Notifications

Listen to Episode 10: Notifications and Mentions - a conversational audio overview of this chapter. Listen before reading to preview the concepts, or after to reinforce what you learned.

Related appendices: Appendix T: Community and Social | Appendix U: Discussions and Gists | Appendix V: GitHub Mobile Authoritative sources: GitHub Docs: About notifications

Managing Your GitHub Notification Inbox

See also: Appendix V: GitHub Mobile for managing notifications on your phone.

GitHub notifications are how GitHub tells you when something needs your attention. This guide teaches you to keep the inbox useful - not overwhelming - using only your keyboard and screen reader.

Workshop Recommendation (Chapter 10)

For this workshop, Chapter 10 is a guided practice chapter, not a graded automation chapter.

• Challenge count: 1 guided walkthrough
• Automation check: none - notification settings are account-level and cannot be validated by the Learning Room PR bot
• Evidence: structured completion comment on your assigned challenge issue
• Pattern: configure, filter, act

Important Note: This Challenge Uses GitHub's Web Notification Inbox

This challenge focuses on GitHub's web-based notification inbox (at github.com/notifications), not email notifications. You do NOT need to configure email delivery, and you do NOT need to receive emails to complete this challenge.

Why we focus on the web inbox:

• Email delivery depends on your mail server, ISP, spam filters, and account settings—factors outside our control
• GitHub's web notification inbox is always available and works the same way for everyone
• Professional developers typically check notifications in the GitHub app or web UI rather than waiting for emails
• The skills you learn (filtering, muting, managing noise) apply whether you eventually enable email or not

What you will do:

• Use GitHub's web notification inbox to view and filter notifications
• Configure repository watch levels to control what notifications you receive
• Practice managing your inbox with GitHub's built-in actions (mute, mark done)

If you have already configured email notifications on your GitHub account, that is fine—but this challenge does not require or test email delivery. Focus on the web inbox workflow instead.

Chapter 10 Challenge Set

1. Configure notifications and practice inbox management - set your watch level, use filters to find relevant notifications, and perform one inbox action.

Challenge 10.1 Step-by-Step: Notification Inbox Walkthrough

Goal: Set up a useful notification workflow so you can keep up with reviews, mentions, and assignments without inbox overload.

Where you are working: the GitHub.com notifications page and your Learning Room repository settings.

Estimated time: 5-8 minutes.

1. Open your Learning Room repository on GitHub.com.
2. Find the Watch button near the top-right of the repository page (next to Star and Fork).
3. Activate the Watch dropdown and select Participating and @mentions. This means you only get notified when someone @mentions you or you are directly participating in a thread.
4. Open the notifications inbox by navigating to https://github.com/notifications (or activate the bell icon in the GitHub header).
5. In the notification filters, activate the Review requested filter. This shows only notifications where someone has asked you to review their PR.
6. Clear that filter and activate the Assigned filter. This shows notifications for issues and PRs assigned to you.
7. Open one notification by activating its title link. Read it briefly, then navigate back to the inbox.
8. Perform one inbox action on a non-critical notification thread:
   • Press M to mute the thread (you will not receive future updates), or
   • Press E to mark done (removes it from inbox but you can still get future updates).

Screen reader tip: The notification list is a standard list of links. Each notification announces its title, repository, and reason (mention, review request, assignment). Use arrow keys to move between notifications and Enter to open one.

You are done when: You have changed your watch level, used two different filters, and performed one inbox action (mute or done).

Completing Chapter 10: Submit Your Evidence

Open your assigned Chapter 10 challenge issue and post a completion comment:

Chapter 10 completed:
- Watch level set to: Participating and @mentions
- Filters tested: Review requested, Assigned
- Inbox action performed: [mute / mark done] on [thread description]

Close your Chapter 10 challenge issue when done.

Expected Outcomes

• Student can configure repository watch levels to reduce noise.
• Student can find review requests and assigned work quickly using filters.
• Student can reduce notification noise with mute or done actions.

