open-webui-docs/docs/features/channels/index.md

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1000	Channels

Channels transform Open WebUI from a personal interface into a collaborative workspace. Unlike standard "Chats"—which are isolated sessions—Channels are persistent, topic-based rooms (similar to Discord or Slack), allowing multiple users and multiple AI models to interact in a shared timeline.

:::info Beta Feature Channels is currently a Beta feature. Functionality is subject to change, and it must be explicitly enabled by an Administrator before it appears in the interface. :::

Channel Types

Open WebUI supports three types of channels:

Type	Description
Standard	Traditional topic-based channels with public or private visibility
Group	Membership-based channels where users explicitly join as members
Direct Message	Private one-on-one or multi-user conversations

Group Channels

Group channels are collaboration spaces where:

• Users explicitly join as members rather than accessing through permissions
• Support public or private visibility
• Can automatically include members from specified user groups
• Channel managers can add or remove members through the channel info modal

Direct Message Channels

Direct Message (DM) channels enable private conversations:

• One-on-one or multi-user private messaging
• Automatic deduplication for existing conversations
• Optional channel naming
• Display participant avatars instead of channel icons
• Can be hidden from sidebar while preserving message history
• Automatically reappear when new messages arrive
• Show online/offline status indicator for participants

Enabling Channels

By default, the Channels feature may be hidden. An Admin must enable it globally for the instance.

1. Click on your User Profile icon in the bottom left (or top right) corner.
2. Select Admin Panel.
3. Navigate to Settings -> General.
4. Locate the toggle labeled Channels (Beta).
5. Toggle it On and click Save.
6. Refresh the page. The "Channels" section should now appear in the main sidebar.

Creating a Channel

:::note Channel creation is restricted to administrators only by default. :::

1. Locate the Channels header in the sidebar.
2. Click the (+) Plus icon next to the "Channels" header.
3. Select Channel Type: Choose Standard, Group, or Direct Message.
4. Name: Enter a channel name (e.g., general, python-dev). Spaces are converted to hyphens.
5. Access Control:
   • Public: All registered users can see and join this channel.
   • Private/Group Access: Only you or users with permission can access.
   • For Group channels, select which user groups to auto-include.
   • For DM channels, use the user selection interface to choose participants.

Using Channels

To access a channel, click on an existing channel to join, or create a new one.

The @mention System

Channels function differently than standard Chats. In a standard Chat, you select a model at the top, and it responds to every message. In Channels, the conversation is passive by default.

To trigger a response, you must tag a specific model using the @ symbol.

1. Type @ in the input box.
2. A popup list of your available models will appear.
3. Select the model you wish to speak to (e.g., @llama3, @gpt-4o).
4. Type your prompt.

Example:

User: @gpt-4o Write a Python script to scrape a website.

(GPT-4o responds with code)

User: @llama3 Can you explain the code that GPT-4 just wrote?

:::tip Multi-Model Workflows This allows you to chain different models together in one timeline. You can use a "smart" model for reasoning and a "fast" model for formatting, all within the same context window. :::

Tagging Users

You can also use the @ symbol to ping other human users in the channel to get their attention or direct a message to them specifically.

1. Type @ in the input box.
2. Select the user's name from the list.
3. Usage: @admin Can you check the server logs?

Linking Channels

You can reference other channels directly within a conversation using the # symbol. This creates a clickable link to that channel.

1. Type # in the input box.
2. Select the channel name from the list.
3. Usage: Please post those screenshots in #screenshots instead.

:::warning Access Control If a user does not have access to view a linked channel (e.g., #admin-only) within a channel they do have access to (e.g., #general-chat), the linked channel will appear to them as #Unknown, and clicking it will have no effect. :::

Message Interactions

Hover over any message in the timeline to access interaction options:

• Add Reaction: Click the Smiley Face icon to add an emoji reaction. Hovering over reactions shows the names of users who reacted (up to 3 names plus a count for additional reactors).
• Pin Message: Pin important messages for easy reference. Pinned messages are highlighted and accessible via a dedicated modal in the navbar.
• Reply: Quotes the message within the main channel stream.
• Reply in Thread: Starts a separate, nested conversation thread.
• Edit: Click the Pencil icon to modify your message.
• Delete: Click the Trash icon to remove the message.

:::note Currently, reactions are purely visual and do not influence model behavior. :::

File Attachments

Channels support file sharing:

• Paste from clipboard: Images and files can be pasted directly using Ctrl+V / Cmd+V
• Drag and drop: Drag files directly into the message input
• Image processing: AI models in channels can view and analyze shared images

Collaboration

If your Open WebUI instance supports multiple users:

• Real-time updates: Messages appear instantly using optimistic UI rendering.
• Shared Context: AI responses become part of the context for subsequent queries.
• Unread indicators: Visual badges show unread message counts in the sidebar.
• User list: Click to view all users with access to the channel.

Managing Channels

Editing and Deleting

To manage an existing channel:

1. Hover over the channel name in the sidebar.
2. Click the Gear (Edit) icon.

:::info Channel creators can edit and delete their own group and DM channels without administrator privileges. Standard channels require admin access. :::

Permissions

Channels support granular access control:

• Write access: Required for posting, editing, and deleting messages
• Read-only access: Users can view content but cannot contribute
• Feature toggle: Administrators can control channel access via USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_CHANNELS environment variable or group permissions in the admin panel

Use Cases

1. Team Development (#dev-team)

Create a channel where developers can paste code snippets. Use @codellama or @deepseek-coder to generate solutions, while human team members comment on the logic in plain text alongside the AI.

2. Roleplay & Creative Writing (#story-mode)

Keep long-running story contexts alive indefinitely without them getting buried in your personal chat history. Switch between different "Character" models (using Modelfiles) within the same story thread to create multi-character dialogues.

3. Project Knowledge Base (#marketing-strategy)

Use a channel as a persistent "War Room" for a specific project. Humans can discuss ideas and paste links freely. When a decision is needed, tag an AI to process the conversation history.

• Example: "Users discuss a marketing plan for 20 messages. Then, a user types: @gpt-4o Read the conversation above and create a bulleted list of the action items we just discussed."

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:::warning Privacy Note Remember that Public Channels are visible to everyone on your instance. Do not share API keys, passwords, or sensitive personal data in public channels. :::