Frequently Asked Questions

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What is AckTracked for Slack?

What is AckTracked for Slack?

AckTracked for Slack is a Slack-native message tracking and acknowledgement workflow. It helps teams know whether the people tagged on an important message actually saw it and acknowledged it.

Who is AckTracked for?

AckTracked is for anyone who needs to be sure their messages were read. That includes managers, project leads, operators, incident coordinators, team leads, and other Slack-first teams that need lightweight accountability without leaving the original conversation context.

What problem does AckTracked solve?

You send a message in Slack. You tag the right people. And then you wait.

Did they see it? Did they acknowledge the change, the incident update, the policy reminder, the action item? Without a built-in way to know, you end up chasing people manually in threads, DMs, and standups.

AckTracked turns an important Slack message into a trackable acknowledgement workflow: you get visibility into who has confirmed, automatic reminders for anyone still pending, and follow-up on the schedule you set until everyone has acknowledged or someone claims the item—so you are not the reminder system.

How does AckTracked fit into my Slack workflow?

You do not replace normal Slack messages with AckTracked. You add tracking when you need visible acknowledgement state, automatic reminders, and a clear view of who is still pending.

Entry points: mention @acktracked with the people who should respond (in the message or a thread), or use the message shortcut on an existing message. The message must include at least one user or user-group mention other than yourself; user groups expand to the members expected to respond. The bot must be in the channel—if it is not, you will be prompted to add @acktracked before tracking can proceed.

For install and your first track step by step, see Get Started. For day-to-day mechanics (start methods, Acknowledge Track vs Claim Track, acknowledging, following), see How it works.

Whether to track every message (and noise) is covered under Before you install.

Before you install

What if I’m not a Slack admin?

You can still request AckTracked for Slack. Click Add to Slack on Get Started — if you are not a workspace admin, Slack can send the install request to an admin for approval. When that flow includes a custom-message field (optional or required by Owners), paste a short note there; you can also send the same note directly to a Workspace Owner or app manager. Ready-to-copy wording: Ask your admin to approve.

Does AckTracked operate only in channels where it’s invited?

Yes for day-to-day tracking. Installing the app for the workspace does not by itself put AckTracked in every channel. Someone must invite the bot to each channel where you plan to track (/invite @acktracked). Tracking does not work in a channel until the bot is there. See Get Started — Install and How it works.

Should I track every message? Isn't that going to be noisy?

No. AckTracked is for messages where it matters whether the right people saw and responded—not for everyday chat.

Track when you need accountability: policy or incident updates, decisions people must confirm, handoffs where someone must claim follow-up, or anything with meaningful downstream impact if a @mention misses it.

Skip tracking for low-stakes threads; your team will treat tracked messages as signal, not noise.

What does installing AckTracked mean for our workspace?

Installing adds AckTracked for Slack as a Slack app so your team can track acknowledgements (and claims) on important messages in channels where the bot is invited. It is a normal Slack app install—not a replacement for Slack itself. For how message text is handled and what is stored, see Privacy and message content and the Privacy Policy. (This FAQ does not claim security certifications.)

Starting and managing tracks

How do I start tracking a message today?

AckTracked supports these entry points: mention @acktracked in the message or in a thread with the people who should respond; put claim after the bot mention for a Claim Track; or use the Slack message shortcut on an existing message. In every case, the message must also include users and/or user-group @mentions. You can also track someone else’s message by posting a thread reply that mentions the responders and @acktracked.

See How it works — Tracking for the full start-path list.

Can I track a message that was already posted?

Yes. Use the Slack message shortcut on the message, or reply in the thread with the people who should respond and @acktracked.

Do I need to mention people in the message?

Yes. The message must include at least one user or user-group mention other than yourself for AckTracked to know who should acknowledge it.

Can I track Slack user groups as well as individual users?

Yes. AckTracked supports user and user-group mentions, then expands those mentions into the people who are expected to acknowledge the message.

What if the bot is not in the channel yet?

AckTracked requires the bot to be present in the channel to support the normal tracking workflow. If it is not present, you will be prompted to add @acktracked to the channel before tracking can proceed.

What are the two tracking modes?

AckTracked supports two track types: Acknowledge Track and Claim Track (also called Acknowledge mode and Claim mode).

