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

# Comments and mentions

> Discuss work on a task, mention teammates with @, and choose whether a comment stays internal or is sent to the client in the portal.

Every task has one comment thread. The most important thing on it is **who can read each comment**.

## One thread, two audiences

A client writing in the portal lands in the same thread as your internal notes. Each comment carries its own audience:

| Audience     | Who sees it                                                 |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Internal** | Your team only. This is the default                         |
| **Client**   | Your team, plus the client contacts who can reach this task |

Client-facing comments are marked in the list with a **Client can see this** badge and a coloured rule down the left edge. An unmarked comment is always safe to treat as private.

<Warning>
  Read the badge before you reply. Without it, a client's question and an internal note look identical, so people answer the client in a comment the client can never see.
</Warning>

## Post a comment

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the task">
    Comments are on the full task page, under the **Comments** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write your comment">
    The box says "Write a comment. Use @ to mention a teammate."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the audience">
    Leave **Send to client** off for an internal note. Turn it on to address the client.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Post comment">
    The comment appears at the bottom of the thread with your name and the time.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The **Send to client** switch resets to off after every post, and whenever you open a different task. Sending to a client is always a deliberate act, never a setting you left on.

Comments can be up to **5,000 characters**. A blank comment is refused.

## Mention someone

Type `@` and start typing a name. A list of teammates appears; pick one and the handle is inserted.

Mentions are highlighted in the posted comment. Each mentioned person gets a notification with a short preview of what you wrote.

| Rule                           | Behaviour                                               |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Unknown handle                 | Ignored. It is left as plain text and notifies nobody   |
| Someone outside this workspace | Never resolves. Mentions cannot reach across workspaces |
| Yourself                       | Never notifies you about your own comment               |
| The same person twice          | Notified once                                           |

A member added to the roster without an email address cannot be reached by an `@` handle from their address, because there is no inbox behind it. They can still be mentioned by their name handle.

## Reply to a client

<Steps>
  <Step title="Turn on Send to client">
    The composer border changes and the placeholder becomes "Write a reply to the client."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the warning">
    If the task is not shared with the client yet, a message appears: turn on **Visible to client** in **More** first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Post">
    The comment lands in the thread carrying the **Client can see this** badge.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Marking a comment client-facing records your **intent**. Whether the client can actually read it depends on the task's **Visible to client** setting and the project being shared with that client. Marking a reply on a not-yet-shared task is harmless – it becomes visible if and when the task is shared.
</Note>

## The Activity feed

The **Activity** tab beside Comments is a separate, read-only history: the task being created, stage moves, comments posted, attachments added and removed, due-date changes and estimate revisions with their notes. It is newest first and nothing on it can be edited or removed.

## Example

Ruth Castillo, the Bluebird Coffee contact, writes in the portal on `WR-142 Homepage wireframes`: "Can we see a second layout direction?"

Her comment appears in the internal thread with the **Client can see this** badge.

Priya Raman replies with **Send to client** on: "Of course – Sarah will have a second direction with you by Thursday." That reply carries the badge too.

She then posts a second comment with the switch off: "@sarah this is a scope change, please flag the task as Additional billable." Sarah gets a mention notification. Ruth never sees that one.

## Options and settings

| Control                       | What it does                                                  |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Comment box                   | Free text, up to 5,000 characters. `@` opens the mention list |
| **Send to client**            | Sets the audience of this one comment                         |
| **Post comment**              | Disabled while the box is empty or a post is in flight        |
| **Client can see this** badge | Marks a client-facing comment in the list                     |

Comments are shown oldest first, each with the author's avatar, name and the time it was posted.

## Permissions

| Action                       | Capability                                                            |
| ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Read a task's thread         | Project reach – you can open the task                                 |
| Post a comment               | `task.edit`                                                           |
| Post a client-facing comment | `task.edit`, plus the **Client portal** app for the client to read it |

| Role            | Can comment             |
| --------------- | ----------------------- |
| Owner           | Yes                     |
| Admin           | Yes                     |
| Project Manager | Yes                     |
| Finance         | No                      |
| Member          | Yes                     |
| Contractor      | Yes                     |
| Client          | Through the portal only |

The client portal is a **Pro** feature. On the Free plan, the client half of the thread does not exist. See [/concepts/plans-and-features](/concepts/plans-and-features).

## What happens next

* Each mentioned person is notified through the channels they have turned on. See [/settings/notifications](/settings/notifications).
* The task's Activity feed records that a comment was posted.
* A client-facing comment appears in the portal once the task is shared.
* You are never notified about a comment you wrote yourself.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I edit or delete a comment?">
    Comments are part of the task's record. There is no edit or delete control in the thread.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are there threaded replies?">
    No. The thread is flat, in the order things were posted. Use `@` to direct a comment at someone.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the assignee get notified for every comment?">
    No. Notifications go to the people you mention. Mention the assignee if you need them to look.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I mention a client contact?">
    Mentions resolve within your workspace roster. To reach a client, turn on **Send to client** and write the comment for them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is comment text safe to paste code or markup into?">
    Yes. Comment bodies are shown as plain text, so tags and scripts are inert.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Couldn't post your comment. You may lack permission.">
    You do not hold `task.edit` in this workspace. Finance and Client roles cannot post internal comments.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My @ mention did not notify anyone">
    The handle did not match a member of this workspace, or the person you mentioned has no email address on their record. Pick the person from the list rather than typing the handle by hand.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A red warning appears when I turn on Send to client">
    The task is not shared with the client yet. Open the full task page, go to **More**, and turn on **Visible to client**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The client says they cannot see my reply">
    Three things all have to be true: the comment is marked client-facing, the task has **Visible to client** on, and the project is shared with that client. See [/portal/what-clients-can-see](/portal/what-clients-can-see).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What clients can see" icon="eye" href="/portal/what-clients-can-see">
    The rules behind the portal firewall.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Portal comments" icon="message-square" href="/portal/portal-comments">
    The client's side of the thread.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Notification settings" icon="bell" href="/settings/notifications">
    Where mention notifications go.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task details" icon="panel-right" href="/tasks/task-details">
    Comments, Activity and Work log tabs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attachments" icon="paperclip" href="/tasks/attachments">
    Files on the same task.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>