Workspace FAQ
Answers to common setup and operating questions about Workspace.
For what the app is and how to set it up from scratch, see the
Workspace Overview.
Setup
Do I need to configure anything before people can start using Workspace?
Enable the app and grant the licence — that is the only prerequisite. Every canvas section (message board, to-dos, schedule, check-ins, Hill Charts, linked tools) is on by default. The AI agent, auto-drafted check-ins, and Hill Chart auto-proposals are also on by default. If you want to restrict who can create workspaces, change the Who can create a workspace? setting; the default is managers and admins, plus anyone with direct reports.
Who can create a workspace, and how do I change that?
By default, managers and admins can create workspaces, and so can anyone who has direct reports, whatever their role. Workspace app admins can always create one regardless of this setting. To change it, go to Workspace Settings, open Workspace Creation, and update Who can create a workspace?. The options are: Managers & admins, plus anyone with direct reports (the default), Managers & admins — by role only, People managers — anyone with direct reports, whatever their role, App admins only, Everyone with access to the app, or Specific people (choose groups). Organizations that were already using Workspace when this default changed in late September 2026 keep Managers & admins — by role only until an admin changes it.
What are the three workspace roles?
Every workspace has three roles: Owner, Member, and Viewer. Owners can edit the workspace’s details, archive, delete, duplicate, and export it, and manage members — including Make owner on a member’s row, which adds another owner alongside the existing ones. Members can post messages, create to-dos, respond to check-ins, and move Hill Chart dots. Viewers have read-only access — they cannot post, create, or edit anything.
Owners, members and viewers can leave an active workspace with Leave workspace in its ⋮ menu; their open tasks there are unassigned. The last owner has to make someone else an owner first, and people who are in through the workspace’s access rule cannot leave one by one — they are offered Mute instead of leaving.
Permissions and access
Why can’t someone see the app or create a workspace?
If the app is invisible, the licence has not been granted — check the app marketplace. If the app is visible but the person cannot create a workspace, the Who can create a workspace? setting governs that. By default, only managers, admins and people with direct reports can create one, so other employees cannot. Widen it to Everyone with access to the app, or choose Specific people and add a group they belong to.
Day-to-day
How do I add a message, task, event or link to a workspace?
Use the Create button at the top right of the workspace canvas. It lists Message, Task (or Task list, when the workspace has no list yet), Event, and Linked tool, and each opens that item’s form in a side panel. An item is left out when its section is switched off, and Linked tool is also left out when the owner has hidden the Linked tools card. Viewers, and anyone on an archived workspace, do not see the button.
There is no quick-add bar on the canvas any more. If you like typing, start a message’s body with /task, /msg, /link, or /event (Create → Message) and it creates that item instead of a post:
/task Send the draft @Priya by Friday— a to-do in the workspace’s first list (an “Inbox” list is created if there is none). A teammate you @mention becomes the assignee if they are a member; the date becomes the due date./msg Title -- body— a post, exactly as typed./link https://… Title— a linked tool./event Sprint review Friday 3pm— a schedule event; members are notified.
Dates and assignees are read by the Workspace AI agent. With Enable Workspace AI Agent off, /msg and /link still work, /task is kept as typed with no date, and /event adds nothing.
A shortcut creates a plain item that everyone in the workspace can see — and clients with a client link, except for links. So it is refused, with a note under the body saying why, when the post has Internal only, Leads only, Post as announcement, the location copies, or attachments set. Remove the command to post with those settings, or clear them to use the shortcut.
What does “Catch me up” do?
It generates a 3–5 bullet recap of what changed in the workspace since your last visit. The first time you use it, it covers the last 7 days. Each use updates your last-visited timestamp, so the next recap starts from where this one left off.
Can I mute notifications for a single workspace?
Yes. Use the bell button on the workspace’s tab bar, which offers four modes: All notifications, Mentions only, Weekly recap only, or Mute everything. Announcements and requests waiting on your decision still reach you in every mode except Mute everything. Changes to your own access reach you in every mode.
How do recurring check-ins work?
A workspace owner or member creates a check-in with a question (up to 500 characters) and a cadence — Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. The default cadence for new check-ins is set at the app level under Default Check-In Cadence (default: Weekly). When the AI agent is enabled and Auto-Draft Check-In Responses is on, each member gets a draft response based on their recent activity. They review and approve (or edit) it before it posts. Owners can pause and resume individual check-ins at any time.
How do Hill Charts work?
