Closing & Reopening Threads

Manage the lifecycle of your threads with clear closure and the ability to reopen when needed.

Closing a Thread

Every managed thread has a Close button in its action bar. When you close a thread, Smithy:

  1. Prompts you for an optional decision or result to record
  2. Updates the thread's parent message to reflect the closed state
  3. Posts a reply noting who closed the thread and the recorded decision
  4. Replaces the Close button with a Reopen button

Recording Decisions

When closing a thread, you can record a decision or outcome. This is displayed prominently on the thread so anyone reading later can immediately see what was decided without scrolling through the entire conversation.

Auto-Close

Smithy can automatically close threads after a period of inactivity. You can configure the auto-close timer in your account settings:

  • Set a global auto-close duration for all channels
  • Override the duration per channel
  • Disable auto-close entirely

When a thread is auto-closed, it behaves the same as a manual close, but the decision is recorded as an automatic closure.

Reopening a Thread

Closed threads can be reopened at any time by clicking the Reopen button. When reopened:

  • The thread returns to its open state
  • The parent message is updated to remove the closed indicator
  • A reply is posted noting who reopened the thread
  • The Close button returns