Use Inbox

Inbox collects updates that need attention

Inbox is the in-product place for ALLO updates that may need a response: mentions, replies, invitations, access requests, reminders, assignment updates, OKR Check-ins, due date reminders, project status changes, file export results, and workspace invite decisions.

Home can show previews, but Inbox owns the full notification list and actions. Use it when you need to decide what is new, finish items, reopen completed items, review a request, reply to a thread, accept or reject an invite, or jump back to the original work.

For notification settings, use Manage notifications. For canvas mention behavior, use Mention people and canvas collaborators. For the broader comment workflow, use Work with comments and mentions.

Availability and permissions

Where to find Inbox

Open Inbox from the app header, Home preview, notification icon, or the Inbox entry point available in your workspace. The drawer is the main in-product notification surface.

If Home shows a preview, treat it as a shortcut. Open Inbox for the full list, status tabs, row actions, replies, access request review, invite decisions, and completed items.

What can appear in Inbox

The exact actions depend on notification type, resource state, and your permission.

New and Completed

Inbox separates active work from completed work.

New contains notifications that still need attention or have not been marked done. Completed contains items you already finished or marked done. If something should be handled later, leave it in New until you are ready to mark it done.

Counts can update while you work. If a count changes after you open Inbox, that means ALLO received live updates or repaired a notification whose underlying resource is no longer available.

Some Inbox lists include a “Previously seen” divider. That divider helps you separate newer items from items already loaded in your last visit.

Common Inbox actions

Use Mark all done carefully. It is best for clearing low-value or already-handled notifications, not for ignoring active requests.

How Inbox handles unavailable work

Inbox does not expose private or deleted work just because a notification exists. If the original resource was deleted, moved, unshared, or belongs to a workspace where your access was deactivated, ALLO hides the notification, repairs it, or prevents it from opening.

Workspace invitations are a special case because the invitation itself is the access path. You may be able to act on an invitation even before you have normal workspace access.

If a notification came from another workspace, switch to that workspace before retrying. If the item still does not open, use When you cannot access work.

Examples

If someone mentions you in a canvas comment, open the Inbox item, read the thread in context, reply if needed, then mark the item done after the work is handled.

If someone requests access to a canvas you manage, open the access request from Inbox. Review who is asking, what they need, and whether they should receive view, comment, edit, or no access.

If a PDF export is ready, use the Inbox action to download the current export. If the URL expired, the file is unavailable, or the export failed, use Fix a failed canvas export and rerun the export from the canvas.

If a Key Result Check-in changes status, open the notification to review the Key Result and the context behind the update. Use Check in progress for how Check-ins work.

Common mistakes

Do not treat Inbox as a full activity audit. Use Activity when you need broader change history.

Do not assume an item is deleted only because an old notification no longer opens. It may be in another workspace, unshared from you, archived, deactivated, or filtered out.

Do not mark all done if you still need to review access requests or invite decisions. Open those first.

Do not rely only on email. Inbox is the in-product source for ALLO notifications, even if email or push settings are disabled.

Recover when Inbox looks wrong

If Inbox is empty but you expected updates, check the active workspace, notification settings, and whether the work still exists. Open Manage notifications for settings.

If an item does not open, check your permission to the original work. Ask the owner to reshare it if needed.

If counts seem stale, refresh the app. Live updates can arrive while the drawer is open, and completed or repaired items can move between tabs.

If an access request is missing, ask the requester to try again from the current link and confirm the email they are signed in with.

If a notification is about sensitive work you should no longer see, contact the owner or workspace admin. The underlying permission may need cleanup.