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

# Group chats

> How WednesdayAI behaves in group chats: getting its attention, commands, and what everyone can see.

# Group chats

WednesdayAI can take part in group chats alongside people. In a group it behaves differently than in a private chat: it stays quiet until someone addresses it, and everything it says is visible to the whole group.

## Getting the bot's attention

By default the bot does **not** reply to every message in a group. Two reliable ways to address it:

* **Mention it** — type `@` and select the bot (for example `@WednesdayAI what do you think?`), or start your message with its name where @-mentions are not supported.
* **Reply to one of its messages** — on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, and Microsoft Teams, replying to something the bot said counts as addressing it. On some apps (such as Signal) only a name mention works, so if your reply is ignored, mention the bot directly.

## Each group has its own conversation

The bot keeps every group's conversation separate:

* What is discussed in one group does not leak into another group or into your private chat with the bot.
* Commands like `/reset` apply to the group you send them in. Starting a fresh conversation in a group does not clear your private chat.
* When the bot wakes up after a mention, it can see recent messages from the group for context — it was quietly following along even while not replying.

## What you say and ask is public

Everything you write in the group is visible to all members, and so are the bot's replies. For personal or sensitive questions, use a private chat with the bot instead.

<Warning>
  Commands that show the AI's inner workings (like `/verbose` or `/reasoning`) should stay **off** in groups — they can expose detailed tool output and reasoning to everyone in the chat.
</Warning>

## Commands work in groups

All the usual [slash commands](/users/commands) work in group chats — for example `/status` or `/reset`. Commands sent as their own message are handled even without mentioning the bot first.

## Changing how actively the bot participates

By default the bot only speaks when addressed (mention mode). In a group, an authorised user can switch this per group:

| Command               | Effect                                                                          |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `/activation mention` | Bot replies only when mentioned or replied to (the default)                     |
| `/activation always`  | Bot reads **every** message and replies whenever it has something useful to add |

With `always`, the bot still stays silent when it has nothing useful to say — it does not comment on every message. The setting applies only to the group where you send it.

## Tips

* **Invite and setup is an admin task** — whether the bot is allowed in a particular group is decided by your administrator. If the bot never responds in one group but works in others, ask them to enable that group.
* **Address one message, not many** — like in private chats, several quick messages in a row may be bundled into one reply.
* **Name it clearly** — make sure everyone in the group knows the bot's name so mentions are spelled correctly.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The bot ignores the whole group">
    Mention the bot directly with `@`. If mentions still get no reply, the group itself may not be enabled for the bot — ask your administrator to allow it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The bot ignores me but replies to others">
    You may not be an authorised user of the bot yet. Ask your administrator to add you, or check that you are mentioning it exactly as configured.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The bot replies to messages that were not addressed to it">
    Someone may have set `/activation always` for that group. An authorised user can switch it back with `/activation mention`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The bot mixes up conversations between my group and private chat">
    It does not — each group and each private chat is a separate conversation. If context seems crossed, run `/reset` in the affected conversation to start fresh.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Messaging basics](/users/messaging)
* [Slash commands](/users/commands)
* [Pair your first channel](/users/pairing/first-channel)