Acknowledge Track requires every @mention on the tracked set to confirm they read it.

Claim Track needs one @mention to self-claim follow-up: the first mentioned person to respond claims it, tracking completes, and no one else needs to respond. Only @mentions in the tracked set can satisfy either type today.

How often are reminders sent?

You can set cadence in Options on the status modal. Defaults and ranges are covered in Get Started.

Acknowledgements and reminders

What reaction counts as an acknowledgement?

The supported acknowledgement reactions are 👍 and ☑️ (the reaction AckTracked adds when tracking starts). Either one counts when an eligible @mention uses it on the tracked message.

Does the same person's acknowledgement count more than once?

No. Acknowledgement is idempotent. A single eligible user's acknowledgement counts once.

Can I remove my acknowledgement?

Yes, on an active track. If a user removes their 👍 or ☑️, AckTracked removes that acknowledgement from the tracked item and resumes sending reminders that acknowledgement has been requested. You can also use Unacknowledge or Unclaim in the status modal.

On a manually completed track, late acknowledgements are still accepted, but removing your reaction does not reopen the track to pending.

Do reactions from people who were not part of the tracked target list count?

No. AckTracked only counts acknowledgements from users who are part of the tracked target set.

Do I need to learn special commands just to acknowledge a message?

No. A user can acknowledge from the private prompt in the thread, react with 👍, or click the ☑️ reaction AckTracked added to the message. See How it works — Acknowledging.

How do reminders work?

In an Acknowledge Track, AckTracked sends reminders on the configured cadence only to @mentions who have not yet responded, and reminders stop when everyone has acknowledged.

In a Claim Track, AckTracked reminds unresolved @mentions until the first one claims follow-up; after that, tracking completes and reminders stop for everyone.

Reminders appear in App Home and as private messages in the channel. You do not need to follow up yourself.

What happens if someone is out of office, in Do Not Disturb, or away?

The first reminder still sends. Subsequent reminders are always suppressed for Away/offline and out of office. Busy and Do Not Disturb also suppress subsequent reminders by default; the tracker can allow them per track in Options (“Remind even when Busy” / “Remind even when Do Not Disturb”).

Availability for all @mentions is visible through AckTracked Status—no more tracking down each user to see if they are online, in a meeting, or OOO.

Status, App Home, and editing

How do I check the current status of a tracked message?

Open Status on the public in-thread lifecycle status message (the shared progress line everyone in the thread can see), use the AckTracked: Status message shortcut, or—when you started the track and still receive it—Status on the private in-thread tracker notice. All three open the same role-based status modal. The modal shows, in one place, acknowledgement and availability for everyone mentioned, who started the track, who is following, and a permalink to the message.

After Tracked by, Following (N): lists @mentions of people following the track.

What does the public thread status message show?

The public lifecycle status message in the thread shows progress text (for example how many mentions have acknowledged) and a Status button. Anyone who can see that message can open Status from it. Complete tracking, Stop Tracking, and Start Tracking stay in the status modal—not on the public message.

What does the in-thread tracker notice show?

The private tracker notice (visible only to the person who started the track, when their personal kickoff settings still show it) shows a Status button only. Hiding that notice does not remove the public thread Status button. Complete tracking, Stop Tracking, and Start Tracking are in the status modal—not on that notice.

Who sees what in the status modal on a pending track?

While a track is pending, everyone sees the full tracked status view—not "Not Tracked" for bystanders. Actions depend on role:

  • Tracker — Options; footer Complete tracking (Acknowledge Track, when at least one person has acknowledged) and Stop Tracking
  • Participant (@mentioned) — Acknowledge / Unacknowledge (or Claim / Unclaim) and Follow / Unfollow
  • Follower — read-only progress; Unfollow only
  • Observer (everyone else) — read-only progress; Follow only

How do I see my pending work across the workspace?

Use /ack pending for pending track and acknowledgement counts. Use /ack pending tracks to list open messages you are tracking (including messages you follow but did not start). Use /ack pending acks to list messages still waiting for your acknowledgement.

Where else can I see tracked items?

AckTracked's App Home shows pending tracks and pending acknowledgements so users can review what they are tracking (or following), and what they still owe.

