anytype-docs-collaborate-chats-direct-channels.md
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.
A Direct Channel is a private, one-on-one connection between you and another user. It is also called a 1:1 channel and has all the capabilities of a regular Channel.
Both participants have equal access: there's no admin, no role hierarchy, no permissions to set. It's a place for quick check-ins, a private discussion, creating new Objects, or a side conversation about something happening in another Channel.
Your 1:1 channel with another user exists when you create it. It works offline, syncs when a connection appears, and remains private between you both.
How does this work? When you start a private chat with someone, both of your devices independently create the same chat space using a bit of math based on both your keys. Since you're both starting from the same ingredients, you both land on an identical result — no server needed to set it up or approve it.
That means you can start chatting right away, even offline. Once your devices find a way to connect (internet, local network, whatever's available), everything syncs up automatically and merges together smoothly, without conflicts. There's no "owner" of the chat in the usual sense — you're both equal participants with the same rights. And it's always just the two of you: nobody can be added or removed from a 1:1 chat.
In short: users do not need internet access or anybody's permission to collaborate in a 1:1 channel. This is built with your digital freedoms in mind.
A Direct Channel is created automatically when you start a conversation with another user. Once created:
Both members see the Direct Channel in their Vault Sidebar.
Either member can post messages and create Objects.
Both can mute notifications independently.
You can have a 1:1 with any other user — including members of shared Channels you both belong to. The Direct Channel exists separately from those shared Channels.
Click any member's profile picture or name
In a Chat.
In a Channel members list.
In an @-mention.
Click Connect or Send message in the popup.
The Direct Channel is created.
Send messages, create Objects, and collaborate as usual.
By default, you'll be notified about every message in a Direct Channel. To change this:
Right-click the Direct Channel in the Vault, or
Click the three-dot menu inside the channel.
Choose Mute.
Each member sets their own notification preferences for the same Direct Channel.
You can leave a Direct Channel by:
Right-clicking it in the Vault.
Selecting Leave Channel.
When you leave, the channel disappears from your Vault — but the other member's copy remains. Any new messages they send will not reach you. If you reconnect, you will re-enter the original Direct Channel with them.
To leave permanently and clear all history, you can also delete the channel — but this only deletes your local copy. The other member retains their side.
You can't add a third person to a Direct Channel. If a one-on-one conversation needs to expand, create a regular Channel and invite both people.
Last updated 4 hours ago
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