If You Get Stuck

1. Can't find the Watch button? It is near the top-right of the repository page, in the same row as Star and Fork.
2. Notification inbox is empty? You may not have any notifications yet - that is fine. Switch to the Done tab and practice the mute/done action flow on an older notification.
3. Keyboard shortcuts not working? If your screen reader intercepts M or E, click on the notification row first to give it focus, then press the shortcut.
4. Filters not showing results? Clear all filters first (click the X next to each active filter), then apply one filter at a time.
5. Ask facilitator to model one inbox action live, then repeat the steps yourself.
6. Finished but not sure you did it right? Compare your work against the Challenge 9 reference solution.

Learning Moment

Notification management protects focus. You can stay responsive to your team without drowning in updates. The habit you build here - checking filtered notifications once or twice a day - is how productive open source contributors stay on top of their work.

Learning Pattern Used in This Chapter

1. Configure settings proactively (watch level) before work generates noise.
2. Use filters to find signal in noise (review requests, assignments).
3. Take decisive action on each notification (mute, done, or respond).
4. Build a daily routine that keeps your inbox manageable.

What Generates a Notification?

GitHub sends you a notification when:

Notification Subscription Levels

For each repository, you choose how many notifications to receive:

Changing your watch settings for a repo

Recommended setting for most repos: “Participating and @mentions only” - you stay in the loop on what involves you without noise.

The Notifications Inbox

Tool Cards: Manage Notifications

github.com (browser):

1. Go to github.com/notifications (or press G then N).
2. Use E to mark done, I to mark read/unread, Shift+M to mute a thread.

VS Code Desktop (GitHub Pull Requests extension):

1. The Notifications view in the GitHub sidebar shows items needing attention.
2. Click a notification to open the related issue or PR directly in VS Code.

GitHub Desktop: GitHub Desktop does not manage notifications. Use the browser or CLI.

Git CLI / GitHub CLI:

# List PRs requesting your review (most common notification)
gh search prs --review-requested @me --state open
# Open the notifications page in your browser
gh browse notifications

Navigate to your inbox: https://github.com/notifications or press G then N (GitHub keyboard shortcut).

Screen reader note: The G N shortcut uses two sequential key presses (not simultaneous). Press G, release it, then press N. This works in Browse Mode.

# Check your notification status (opens the GitHub notification inbox)
gh api notifications --jq '.[].subject.title' | head -20

# View PRs that need your review (most common notification reason)
gh search prs --review-requested @me --state open

# View issues assigned to you
gh issue list --assignee @me --state open

# Check PR status for a specific notification
gh pr view 42 --repo owner/repo

Page structure

[Filters sidebar on left]     ← Unread / Participating / @Mentions / Assigned / etc.
[Notification list in center] ← Each notification is a row
[Detail pane on right]        ← Preview the notification (can be disabled)

Navigating the notification list

What is announced per notification

"microsoft/vscode - Add keyboard shortcut for accessible view - @username mentioned you - 2 hours ago"

Components: repo/org | thread title | event type | timestamp

Learning Cards: The Notifications Inbox

Inbox Actions - Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts work when a notification is focused in the inbox:

Screen reader note: These are GitHub's own keyboard shortcuts. In Browse Mode, some of these letters are also navigation keys. To use these shortcuts reliably, make sure focus is on the notification row (tab to it) rather than in browse/reading mode.

Filtering the Inbox

The left sidebar has quick filters. Use Tab or K to navigate to them:

Filtering by repository or organization

At the top of the notification list there is a filter/search field:

Managing Notifications at Scale

The "mark all as done" workflow

After a busy day or coming back from time away, clear your inbox methodically:

1. Open Notifications inbox
2. Tab to "Mark all as done" button → Enter (clears everything at once)
3. Then use the "Done" filter to retrieve any you want to revisit

Muting a noisy thread

If a thread generates too many notifications:

Dealing with @mentions you didn't expect

If you were @mentioned in an unfamiliar thread:

1. Read the thread for context before responding
2. If it seems like a mistake, a simple "I don't think this mention was meant for me - feel free to remove it!" is enough
3. Unsubscribe after reading if you don't need to stay in the loop

Learning Cards: Managing Notifications at Scale

Notification Settings - Per Your Account

Global notification preferences are at https://github.com/settings/notifications.

Key settings to review:

Navigate this settings page:

H → navigate to each settings section heading
F or E → navigate form fields within each section
Tab → move between options within a form group

Starring vs. Watching - What Is the Difference?

New contributors often confuse these two. They appear next to each other on every repository page and do completely different things.

