Close threads with intention, not silence
- Trigger
- 🔒:lock:
- Lands in
- The thread itself
- Setup
- 1 min
- Needs
- Via invited to the channel
Thread locked with an outcome
“We are keeping the annual plan at $2,560 and revisiting in Q4.”
- Locked by
- @samuel
- Follow-up
- @mulia
- Reminder
- Oct 1, 9:00 AM
- Replies
- 41
The thread stays writable. Anyone who replies afterwards gets a private nudge pointing at this card.
- 1React with the lock anywhere in the thread
Any teammate can lock a thread by adding a lock reaction to any message in it, usually the message that contains the resolution.
- 2A short modal asks for the outcome
Viably opens a Block Kit modal with three fields: the outcome in a sentence or two, an optional follow-up owner, and an optional reminder time. Skip any field you do not need.
- 3The thread is locked and summarised in place
Viably posts a clean summary card carrying the outcome, the follow-up owner, and the reminder time, then marks the thread as locked. That summary becomes the canonical answer for whoever searches later.
- 4Late repliers get a gentle nudge
If someone posts into a locked thread, Viably privately DMs them: “This thread was locked, see the summary above, or start a fresh thread if there is more to discuss.” The original thread stays writable and nobody is silenced.
Capture what was decided
Three fields, none of them mandatory. Fill in the ones that matter for this thread.
- The locked thread appears on the Locking dashboard with its owner, outcome, and reminder.
- Removing the lock reaction unlocks the thread, and the dashboard reflects the change.
- Late repliers are nudged privately, and the original thread stays open so corrections and clarifications are still possible.
Better with Issues and @Via AI
Thread Lock works on its own, and two other powers make it noticeably better.
- Issues, once enabled, turns the outcome into a tracked issue when the thread surfaced a real bug or task.
- @Via AI is what lets the reminder field parse natural language times such as
next Tuesday at 3pm.
No. The thread stays open so corrections are still possible, and anybody who replies after the lock gets a private nudge pointing them at the summary. Nothing is confiscated from the team.
The outcome somebody typed when they locked it, the follow-up owner if one was named, and the reminder time if one was set. It sits at the end of the thread as the canonical answer for whoever searches later.
A thread that peters out leaves the decision in one person's memory and the reasoning nowhere. Locking with an outcome takes a few seconds and means the next person to ask gets the answer instead of restarting the discussion.
Yes, when the Issues power is enabled. The outcome becomes a real issue with the thread linked, which is useful when the conclusion was that something is broken and somebody has to fix it.
Close your next sprawling thread with a recorded outcome. Thread locking is on the free plan.
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