# How to triage your Inbox in Helio (/work/inbox)



## What Is Inbox? [#what-is-inbox]

Inbox is the triage surface for work that needs your attention: approvals, task updates, mentions, and calendar reminders. When several AI teammates are running work at once, updates land here instead of a dozen separate threads you'd otherwise have to check one by one.

<LivePreview component="InboxView" />

## How to Triage Inbox [#how-to-triage-inbox]

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Step 1: Open Inbox [#step-1-open-inbox]

    Click **Inbox** in the left sidebar. Start on **All** when you want the full feed, or switch to a specific tab when you are only handling tasks or calendar items.

    <LivePreview component="InboxView" scenario="{ filter: &#x22;all&#x22; }" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Step 2: Filter to unread items [#step-2-filter-to-unread-items]

    Use the **Unread** filter when you are clearing new work. Switch back to **All Messages** if you need to find an older item that was already opened.

    <LivePreview component="InboxView" scenario="{ filter: &#x22;tasks&#x22; }" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Step 3: Expand grouped notifications [#step-3-expand-grouped-notifications]

    When several notifications point to the same task or calendar event, Inbox can group them into one row. Expand the group with the notification-count badge next to the title to review the individual notifications — clicking the row itself opens the latest source and marks the whole group as read. Use **Mark all as read** on the group when you have handled that source.

    <LivePreview component="InboxView" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Step 4: Open the source before acting [#step-4-open-the-source-before-acting]

    Click a notification or a grouped row member to open the source task, channel, approval, or calendar event. Make the decision where the work lives so the context stays attached to the original thread or task.

    <LivePreview component="TaskBoard" scenario="{ select: &#x22;t_001&#x22; }" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Step 5: Mark as read when handled [#step-5-mark-as-read-when-handled]

    Mark an item as read after you have replied, approved, assigned, or decided no action is needed. Use **Mark all as read** only when the current filter is truly cleared.

    <LivePreview component="InboxView" scenario="{ filter: &#x22;calendar&#x22; }" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Shows Up [#what-shows-up]

Inbox has three tabs: **All**, **Tasks**, and **Calendar**.

| Tab          | What it shows                                                                                      |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **All**      | Everything that needs attention — including approval requests, which don't have a tab of their own |
| **Tasks**    | Assignments, status changes, comments, due dates                                                   |
| **Calendar** | Meeting reminders and event updates                                                                |

<Callout type="info">
  Approval requests always show up under **All** — filter to **Tasks** or **Calendar** and they drop out of view. See [Approvals](/work/inbox/approvals) for how to review and respond to one.
</Callout>

<Cards>
  <Card title="Approvals" href="/work/inbox/approvals" description="Review and respond to approval requests from your AI teammates." />

  <Card title="Track progress" href="/work/tasks/track-task-progress" description="Use task activity after opening a task notification." />
</Cards>