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

# Notifications

> Stay on top of chain actions, completed steps, and project invitations from the bell in the top nav

## The notification center

The bell icon in the top navigation bar is your notification center. A small badge on the bell shows the number of unread notifications. Click the bell to open a dropdown panel listing your recent notifications.

Notifications are host-facing only — they do not affect participants.

## What triggers a notification

### Chain step needs your action

When a chain step reaches a state where the host must intervene before it can proceed, you receive a notification. This most commonly happens with **host-assigned** role chains, where you need to assign participants to roles before the step activates. The notification links directly to the step so you can assign roles without navigating manually.

See [Chains](/guides/hosts/chains) for more on host-assigned chains.

### Chain step completed

When a chain step finishes — either because all assigned participants have submitted, or because a quorum threshold was met — you receive a notification. This is your cue to review the step's results and, if the chain does not advance automatically, take any next-step action.

### Project invitation

When someone adds you as a collaborator on a session or project, you receive a notification with details about what you have been invited to and at what role. The notification links to an invitation landing page where you can accept or decline.

## Managing notifications

Clicking a notification in the dropdown panel marks it as read and follows its link. You can also mark all notifications as read at once using the **Mark all read** option in the panel header.

Notifications remain in the panel history after being read so you can refer back to them.

<Note>
  The notification center polls for new items periodically and also refreshes when you return to the browser tab. There is no real-time push — if you are actively waiting for a chain to advance, refresh the page or check back in a minute.
</Note>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Chains" icon="link" href="/guides/hosts/chains">
    Multi-step session sequences that generate notifications
  </Card>

  <Card title="Collaboration" icon="users" href="/guides/hosts/collaboration">
    Inviting co-hosts and managing project access
  </Card>
</CardGroup>