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Support & FAQ

Welcome to Thread Patrol Support! We're here to help you get the most out of organizing your Slack channels.

What is Thread Patrol?

Thread Patrol is a Slack bot designed to monitor messages in your channels and intelligently suggest when new messages might be better suited as replies within existing discussion threads. This helps reduce channel noise and keeps conversations focused.

For a detailed explanation of our dual-engine system, read our comprehensive guide on how Thread Patrol works.

How It Works

  1. Invite: Add @Thread Patrol to any public or private channel you want it to monitor.
  2. Monitor: The bot observes new messages (it ignores messages from other bots, its own messages, and messages already in threads).
  3. Suggest:
    • 15-Second Rule: If you send a message and then another in the same channel within 15 seconds, Thread Patrol will suggest the second message might belong as a reply to the first.
    • AI Similarity: For other messages, Thread Patrol uses AI (Google Gemini) to compare the new message with recent channel discussions. If it finds a strong contextual or semantic link, it will suggest up to three existing messages/threads where your new message might fit.
  4. Act: You'll see buttons ("Move to A," "Dismiss") on the suggestion, allowing you to control the outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Thread Patrol a free service?

A: Yes! Thread Patrol is currently in a Free Public Beta. You can use all its features for free during this time.

Q: How do I add Thread Patrol to a channel?

A: In the channel, type /invite @Thread Patrol and send the message.

Q: How do I remove Thread Patrol from a channel?

A: You have several options:

  • Slack commands: /remove @Thread Patrol or /kick @Thread Patrol
  • Channel settings: Go to channel settings → Apps → Remove Thread Patrol
  • Note: These are built-in Slack commands that work automatically. The bot will clean up its data when removed.

Q: Why didn't Thread Patrol make a suggestion for my message?

A: There are several reasons this might happen:

  • The message might already be part of a thread.
  • The message might be from a bot.
  • The 15-second rule might not have been met, and the AI analysis (which looks at recent context) might not have found a strong enough similarity to an existing recent discussion. The AI is designed to be helpful but not overly aggressive with suggestions.
  • There might not have been enough recent conversational context in the channel for the AI to make a confident match.

Q: What data does Thread Patrol access or store?

A: Thread Patrol is designed with your privacy in mind.

  • We do not store the content of your Slack messages in our database. Message content is processed in memory for AI analysis and then discarded by our service.
  • We store necessary operational metadata like message timestamps to make the "move" feature work.
  • We also maintain temporary system logs for 30 days to help us troubleshoot errors.
  • Your Data is Never Used for AI Training: The message content sent to Google for analysis is never used to train their AI models, as per our data processing agreement with them.
  • For full details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Q: The bot suggested moving my message, but I don't agree. What do I do?

A: Simply click the "Dismiss" button on the suggestion. No action will be taken.

Q: What happens when a message is "Moved"?

A: When you approve a move, a two-step cleanup process begins:

  • The Move: Thread Patrol copies your original message (and any replies it had) into the target thread. The copy is attributed to you and marked with a 🔀 emoji. A public "Moved Here" notice is posted as a reply to your original message.
  • The Cleanup Prompt: The bot then sends you a private, temporary message with a "Clean Up Notice" button. Clicking this button will delete the public "Moved Here" notice and all other bot-posted messages within. After that, you can safely delete your original message to fully clean up the channel.

Q: How does automatic message sorting work?

A: Thread Patrol focuses on smart suggestions rather than fully automatic actions to ensure you are always in control. Our approach to message sorting relies on two methods: a simple 15-Second Rule for immediate follow-ups, and a powerful AI similarity analysis for more complex situations. This intelligent combination provides what feels like automatic threading by catching stray messages before they disrupt a channel's flow, but it always waits for your approval before making any changes.

Q: How does this improve my team's Slack efficiency?

A: By promoting better threading habits, Thread Patrol directly improves your Slack efficiency. Organized threads lead to clean channels where conversations are easy to follow and important context isn't lost. This reduces notification fatigue for team members, improves overall channel efficiency, and makes it easier for everyone to find information without having to scroll through endless clutter. It's a simple way to bring focus back to your workspace.

Q: How can I send feedback or report issues?

A: You can send feedback anytime using the /thread-patrol-feedback command in any channel. This opens a form where you can submit general feedback, bug reports, or feature requests directly to our team.

Q: What happens if the AI service is temporarily unavailable?

A: Thread Patrol includes built-in resilience features. If the AI analysis service is temporarily unavailable, the bot automatically falls back to using only the 15-second recency rule. This ensures you still get basic threading suggestions even during AI service outages. The bot will automatically resume full AI functionality once the service is restored, typically within minutes.

Q: How can I check if Thread Patrol is working properly?

A: You can check the service status at our health check endpoint: https://royzkhtdok.execute-api.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/default/health. This endpoint returns basic service status information.

Q: What should I do if Thread Patrol stops working?

A: First, check our health status page. If the service is down, we're likely already working on it. If the service shows as operational but you're experiencing issues, please contact support at threadpatrol.help@gmail.com.

Troubleshooting

Bot Not Responding

  • Ensure @Thread Patrol has been invited to the channel you're messaging in.
  • Check if the app has been approved for use in your workspace (if your workspace has app approval policies).
  • If issues persist, please contact support.

Contact Support & Feedback

If your question isn't answered here, you're experiencing an issue, or you have feedback or feature requests, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!

  • Email: threadpatrol.help@gmail.com
  • When reporting an issue, please include your Slack Workspace ID (Team ID) (this usually starts with a T and can be found by clicking your workspace name -> Profile -> Copy Member ID, then look for Team ID details in your profile or from an admin) and provide as much detail as possible about the issue, including the channel name and approximate time if relevant.

Thank you for using Thread Patrol!