How does team chat work in MONA?
Open Messages, then the Team tab. Every studio gets a General channel, project chats, group channels, and direct messages, with @mentions, files, reactions, pins, and @MONA to ask the agent.
Quick answer: click Messages in the sidebar and open the Team tab. Every studio has a General channel, each project gets its own chat, owners and admins can make private group channels, and anyone can send direct messages. You can @mention teammates, attach files, react, pin messages, turn a message into a task, and type @MONA to have the agent answer in the channel.
Who can use this
- Team chat appears once your studio has two or more active members. A solo studio sees only the client inbox.
- Everyone can post, start direct messages, and leave channels.
- Owners and admins create, rename, and archive group channels and manage their members.
To add teammates, see How do team seats, roles, and shared credits work?.
What kinds of chats are there?
The Team tab has three sections:
| Section | What it is | Who is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | General plus any group channels | General: everyone. Group channels: only the people added |
| Direct messages | One-to-one or small group conversations, up to 9 people | Only the people in it. Owners and admins cannot read DMs they are not in |
| Projects | One chat per project, also on the project’s Chat tab | Anyone who can open the project |
You can also DM yourself, which is handy for drafts, links, and files you want to find later.
How do I start a DM or a channel?
Direct message
- In Messages, Team tab, click the + next to Direct messages (or Message a teammate).
- Search teammates by name or email and pick one or more.
- Click Start.
To tidy your list, Close conversation hides a DM until someone sends a new message.
Group channel (owners and admins)
- Click the + next to Channels (New group channel).
- Enter a Channel name, like install-team, and pick people under Add members.
- Click Create.
Use Manage channel in the channel menu to rename, archive, or change members. Anyone can Leave channel.
What can I do in a message?
- Format: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, links, lists, quotes, and code. Enter sends; Shift+Enter adds a new line.
- Attach files: click the paperclip and choose From computer or From MONA Library, or drag files in. Up to 10 files per message. Files land in your Library, and in a project chat they are filed on the project too.
- React and reply: hover a message for Add reaction and Reply. A reply quotes the original with a link back to it.
- More actions: Pin to top, Create a task from this, Edit message, Copy text, and Delete message. You can edit or delete only your own messages.
- Pin a chat: pin a channel or DM to the top of your own list.
When someone asks a teammate for something, MONA may suggest Create task right under the message. Only the author and the person asked see it. See How do I manage tasks and deadlines in MONA?.
How do I ask MONA inside team chat?
Type @MONA (it is first in the @ list) and ask, for example: “@MONA what is the lead time on the Henderson sofa?” MONA works on it in its own chat for you and posts the answer back into the channel as a reply marked AI. In a project chat it uses that project’s schedule, files, and notes.
- It uses your studio’s credits like any MONA request.
- Each person can ask up to 5 times a minute.
- If MONA cannot answer, it says why in the channel, for example that the studio is out of credits.
How do team notes in MONA chats work?
Sometimes you are in a chat with MONA and want to loop in a teammate, not MONA. Type @ and pick a teammate, or click Note. The box switches to note mode (Team note · MONA won’t see this · @Name will be notified). Send it and it posts as Team note · not sent to MONA.
- MONA never reads notes and they use no credits.
- Tagged teammates who can see the chat get a notification. If the chat owner tags someone without access, MONA gives them view access and invites them.
- If you tag someone who cannot see the chat, you get a message saying they were not notified, so you can share the chat first.
- Notes cannot carry attachments.
More on MONA chats in How do I use the MONA AI agent?.
How do notifications work for team chat?
Each chat’s header has Notify me about:
- Mentions and replies (default): you hear about @mentions and replies to you. Every message in a DM notifies you.
- Every message: you hear about everything in that chat.
Chats with unread messages show in bold with a count, and the Team tab shows your total. An @mention you have not answered gets a dot and one reminder after 24 hours. If you are offline when someone @mentions you in a channel or DM, you also get an email. Push alerts follow your device settings: see How do I control MONA notifications and push alerts?.
How do calls work?
Each chat has a bar at the top for its standing meeting. Click Join to meet in that chat; teammates get a notification that you started a call. During a call, click MONA takes notes, then Start notes: MONA records everyone in the call and writes the notes and action items, into the project when it is a project chat. Everyone in the call sees that MONA is taking notes. More in meeting notes. Owners and admins (or anyone, in a DM) can instead paste the studio’s standing Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams link so everyone joins it from the chat.
What about messages with clients?
The Clients tab in Messages is a separate inbox for conversations with clients. Click New message thread, enter the Client name and an optional Client email, and write. Clients can reply by email and the reply lands in the thread. Each project also keeps its client messages in one place. Clients never see the Team tab. For approvals and shared files, see the client portal.
What it does not do (yet)
- No side-panel threads; replies are quoted inline.
- No search inside team chat yet, and team chat messages are not in MONA’s global search.
- No typing indicators.
- Members cannot create group channels; ask an owner or admin.
Want a hand?
If you are moving your studio off Slack or a group text, book 30 minutes with the founder at calendly.com/mona-justin/30min and we will set up your channels together.
Related articles
- What can the MONA AI agent do, and how do I ask it for help?
- How do I manage tasks and deadlines in MONA?
- How do I control MONA notifications and push alerts?
- How do I record meetings and get notes in MONA?
- How do team seats, roles, and shared credits work?
Frequently asked questions
Where is team chat in MONA?
Click Messages in the sidebar and open the Team tab. The Team tab appears once your studio has at least two active members. Each project also has a Chat tab for that job.
Can I make private channels?
Group channels are private to the people in them. Owners and admins create them and manage members. Direct messages are private too, and owners and admins cannot read DMs they are not in.
Can I ask MONA a question inside team chat?
Yes. Type @MONA in any channel or DM. MONA answers in the channel as a reply, using the project’s context in a project chat. It uses your studio’s credits like any other MONA request.
What happens when I @mention a teammate in a MONA chat?
The message becomes a team note. MONA never sees it, it uses no credits, and the tagged teammate gets a notification. If they cannot see that chat, MONA tells you so you can share it first.
Does MONA team chat have threads?
Replies are quoted inline in the channel, with a link back to the original message. There are no side-panel threads.
Can I turn a message into a task?
Yes. Open a message’s More actions menu and choose Create a task from this. MONA may also offer to make a task when someone asks a teammate for something.
Will I get notified about every message?
By default you hear about @mentions, replies to you, and DMs. Change Notify me about to Every message on any chat to hear about everything there. If you are offline when someone @mentions you, you also get an email.
Is team chat separate from client messages?
Yes. The Clients tab in Messages is your inbox with clients, and clients can reply by email. The Team tab is only for your studio.
Can we do video calls?
Each chat has a call bar. Click Join to meet in that chat, or an owner or admin can paste the studio’s standing Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams link so everyone joins from there.