Starring a Repository

Starring is GitHub's equivalent of a bookmark + public endorsement. The star count on a repository is a community signal of popularity. Many maintainers watch their star count as a rough measure of interest.

Watching a Repository

Common Mistake: Accidental Watching

When you comment on an issue or PR in a repository, GitHub automatically subscribes you to that thread - but not the whole repository. However, if you once click "Watch" on a busy repository (say, a popular open source project), you will receive a notification for every issue opened and every comment posted - potentially hundreds per day.

How to silence a repository you accidentally over-subscribed to

Step 1: Navigate to the repository
Step 2: B → Find "Unwatch" button → Enter
Step 3: Select "Participating and @mentions"
Step 4: Enter to confirm

This immediately reduces notifications from that repository to only threads you personally participated in.

Recommended Watching Strategy for This Workshop

Learning Cards: Starring vs. Watching

Screen Reader Tips for the Notification Inbox

NVDA

• The notification list is complex - use Tab to navigate individual rows rather than Browse Mode arrow keys
• After marking notifications done (press E), the next notification automatically receives focus
• Use NVDA+F7 → Links to get a filtered list of notification titles to scan quickly

JAWS

• Like NVDA, use Tab for row navigation in the inbox
• Insert+F6 (Headings list) to jump between date group headings (Today, This Week, etc.)
• The inbox updates in real time - JAWS will announce new notifications as they arrive

VoiceOver

• Use VO+U → Landmarks → Main to reach the notification list quickly
• VO+Space to activate a row, VO+Escape to return to the list
• With Quick Nav on, H navigates the date group headings

The GitHub Mobile App - A Reference Note

GitHub has an iOS and Android app that supports push notifications. While the app itself is not covered as a primary tool in this workshop, it is worth knowing:

• Push notifications can alert you to review requests even when you're away from your computer
• The mobile app does work with iOS VoiceOver and Android TalkBack
• For primary contribution work, the desktop browser experience remains more fully featured

Try It: Tame Your Inbox

Time: 2 minutes | What you need: Browser, signed in to GitHub

Go to github.com/notifications and practice:

1. Scan your inbox - Press H and Tab to navigate through notifications. Each one shows the repo name, type (issue/PR), and title.
2. Mark one as done - Find a notification you've already read. Press E to mark it as done. It disappears from the list.
3. Configure watching - Go to the Learning Room repository. Press D to landmarks, find the repo nav area, then look for the "Watch" or "Unwatch" button (B to scan buttons). Choose your preferred watch level.

You're done. You now control what GitHub tells you about and what it doesn't.

What success feels like: Your inbox has fewer items, and you chose what to watch. Notifications work for you now, not against you.

Day 2 Amplifier - Accessibility Agents: @daily-briefing

Manage your notification inbox manually before using any agent. The signal-versus-noise judgment you develop - what to act on, what to watch, what to mute - is the same judgment the agent applies when prioritizing its output. Without that judgment, you cannot evaluate whether the agent's prioritization is correct or whether it surfaced the things that actually matter to you.

Once you have mastered manual notification management:

• In VS Code - @daily-briefing morning briefing delivers the same information as your notification inbox, organized by priority and actionability, with the ability to reply, close, and merge from inside Copilot Chat
• In your repo - Fork accessibility-agents and every collaborator on your project can run @daily-briefing against your shared repository; the whole team stays aligned from a single command with no inbox required
• In the cloud - GitHub Agentic Workflows can run on a schedule and post a team digest to a designated issue each morning, surfacing what needs attention before anyone opens their notifications

Your notification discipline today becomes the standard the agent enforces at scale tomorrow.

What You Accomplished Today

Take a breath. Day 1 is complete -- and you did a lot.

Here is every skill you practiced, mapped to the chapter where you learned it and the evidence you created along the way:

That is eleven chapters, eleven skills, and a trail of real evidence in a real repository.

If This Was Your First Time

If today was your first time using GitHub -- or your first time using it with a screen reader -- you have already done something most developers take weeks to piece together on their own. You navigated a complex platform, created real contributions, and collaborated with other people in a shared codebase. That is not a small thing.

If parts felt confusing or slow, that is completely normal. Every skill you practiced today gets faster with repetition. The point was never speed -- it was understanding.

