mobile: switches to **Conversation** view).

**Automatic read:** Selecting a thread marks it **read** and clears unread count for that conversation (including related channel threads for the same contact).

**URL sync:** Browser address updates to `/chat?thread={id}` so refresh or share link reopens the same thread.

### Deep links

| URL param     | Behavior                                                                     |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `?thread=123` | Opens thread `123` on load (server prefetches timeline + recipient panel)    |
| `?dl={token}` | Resolves token → opens thread and scrolls to / highlights a specific message |

After landing via `?dl=`, the token is stripped from the URL on next navigation.

### Real-time updates

While **Chat** is open, new inbound/outbound messages on Meta channels (WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram) appear in the thread list and open conversation **without refresh**.

Delivery status ticks (sent → delivered → read) update live on open threads.

***

## Conversation column

### Header

| Control           | Action                                        |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Back** (mobile) | Return to thread list                         |
| **Contact name**  | Inline edit display name                      |
| **Search**        | Search within conversation (toggle panel)     |
| **Contact info**  | Open recipient panel (mobile: full screen)    |
| **Labels**        | Add/remove labels on this thread              |
| **Assignee**      | Assign teammate, group, or AI Agent (compact) |

### Message timeline

* Chronological bubbles — inbound (customer) vs outbound (your team)
* Date separators between days
* **Delivery ticks** on outbound WhatsApp-style messages: pending → sent → delivered → read (blue double-check)
* System events (assignments, status) shown as timeline lines

Scroll up for older messages (paginated load).

### Message composer (bottom)

| Control                      | Purpose                                                                  |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Text area                    | *“Type your message…”* — Shift+Enter for new line, Enter to send         |
| **Channel selector**         | When contact has multiple channels, pick which to send from              |
| **Templates**                | WhatsApp approved templates (when window expired or proactive send)      |
| **Generate Reply** (sparkle) | AI draft for agents — see [composer doc](/inbox/composer-generate-reply) |
| **Emoji**                    | Insert emoji into text                                                   |
| **Send**                     | Dispatch message                                                         |

**24-hour messaging window:** If Meta’s session window is closed, composer shows:

> *“The 24-hour messaging window has expired. You can only send template messages until the recipient replies to reopen the conversation window.”*

Use **Templates** button to pick an approved WhatsApp template.

***

## Recipient panel (right column)

Open by default on desktop when a thread is selected. Shows:

| Section         | Content                                       |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Profile**     | Avatar, name, phone, country, language, email |
| **Notes**       | Internal contact note (editable)              |
| **Assigned to** | Dropdown — user, **group**, or **AI Agent**   |
| **Labels**      | Manage labels on this thread                  |
| **Channels**    | Which channels this contact can be reached on |
| **Status**      | **Open** (live indicator) · **End Chat**      |

### End Chat (resolve)

1. Click **End Chat** in status area
2. Optional **ending note**
3. Confirm

Thread moves to **resolved** state. Customer messages later typically **reopen** the conversation.

Details: [Shared inbox & labels](/inbox/shared-inbox-and-labels#threads-open-resolved-and-end-chat).

### Edit contact

Update name, phone, email, country, language, note — saves to contact record and updates thread list/header.

***

## New Chat (outbound)

**Thread list header** → **New Chat** icon (+ message bubble).

Opens **template composer modal**:

1. Choose **channel** (if multiple WhatsApp numbers, etc.)
2. Enter recipient phone (for new WhatsApp outbound)
3. Pick **template** and send (or schedule where supported)

Used to start conversations outside the 24h window or message new numbers.

Requires active **WhatsApp** channel for template sends.

***

## Threads, contacts & channels

### One contact, multiple channels

A customer may message on WhatsApp and Instagram. Vendschat links them under one **contact** when possible:

* Thread list may show **related threads**
* **Composer channel picker** lists all channels for that contact
* **Preferred channel** auto-selects the channel that last received an **inbound** message

### Thread status values

| Status       | Meaning                            |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| **open**     | Active — needs handling            |
| **pending**  | Waiting (e.g. external dependency) |
| **snoozed**  | Paused until later                 |
| **resolved** | Closed via **End Chat**            |

### Unread vs read

| Field          | Meaning                                |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| `unread_count` | Messages customer sent since last read |
| `is_read`      | Thread marked read by a teammate       |

Opening a thread clears unread for that conversation group.

***

## Labels in Chat

| Where               | Action                           |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Thread list filter  | Funnel icon → filter by label(s) |
| Thread row          | Colored label chips on row       |
| Conversation header | Add/remove labels                |
| Recipient panel     | Full label editor                |

Create/manage definitions: **Settings → Workspace → Labels**.

Deep dive: [Shared inbox & labels](/inbox/shared-inbox-and-labels).

***

## Assignments in Chat

**Assigned to** dropdown (recipient panel or mobile header):

* **Teammate** — named owner
* **Group** — queue (e.g. Tier 1)
* **AI Agent** — bot handles thread until handoff
* **Unassigned** — shared pool

Deep dive: [Assignments & teams](/inbox/assignments-and-teams).

***

## Generate Reply in Chat

Composer **sparkle / wand** menu → draft reply from recent messages, apply **tones** (empathetic, simplify, translate, etc.).

Human always reviews before **Send**. Not the same as **AI Agents**.

Deep dive: [Composer & Generate Reply](/inbox/composer-generate-reply).

***

## Co-Admin & live inbox data

| Customer asks…                  | Co-Admin approach                |
| ------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| “How many open threads?”        | Workspace overview tool          |
| “How do I filter unread?”       | Product docs — **Unread** toggle |
| “Are we connected on WhatsApp?” | List channels tool               |

Co-Admin uses the user’s **current workspace** session.

***

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                   | Check                                                                                           |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Empty thread list         | Customer must message connected channel first; verify channel **active**; correct **workspace** |
| Can’t type in composer    | **24h window** expired → **Templates**; channel `can_send` false                                |
| Message not delivered     | Channel disconnected; WhatsApp registration — see error modal                                   |
| Don’t see **Chat** in nav | Role may lack Chat page access                                                                  |
| Wrong conversations       | **Workspace switcher** in Settings; **channel filter** set to one account                       |
| Labels missing in filter  | Create in **Settings → Labels**; check label-scoped membership                                  |
| Panel won’t load          | Refresh; reselect thread                                                                        |
| No real-time messages     | Rare — refresh page; verify workspace channel connection                                        |

***

## Related docs

* [Shared inbox & labels](/inbox/shared-inbox-and-labels)
* [Assignments & teams](/inbox/assignments-and-teams)
* [Composer & Generate Reply](/inbox/composer-generate-reply)
* [Inbox FAQ](/inbox/inbox-faq)
* [Channels](/channels/workspaces-and-channels-overview)
* [First channel & inbox](/getting-started/first-channel-and-inbox)
* [AI Agents overview](/ai-agents/ai-agents-overview)