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Documentation Index

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Channels are shared chat rooms for many users. Use them for communities, cohorts, event rooms, member-only announcements, or any conversation where access should follow a product membership. A channel is powered by a Chat experience. Customers can access the channel when they have access to a product that contains that experience.

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When to use channels

Use a channel when you want a room that belongs to a product or community, not a private conversation between a few users. Examples:
  • A paid community’s main chat room
  • A course cohort discussion room
  • An announcements channel where only admins can post
  • A VIP room attached to a higher-tier product
  • A live event chat for members who bought access

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What makes channels different

Channels are the chat type for product-backed rooms and communities.
  • They are powered by Chat experiences and can be attached to products.
  • Access follows product membership, so everyone with access to the product can participate.
  • They are designed for large rooms and communities, without the 50-member cap that applies to DMs.
  • They include moderation controls for media, links, reactions, blocked words, posting permissions, and cooldowns.
  • They can be read-only or announcement-style by limiting posting to admins.

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Constraints

  • Users need access to the product that contains the Chat experience before they can participate.
  • Channels do not appear in the DMs list. Render them directly with the Chat element.
  • Channels are not for private user-to-user or small group conversations. Use direct messages for that.
  • Channels do not include a support inbox or open/resolved workflow. Use support chats for customer support.

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Access model

Channels are usually membership-gated:
  1. Create a Chat experience.
  2. Attach the experience to a product.
  3. Give users access to the product through checkout or a free membership.
  4. Render the channel with the ChatElement using the channel ID.
Channel IDs start with chat_feed_. You can also retrieve a channel by the Chat experience ID, which starts with exp_.

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Set up a channel

1

Create or choose a product

Create the product that should grant access to the channel. Users get access to channel experiences through products and memberships.
2

Create a Chat experience

Create an experience for the Chat app. In the dashboard, this is the Chat app you add to a product. Through the API, use Create Experience.
3

Attach the experience to the product

Attach the experience with Attach Experience. This makes the channel available to customers with access to that product.
4

Grant users access

Let users buy the product through checkout, or grant access with Create Membership if you are giving access through a free plan.
5

Render the channel

Pass the channel ID to the Chat element. If you only have the experience ID, retrieve the channel with Retrieve Chat Channel.
<ChatElement
  options={{ channelId: "chat_feed_XXXXXXXXXXXXXX" }}
  style={{ height: "100dvh", width: "100%" }}
/>

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Manage channels

Channels support moderation tools for controlling who can participate and what members can post. For example, you can make an announcements channel where only admins can send messages, limit media or links, block words, or slow down noisy conversations with cooldowns. Use Update Chat Channel for the full list of moderation options.

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Next steps

Chat element

Render a channel, DM, or support chat in your app.

Authentication

Mint tokens with the scopes needed to read and send channel messages.