GitHub notifications come in two types: Participating (you are directly involved) and Watching (activity in repositories you follow). Manage them all at github.com/notifications, where you can filter by reason, repository, and read status. Use the web inbox as your central hub and configure email or mobile alerts for only the most important items.
How the GitHub Notification System Works
Every time something happens in a repository you are connected to — a new issue, a comment on a pull request, a review request — GitHub creates a notification. Understanding how these notifications work is essential, especially as your projects grow or when collaborating on repositories connected to AI-built apps from tools like Lovable or Replit.
GitHub organizes notifications into two categories:
- **Participating** — You are directly involved. Someone @mentioned your username, assigned you to an issue, requested your review on a pull request, or replied to a thread you started. These are high-priority and usually require action. - **Watching** — You are observing the repository. Any activity (new issues, comments, PRs) generates a notification. These are informational and can pile up quickly.
Notifications are delivered through three channels: 1. **Web** — The notification inbox at github.com/notifications. Always available, no setup needed. 2. **Email** — Sent to your GitHub email address. Configurable in Settings → Notifications. 3. **Mobile** — Push notifications via the GitHub mobile app.
The web inbox is the most powerful because it offers filters, bulk actions, and the ability to mark items as done without leaving GitHub.
Prerequisites
- A GitHub account
- At least one repository you own or collaborate on
Step-by-step guide
Open the notification inbox
Open the notification inbox
On any GitHub page, look at the top navigation bar. You will see a **bell icon** (🔔) to the left of your profile picture. If you have unread notifications, a blue dot appears on the bell. Click the bell icon to open the notifications inbox. Alternatively, go directly to **github.com/notifications** in your browser. The inbox shows all your notifications in reverse chronological order, with the newest at the top.
Expected result: You see a list of notifications grouped by repository, with unread items highlighted.
Understand the notification types
Understand the notification types
Each notification has a small label or icon indicating why you received it. Look for these indicators: - **@mention** — Someone used @yourusername in a comment - **Assigned** — You were assigned to an issue or pull request - **Review requested** — Someone asked you to review a pull request - **Subscribed** — You are watching the repository or manually subscribed to the thread - **Author** — You created the issue or pull request Notifications from @mentions and assignments are 'Participating' type and typically need your attention. 'Subscribed' notifications are 'Watching' type and are informational.
Expected result: You can identify why each notification was sent to you by reading its type indicator.
Filter notifications to find what matters
Filter notifications to find what matters
At the top of the notifications inbox, you will see filter tabs and options: - **Inbox** vs **Saved** vs **Done** — Three main views. Inbox shows active notifications, Saved is your bookmark list, Done shows cleared items. - **Unread** toggle — Click to show only unread notifications. - **Reason filter** — Click the dropdown to filter by reason: Assigned, Mention, Review requested, etc. - **Repository filter** — Type a repository name in the filter bar to see only notifications from that repo. Use these filters to quickly find the notifications that require your action, especially if you collaborate on many repositories.
Expected result: You can filter notifications by type, repository, or read status to focus on what matters.
Take action on notifications
Take action on notifications
For each notification, you have several options: - **Click the notification title** — Opens the issue, pull request, or discussion so you can read and respond. - **Mark as Done** (checkmark icon) — Removes it from Inbox and moves it to Done. Use this for items you have handled. - **Save** (bookmark icon) — Moves it to the Saved tab for later review. - **Unsubscribe** (three-dot menu → Unsubscribe) — Stops future notifications for this specific thread. - **Select multiple** (checkboxes on the left) — Select several notifications and use the top toolbar to mark them all as Done at once. Bulk actions are essential when you have dozens of Watching notifications from active repositories.
Expected result: You can efficiently process notifications by marking them done, saving for later, or unsubscribing.
Choose your preferred notification channels
Choose your preferred notification channels
Go to **Settings → Notifications** (click your profile picture → Settings → Notifications in the left sidebar). Here you configure which channels receive which types: - **Web**: Always on. Notifications appear in the bell icon inbox. - **Email**: Toggle separately for Participating and Watching. Recommended: keep Participating ON, Watching OFF. - **Mobile**: Requires the GitHub mobile app. Supports push notifications for the same categories. For projects built with AI tools like V0 or Cursor that export to GitHub, consider setting those repositories to 'Participating and @mentions' only to avoid notification overload from automated commits.
Expected result: Your notification channels are configured to deliver the right amount of information without overwhelming you.
Complete working example
1# Daily GitHub Notification Workflow23## Morning triage (2 minutes)41. Open github.com/notifications52. Filter: Unread → Reason: Mention, Assigned, Review requested63. Open each, respond or take action74. Mark as Done89## Quick sweep (1 minute)101. Filter: Unread → all remaining112. Scan titles for anything important123. Save important items, mark rest as Done1314## Weekly cleanup151. Visit github.com/watching162. Unwatch repos you no longer need173. Review Saved tab, clear stale items1819## Recommended Settings20- Participating → Email: ON, Web: ON21- Watching → Email: OFF, Web: ON22- Mobile: ON for Participating onlyCommon mistakes when understanding GitHub Notifications
Why it's a problem: Ignoring the notification inbox and relying only on email
How to avoid: The web inbox at github.com/notifications has better filtering and bulk actions. Use it as your primary notification hub.
Why it's a problem: Never clearing notifications, causing the unread count to grow into the hundreds
How to avoid: Use the Select All checkbox and Mark as Done button to clear old notifications in bulk. Start fresh and triage daily.
Why it's a problem: Not understanding why notifications keep arriving after unsubscribing
How to avoid: Unsubscribing from a thread only stops that specific conversation. If you are watching the repository, new threads still generate notifications. Change the Watch setting on the repository itself.
Best practices
- Use the web inbox (github.com/notifications) as your primary notification hub rather than email.
- Set a daily habit of triaging notifications — 2 minutes each morning keeps the inbox manageable.
- Use the Saved tab to bookmark notifications you need to come back to later.
- Filter by 'Reason: Mention' to find notifications that specifically need your response.
- For busy repositories, set Watch to 'Participating and @mentions' instead of 'All Activity.'
- Use keyboard shortcuts (E for Done, S for Save) to speed up triage.
- Review github.com/watching monthly to unwatch repositories you have moved on from.
- On mobile, enable push notifications only for Participating to avoid constant buzzing.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the blue dot on the bell icon?
The blue dot indicates you have unread notifications. Click the bell icon to open your inbox and review them. The dot disappears once all notifications are read or marked as done.
Can I get GitHub notifications in Slack or Discord?
Yes. GitHub offers official integrations for Slack and Microsoft Teams. In your repository, go to Settings → Integrations → add the GitHub app for your preferred platform.
Why am I getting notifications for repositories I did not subscribe to?
GitHub automatically watches repositories you create, are added to as a collaborator, or star (depending on your settings). Visit github.com/watching to review and adjust your subscriptions.
How do I stop notifications from a specific person?
GitHub does not have a per-person mute. Instead, unsubscribe from specific threads they are active in, or adjust the Watch setting on the repositories where they are most active.
What happens to notifications after I mark them as Done?
They move to the Done tab and no longer appear in your Inbox. You can still find them later by clicking the Done filter. They are not permanently deleted.
Can RapidDev set up notification routing for my development team?
Yes. RapidDev can configure GitHub Organizations with team-level notification settings, Slack integrations, and custom routing so each team member only receives relevant alerts.
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