Can I follow a message someone else is tracking?

Yes. On a pending track, open the status modal and choose Follow (observers) or use the follow toggles (participants). You do not need to be @mentioned. Followers get read-only status in the modal, see the message in App Home and /ack pending tracks, and receive a DM when tracking completes—the tracker gets that notification too. Use Unfollow in the status modal to stop updates on an active track.

See How it works — Following.

What happens when the tracker stops tracking—do followers get notified?

Yes. When the tracker chooses Stop Tracking, followers receive a notification and are automatically unfollowed. You do not need to unfollow manually after a cancel.

What happens if the tracked message is edited?

AckTracked detects edits, re-parses the message mentions, and updates the target list accordingly. Existing acknowledgements are preserved. If AckTracked needs you to choose whether to retain or reset acknowledgements after an edit, that prompt goes to the tracker only—followers are not asked.

Can I stop tracking a message?

Yes. Open the status modal (Status on the public thread status message, the message shortcut, or Status on the in-thread tracker notice when shown) and choose Stop Tracking in the modal footer. Stop Tracking ends the workflow immediately, cancels further reminders, and updates the thread status to show that tracking was cancelled. You do not need anyone to acknowledge first.

Can I complete tracking before everyone has acknowledged?

In an Acknowledge Track, yes—when at least one person has acknowledged, the tracker can choose Complete tracking in the status modal to close the track without waiting for everyone else. This is one click—there is no confirmation step. This option is not available when zero people have acknowledged, and it is not available in a Claim Track (Claim completes automatically when someone claims).

You can Start Tracking again later on the same message if needed.

Can people still acknowledge after the tracker completes manually?

Yes. Manually completed tracks accept late acknowledgements. Removing a 👍 or ☑️ after manual complete does not reopen the track.

What does the status modal show for completed or cancelled tracks?

Completed tracks show a status line that distinguishes Completed (everyone acknowledged) from Completed manually (tracker closed early in an Acknowledge Track). Cancelled tracks show that tracking was cancelled. The tracker, participants, and followers see this tracked history; observers with no stake see the never-tracked view.

How do I change tracking options or resume after stopping?

Open the status modal and use Options (under the status lines) to adjust cadence, track type, or notify-now. While actively tracking, Save applies changes and returns to status. When not tracking, Save and Track starts with your selections. Cancel returns to status without saving—when you opened Options from a completed or cancelled track, you return to that tracked history view, not "Not Tracked." After Stop Tracking or manual complete, use Start Tracking or Save and Track from Options to resume on the same message.

Billing and tracks

See /pricing/ for current track pack details and pricing options.

What is a "track" for billing purposes?

A track is the billable unit for a tracked message with up to 100 mentions, including expanded user groups. Each additional block of up to 100 mentions consumes an additional track. Starting tracking consumes the applicable track count; acknowledging a message does not.

How is AckTracked priced at a high level?

AckTracked uses tracks-based pricing rather than per-seat pricing. You pay for the tracks a message consumes, not for the number of seats in the workspace.

How do I check my workspace track balance?

Use /ack balance in Slack to see your workspace track credits. Workspace admins can also review balance and purchase packs in the client portal.

Privacy and message content

See the Privacy Policy for full details on data handling, retention, and your rights.

Does AckTracked receive the full Slack message body?

AckTracked may receive the full message body from Slack, or retrieve message text from Slack when needed for the service, so it can perform message-processing tasks such as mention parsing.

Why does AckTracked receive the full message body?

AckTracked needs the full message text in processing paths where it must parse @user and user-group mentions accurately, including when a message is first tracked or later edited.

Does AckTracked persistently store the full message body?

No. AckTracked may handle full message text transiently for processing, but it does not persistently store the full message body in durable storage.

What message text does AckTracked store instead?

AckTracked stores a truncated message preview, about the first 200 characters, together with tracking metadata such as identifiers, target users, acknowledgement state, timestamps, and permalink context.

Why store a truncated message preview at all?

AckTracked stores a short preview so product surfaces can still show useful message context to users in places where Slack preview content will not work, is unavailable, or cannot be relied on, without storing the full message body.

How can I learn the basics inside Slack?

Use /ack help or /ack for quick guidance on the current commands and tracking workflow.