# Notifications and inbox

> Where finished runs, failed routines, and waiting approvals land — and how to clear the list without losing the ones that need you.

The **inbox** is where an agent reaches you when you are not looking at its conversation: a run finished, a routine failed, something is waiting on your approval.

## When to use it

The inbox exists because agents keep working after you close the tab. It is the answer to "what happened while I was away, and what needs me now".

## What lands there

| Notification | Sent when |
| --- | --- |
| **Agent replied** | A conversation run finished |
| **Routine completed** | A [routine](/docs/automate/routines/) run finished |
| **Routine failed** | A routine failed repeatedly and was paused |
| **Waiting for you** | A run is paused on an [approval](/docs/work/approvals/) or a [question](/docs/work/questions/) |

Ordinary progress inside a run does not notify you — tool calls appear in the conversation, not in the inbox.

## Reading it

The inbox has two lists: **Inbox** for anything you have not dealt with, and **Done** for what you have cleared. Items waiting on you are promoted to their own section at the top, so a request for approval does not sit buried under twenty finished runs. Filters narrow the list to replies, errors, or system messages.

Selecting an item takes you to the conversation, routine, or artifact it refers to. That is where you act on it — including approvals, which are always answered in the conversation itself.

<Aside type="note" title="Clearing does not dismiss what needs you">
  Marking everything as read clears finished runs but deliberately leaves items
  that are waiting on your decision. Clearing the list should never be the reason
  an agent stayed blocked.
</Aside>

## Keeping it useful

An inbox that is always full stops being read. Two habits keep it signal:

- **Clear finished runs as you go.** Anything you have looked at belongs in Done.
- **Let routines summarize, not narrate.** A daily routine that produces one [artifact](/docs/capabilities/artifacts/) is one notification; one that sends interim updates is several.

## Limits

- Notifications tell you something happened; they are not where you act. Approvals and questions are answered in the conversation.
- An item cannot be marked unread again once it is cleared.
- Notifications are per account, covering all your agents. There is no per-agent inbox.

## Related

<CardGrid>
  <LinkCard
    title="Approvals"
    href="/docs/work/approvals/"
    description="What the waiting items are asking you to decide."
  />
  <LinkCard
    title="Routines"
    href="/docs/automate/routines/"
    description="Scheduled work — the main source of notifications."
  />
  <LinkCard
    title="Runs"
    href="/docs/work/runs/"
    description="Why work continues after you close the app."
  />
</CardGrid>