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

# Private notes

> Use private notes to share internal-only messages on tickets that stay hidden from requesters, perfect for sensitive discussions and team strategy.

Private notes let you send messages within tickets that only workspace members can see. Use them for internal discussions, strategy planning, or sharing sensitive information that shouldn't be visible to ticket requesters or external users.

<View title="Human" icon="user">
  ***

  ## Send private notes

  Send private notes from the ticket message composer:

  <Steps>
    <Step title="Open ticket">
      Navigate to the ticket where you want to add a private note.
    </Step>

    <Step title="Compose message">
      Type your message in the message composer at the bottom of the ticket.
    </Step>

    <Step title="Send private">
      Click the dropdown arrow next to **Send** and select **Send private**. The message will be marked with a lock icon.
    </Step>
  </Steps>

  <Info>
    Only workspace members can send private notes. Guest users cannot access the "Send private" option.
  </Info>

  <Tip>
    The ticket message composer is a rich text editor. Use the formatting toolbar to add **bold**, *italic*, lists, links, and inline code in both public replies and private notes. Type formatted text directly in the composer instead of writing raw Markdown or HTML.
  </Tip>

  <Callout icon="link" color="#6B7280">
    Learn how to send private notes from Slack in the [triage channel documentation](/integrations/slack/triage-channel#private-notes)
  </Callout>

  ***

  ## Identify private notes

  Private notes are visually distinguished from regular messages:

  * **Lock icon**: Private notes display a lock icon
  * **Yellow background**: Private notes have a yellow-tinted background in the ticket view
  * **Hidden from external channels**: Private notes never appear in public Slack threads or external communication

  ***

  ## Mention workspace members

  @mention a workspace member in a private note to send them a direct Slack DM about the note. Because private notes never appear in request threads or DM ticket threads, this is the only way a mentioned teammate is alerted to a callout.

  The DM includes:

  * Who mentioned them and the ticket title
  * An excerpt of the private note
  * A **View Ticket** button that opens the ticket in Ravenna
  * A **View in Slack** button that jumps to the matching triage or request thread when available

  <Info>
    Mentions only notify the recipient when they are a workspace member with Slack connected. Authors are never notified of their own mentions, and requesters are never notified of mentions in private notes.
  </Info>

  ***

  ## Access control

  <AccordionGroup>
    <Accordion title="Who can send and view private notes" icon="eye" defaultOpen>
      * Workspace members
      * Workspace admins
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="Who cannot send private notes" icon="user-x">
      * Guest users (role-restricted)
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="Who cannot see private notes" icon="eye-off">
      * Ticket requesters
      * External users
      * Anyone without workspace member access
    </Accordion>
  </AccordionGroup>

  ***

  ## Use cases

  <AccordionGroup>
    <Accordion title="Internal discussions" icon="messages-square" defaultOpen>
      Discuss sensitive information or strategy without exposing details to requesters.
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="Planning responses" icon="pencil">
      Coordinate with team members before sending a public response to the requester.
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="Confidential information" icon="shield">
      Share internal context, credentials, or restricted details that shouldn't be visible externally.
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="Team coordination" icon="users">
      Assign tasks, discuss workload, or coordinate handoffs without cluttering the public ticket thread.
    </Accordion>
  </AccordionGroup>
</View>

<View title="Agent" icon="bot">
  ## Mental model

  Private notes are messages within a ticket that are hidden from the ticket requester and external users. Only workspace members and admins can see and send private notes. They exist in the same ticket thread as public messages but are filtered by visibility.

  Private notes are different from private tickets. A private note is a single hidden message within any ticket (public or private). A private ticket restricts visibility of the entire ticket to specific roles.

  ***

  ## When to use private notes

  * Internal coordination before responding to a requester.
  * Sharing context that the requester should not see (e.g., internal policy details, escalation reasoning).
  * Documenting internal decisions or handoff notes.
  * Agent-to-agent communication within a ticket.

  The agent can send private notes when communicating information that is meant for workspace members only, not for the requester. For example, when escalating to a human, the agent can leave a private note summarizing the context for the assignee.

  ***

  ## Constraints and gotchas

  * Only workspace members and admins can send and view private notes. Guest users cannot.
  * Private notes never appear in Slack request channel threads. They are only visible in the Ravenna web portal and the triage channel.
  * Private notes from the triage channel in Slack are delivered as private notes in the ticket.
  * @mentions in private notes do not notify the requester, even if the requester is mentioned.
  * @mentioning a workspace member in a private note sends them a Slack DM with the ticket link and a short excerpt of the note. The author of the note is never notified of their own mentions.
  * Private notes cannot be converted to public messages after sending, and vice versa.
</View>