> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.oration.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Messages and notes

> The ticket thread is where teammates reply and leave internal notes. Notes stay in the product; public replies can reach the customer on shared tickets.

Every ticket has a **thread**. The header is metadata; the thread is the actual discussion.

## Public replies vs internal notes

|                | **Public reply**                              | **Internal note**                    |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Who sees it    | Teammates, and the customer on shared tickets | Teammates only                       |
| When to use it | Updates the customer should read              | Investigation, @mentions, next steps |
| Flag           | Not private                                   | Private                              |

Customer tickets use both. Back-office and tracker tickets are built for **notes**; keep customer-facing talk on the linked customer ticket or [conversation](/guides/tickets/working/conversations).

## Add a message

On the ticket, write in the composer and send.

* Leave **private** off for a public reply
* Turn **private** on for an internal note

Your user is stored as the author. The ticket’s **last agent activity** timestamp updates. The first **non-private** message on a ticket that had no first response yet also sets **first response at**.

## Authors you may see

Messages can come from:

* A **teammate** (you)
* A **customer** (inbound on shared tickets)
* The **system** (status events)
* An **AI agent** (when an agent writes on the ticket)

The thread shows the right name and role for each.

## Drafts and scheduling

Messages support statuses such as `draft`, `scheduled`, `sent`, and `failed`. Scheduled messages use **scheduled at** and send at **sent at**. Failed sends stay on the thread so you can retry from your process.

## Good thread habits

* Put facts the customer must see in public replies, not only in notes
* Put account numbers and internal URLs in notes or teammate-only attributes
* Do not use the thread as a dump of every Slack sidebar; summarize the decision