Confidence Check

Before you close your laptop, take two minutes to answer these questions in your Chapter 10 challenge issue. There are no wrong answers -- this is for you.

1. Which chapter felt the most natural to you? Which one do you want to revisit?
2. Can you explain what a pull request does to someone who has never used GitHub?
3. If you saw a merge conflict right now, would you know where to start?
4. What is one thing you want to try on GitHub this week that you did not get to today?

Screen reader tip: You can copy these questions into your challenge issue comment and type your answers directly below each one. Use a blank line between each question-answer pair so the structure is clear when read back.

Your Challenge Progress

Look at how many challenge issues you completed today. Each one represents a skill you did not just read about -- you practiced it, posted evidence, and moved on. Some workshops hand you a certificate for sitting in a chair. This one asked you to prove your skills in a live repository, and you did.

If you completed all eleven challenges, you are ready for Day 2 with a strong foundation. If you missed a few, that is fine -- you can finish them at your own pace before Day 2 begins. The Learning Room stays open.

Learning Cards: What You Accomplished Today

What Day 2 Adds

See also: Chapter 11: VS Code Interface is where Day 2 begins -- have VS Code installed and ready.

On Day 1, you worked entirely on GitHub.com. Everything happened in your browser -- creating issues, editing files, opening pull requests, resolving conflicts. On Day 2, you bring that same workflow to your own computer and add powerful new tools on top of it.

Here is what Day 2 covers:

The mental model shift is straightforward: Day 1 taught you what GitHub does. Day 2 teaches you how to use it from your own development environment, with real tools that professional developers use every day.

Between Days

If your workshop has a gap between Day 1 and Day 2, here are three optional things you can do to stay sharp:

1. Explore your notification settings. Now that you understand how notifications work, visit github.com/settings/notifications and customize your email and web preferences. There is no wrong configuration -- just find what feels manageable.
2. Read issues in a project you care about. Pick any open source project on GitHub and browse its issue tracker. You now know enough to understand labels, milestones, and comment threads. Notice how maintainers communicate -- you will recognize the patterns from Chapter 08.
3. Try a GitHub Skills course. GitHub Skills offers free, self-paced courses that run inside real repositories. "Introduction to GitHub" is a good one if you want to reinforce what you learned today. See Appendix Z for the full list of recommended courses.

Screen reader tip: GitHub Skills courses use bot-driven feedback inside pull requests. The interaction model is similar to the Learning Room -- you push a change, a bot reviews it, and you get instructions for the next step. If you completed today's challenges, you already know the workflow.

You Already Know More Than You Think

Think about where you started this morning. You may not have known what a repository was, or how to navigate one with a keyboard, or what happens when two people edit the same file. Now you do. You have created real issues, opened real pull requests, resolved real conflicts, and configured your own notification workflow -- all in a live, shared codebase.

Day 2 builds on every one of those skills. Nothing gets thrown away. Everything you did today is the foundation for everything that comes next.

End of Day 1: Congratulations. You have completed Challenge 9: Merge Day and finished the browser-based foundation. Return to the Course Guide to prepare for Day 2.

Next: Chapter 11: VS Code Interface
Back: Chapter 09: Labels, Milestones, and Projects
Related appendices: Appendix T: Community and Social | Appendix U: Discussions and Gists

Authoritative Sources

Use these official references when you need the current source of truth for facts in this chapter.

• GitHub Docs, home
• GitHub Changelog
• About Git
• GitHub flow
• About pull requests
• About issues
• Contributing to a project

Section-Level Source Map

Use this map to verify facts for each major section in this file.

• Managing Your GitHub Notification Inbox: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Workshop Recommendation (Chapter 10): GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• What Generates a Notification?: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Notification Subscription Levels: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• The Notifications Inbox: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Inbox Actions - Keyboard Shortcuts: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Filtering the Inbox: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Managing Notifications at Scale: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Notification Settings - Per Your Account: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Starring vs. Watching - What Is the Difference?: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Screen Reader Tips for the Notification Inbox: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• The GitHub Mobile App - A Reference Note: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• Try It: Tame Your Inbox: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• What You Accomplished Today: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests
• What Day 2 Adds: GitHub Docs, home, GitHub Changelog, About Git, GitHub flow, About pull requests