Each Hill Chart tracks a scope on a 0–100 scale: 0 is just starting, 50 is the top of the hill (problem solved, now executing), and 100 is done. When Auto-Propose Hill Chart Positions is on, the agent computes a proposed position from completed to-dos. The owner or a member accepts or dismisses the proposal — the live position never moves without a person approving it. Every position change is recorded in the chart’s history, tagged with whether a user or the agent made it.
AI agent
What can the Workspace AI Agent do, and does it act on its own?
The agent can draft check-in responses, propose Hill Chart positions, generate client digests, summarize long threads, and suggest follow-up to-dos. It never commits a write on its own — every draft or proposal waits for a person to approve, edit, or dismiss it. Approved AI writes are logged for audit. You can turn the agent off entirely with the Enable Workspace AI Agent setting.
I turned off AI features but check-ins still get drafted — why?
The agent itself and each AI feature have separate toggles. Turn off Enable Workspace AI Agent to disable the agent entirely. To stop only auto-drafted check-ins, turn off Auto-Draft Check-In Responses while leaving the agent on for other features like thread summaries. The same applies to Auto-Propose Hill Chart Positions and Enable Client Digest Generation.
When something looks wrong
“I can’t see next week’s schedule in my workspace”
The schedule section may be turned off. An admin can disable it at the app level (Enable Schedule), and a workspace owner can also hide it per workspace via the workspace’s feature toggles. Check both. If the section is on but the user is a viewer, they can see the schedule but cannot add events.
“My to-do disappeared from the Board”
When a member is removed from a workspace (or leaves it), their open tasks are unassigned — but the tasks stay on the Board. If a to-do is missing, check whether it was moved to a different column or completed. The Board tab shows up to 50 tasks per column. If a column has more, the count shows the true total and the column ends with “+N more not shown · Show all”, which lists every task in that column.
“I didn’t get notified about a new post”
Check the member’s per-workspace notification setting (the bell on the workspace’s tab bar). If they chose Mentions only, Weekly recap only or Mute everything, regular posts will not notify them. Also confirm the admin-level toggle Notify on New Message is still on — it defaults to on, but turning it off suppresses message notifications for the entire business.
Client portal and external access
Can external clients access a workspace?
Yes, if the Enable Client Portal setting is on (it is by default). A workspace owner issues a magic-link invite — the client views externally-visible updates and can add comments without a MangoApps account. Posts and to-dos marked internal-only are automatically hidden. Clients cannot edit to-dos, post to the board, or create anything.
To make a workspace read-only for clients, switch off Clients can reply on the workspace’s External access card. It is on by default. With it off, clients still read the shared updates but the reply box is gone, and the invite and weekly update emails stop mentioning replies.
How long do client invite links last?
Each link expires in 30 days. A workspace owner can extend it by another 30 days using the Extend button, which keeps the same URL. Links can also be revoked at any time. Turning off Enable Client Portal disables all existing links immediately, not just new ones. They start working again if the portal is switched back on, so revoke any you no longer want.
Templates, duplication, and archiving
What is the difference between duplicating and using a template?
Duplicating a workspace copies its structure and open to-dos, Hill Charts (reset to position 0), check-in configurations, linked tools, cover image, and layout — but not messages, completed tasks, files, events, or memberships (the duplicate starts with the creator as sole owner). A template captures the reusable skeleton — to-do lists and their tasks, Hill Chart scopes, check-in questions, and a welcome message — without any content or history.
What happens when I archive or delete a workspace?
Archiving makes the workspace read-only and, when the message board is on, posts an internal-only “Project recap” message to the board summarizing the workspace’s entire history. The workspace stays archived and can be restored at any time. Deleting is a soft delete — the workspace moves to My Trash and can be restored within 30 days; after that it cannot be recovered. Both actions are restricted to the workspace owner or a Workspace app admin.
Licensing and limits
Does Workspace require a licence?
Yes. Workspace requires a licence and must be enabled by an admin in the app marketplace before anyone can use it.
Are there limits I should know about?
By default, the number of workspaces per business and members per workspace are both unlimited. An admin can set caps via Max workspaces per business and Max members per workspace in settings — leaving them blank means no limit. Workspace names can be up to 200 characters. Cover images must be under 5 MB and in PNG, JPEG, WebP, or GIF format. Check-in questions can be up to 500 characters. Each Hill Chart scope label can be up to 200 characters and must be unique within its workspace. The content governance review cycle is 90 days.
More help
- Workspace Overview
- Ask AI — the assistant answers Workspace questions from these articles.