# Notifications

Probo notifies a member when something needs their attention: a document to sign, a document to approve, a task assigned to them, or a mention in a task. Each notification shows in the notifications panel, and can also arrive by email.

## What triggers a notification

| Notification                | Sent when                                                                                                                          | Message                                     | Clears when                                               |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Document signature requests | A document version is sent to the member for signature                                                                             | _Document_ **is ready for your signature**  | The member signs, or the signature request is canceled    |
| Document approval requests  | A document version is sent to the member for approval                                                                              | _Document_ **is waiting for your approval** | The member approves or rejects, or the approval is voided |
| Task assignments            | Someone else assigns a task to the member                                                                                          | **You were assigned** _task_                | The member opens the task                                 |
| Task mentions               | Someone else adds a mention of the member to a task description or comment. See [Mentions](/docs/product/tasks/overview#mentions). | **You were mentioned in** _task_            | The member opens the task                                 |

Probo does not notify you about your own actions: assigning a task to yourself or mentioning yourself sends nothing.

## Where notifications appear

- **Console:** open the menu at the bottom of the sidebar and choose **Notifications**. A badge on the bell icon shows how many notifications are unread.

<img
  src="/docs/notifications/console-notifications.webp"
  alt="The bottom of the console sidebar, with the Notifications item and its unread count highlighted above the member's name"
  width="220"
  height="104"
/>

- **Employee portal:** select the bell next to your name, at the top right.

<img
  src="/docs/notifications/employee-portal-bell.webp"
  alt="The employee portal header, with the notification bell and its unread count highlighted next to the member's name"
  width="256"
  height="54"
/>

Both list the notifications for the current organization, newest first.

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Selecting a notification opens the item:

- Signature and approval requests open the document's **Signatures** or **Approvals** page in the employee portal, or the document in the console when the organization has no employee portal.
- Task notifications open the task in the employee portal, or in the console when the organization has no employee portal.

<img
  src="/docs/notifications/notification-panel.webp"
  alt="The Notifications panel header, with (1) the mark all as read icon and (2) the notification settings icon highlighted"
  width="410"
  height="257"
/>

The panel header has two icons:

1. **Mark all as read** (the double check) clears every unread notification in the organization at once, including signature and approval requests that are still open. The underlying request stays open: the document still waits for your signature or approval.
2. **Notification settings** (the gear) opens your email preferences.

A cleared notification gets no further emails.

## Email notifications

Each member decides how every notification type reaches them by email. Select the gear in the notifications panel, or open **Notification settings** in the employee portal. The settings under **Email** apply to the current organization only.

![Notification settings in the employee portal, with a delivery choice for document signature requests, document approval requests, task assignments, and task mentions](/docs/notifications/notification-settings.webp)

| Option    | Behavior                                                                                                                              |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| None      | No email. The notification still shows in the notifications panel.                                                                    |
| Each      | One email for each new notification, sent on the next email run (every few minutes).                                                  |
| Reminders | The default. A grouped email once a notification has been unread for 15 minutes, then up to three reminders while it stays uncleared. |
| Weekly    | One email on Monday listing the items that are still uncleared.                                                                       |

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With **Reminders**, Probo sends a reminder one day after the first email, then two days after that, then three days after that, and then stops. A reminder that falls on a Saturday or Sunday moves to Monday at the same time. The weekly email goes out on Monday at 16:00 UTC.

Each type has its own setting, so you can, for example, get each signature request right away and a weekly digest of task mentions.

## Self-hosting

On Probo Cloud the timings above are fixed. A self-hosted deployment can change them:

| Setting                                        | Default           | Meaning                                                                 |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `probod.notifications.email.interval`          | `300` (seconds)   | How often the email worker runs                                         |
| `probod.notifications.email.debounce-delay`    | `900` (seconds)   | How long a notification stays unread before the first Reminders email   |
| `probod.notifications.email.reminder-interval` | `86400` (seconds) | Base reminder cadence. Reminders go out at 1x, 2x, and 3x this interval |
| `probod.notifications.weekly.weekday`          | `1` (Monday)      | Day of the weekly email, from `0` (Sunday) to `6` (Saturday)            |
| `probod.notifications.weekly.hour`             | `16`              | Hour of the weekly email, in UTC                                        |

Emails need a working mailer. See [Config file](/docs/deployment/configuration/config-file) and the [Config reference](/docs/deployment/configuration/config-reference#notifications).

## Related

- [Tasks](/docs/product/tasks/overview): assignments and mentions
- [Document management](/docs/product/document-management): signatures and approvals
- [Webhooks](/docs/developers/api/webhooks/overview): notify other systems when records change