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Knock

Knock runs notification workflows with steps such as sending to an in-app feed, waiting and checking user preferences.

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Can you follow up only when someone still needs the update?

Yes. A workflow can put an update in a feed, wait and use a condition to decide whether to send another channel. Your app needs to trigger the workflow with the correct recipient, and any channel step needs its required recipient data and delivery configuration.

For a document comment, decide what counts as handled before choosing the condition. If someone opened the feed item but still needs to respond, a condition based on read status alone would suppress a reminder they may still need.

What happens when someone opts out of comment reminders?

Knock evaluates the recipient’s applicable preference settings as it runs the workflow. Preferences can apply to a channel, workflow or category. An unset preference generally allows that path, so decide which optional reminders the app should enable and what it should show people when they change a setting.

If the email is missing, inspect the actual workflow run. It may show that the recipient opted out, that there was no email address or that a workflow condition prevented the step. An intentional skip can be the expected result.

How do you check a follow-up without notifying anyone?

On paper, make three fictional recipients of a document comment. Give all three a feed item and draw one planned email step after a delay. Set it up on paper to require the item to remain unread and the recipient to allow comment email. Leave the app and sending services disconnected.

  1. Keep the allowed case
    The first person leaves the item unread and allows email. Expect the follow-up branch to run.
  2. Change one condition at a time
    The second person reads the item. The third leaves it unread but turns off optional email. Both should skip the follow-up for different reasons. Mark where each reason would appear in the run debugger.

What counts as a message, and what can you take with you?

The Free plan lists up to 10,000 messages a month. On message-based plans, a successful delivery to one recipient on one channel is one message. A feed item and email for the same person can count twice, and an opted-out step that sends nothing does not count as a message.

Usage may accrue in nonproduction environments. Knock documents sandbox mode for channels, which prevents downstream delivery. The command-line tool can download workflows and their templates. Keep the recipient and preference mapping separately and verify which message history you need before moving.