Get notifications
Notifications collect in the bell, and depending on what you turn on, also arrive as system banners, push, messenger webhooks or email.
Applies to Web · Mac · iPhone app · push must be turned on separately on each device
Handoffs, review requests, mentions, comments, alarms and other notifications all collect in the Notifications bell in the top bar. On top of that you can turn on push that arrives even with the browser or iPhone app closed (the Mac app shows banners while it is running), a webhook that re-sends anything you miss during work hours to your messenger, and a morning digest on work days.
The notification bell
- Click the bell to see notifications split into Needs my response (handoffs waiting for acceptance, review requests and so on) and Other notifications.
- You can Accept or Decline a task handoff right in the notification. Accepted tasks are added to your daily note.
- Mark all read marks everything read; Clear deletes all notifications. The most recent 50 are shown.
Ways notifications reach you
| Channel | When | How to turn it on |
|---|---|---|
| System banner | New notifications while the app or tab is open | Allow the notification permission the browser or Mac app asks for |
| Push | Even with the browser or iPhone app closed (Mac app: banners only while running) | Turn on acknowledgment push in the bell (per device) |
| Messenger webhook or ntfy | Notifications unread for over 5 minutes during work hours | View options → Work-life balance alerts |
| Morning digest | Once on work-day mornings | View options → Work-life balance alerts (on by default) |
| When a task you handed off gets no answer | Notification emails in Account security (on by default) |
Turn on push
- On the device that should receive push, open the Notifications bell in the top bar.
- Click Turn on acknowledgment push and allow the permission your browser or system asks for.
- When you see Push on, you’re set. To stop push in a browser or a Home Screen web app, click Turn off next to it. In the iPhone app, that button doesn’t stop push; turn notifications off in iOS Settings → Notifications → CommonNote.
- On macOS, Windows and Android, notifications arrive as system notifications even with the browser closed.
- The Mac app doesn’t use push. While it’s running (closing the window keeps it running) it shows system banners; once you Quit it, notifications stop.
- iPhone can’t receive push in a Safari tab. Turn it on in the app you create with Share → Add to Home Screen (see iPhone app and Live Activities).
- In the Mac app, macOS asks for permission the first time a notification is sent. Test it with Preview a Notification in the menu bar icon’s menu.
Notifications from a password-locked note hide the title and content, and their content is never sent outside the app (push or webhook).
Missed alerts during work hours, and the morning digest
Set these under Work-life balance alerts near the bottom of View options (the slider icon in the top bar).
- Work hours: start and end times and your work days (Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00 by default).
- Unacknowledged alerts → messenger: when on, any notification still unread 5 minutes later during work hours is sent once more. Nothing is sent after hours or on days off. Enter a destination in Slack/Discord webhook URL or ntfy topic name. For ntfy, install the ntfy app on your phone and subscribe to the same topic (only letters, digits, _ and - are kept in the topic name).
- Morning schedule digest: on work-day mornings, one push with today’s schedule count, overdue items and handoffs awaiting acceptance. If there’s nothing to report, nothing is sent. Leave Digest time empty to get it at your work start time; after changing it, click Match work start to go back.
Turn notification emails off or on
- We email you when a task you handed off goes unanswered. To stop, open the profile menu → Account security and turn off the Notification emails switch near the bottom. You can also use the unsubscribe link in the email; this switch is where you turn them back on.
- Security emails — a sign-in from a new device, a password change or reset, account recovery — are sent regardless of this setting.