# How to Understand GitHub Notifications

- Tool: GitHub
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Time required: 8 minutes
- Compatibility: GitHub.com web interface, GitHub mobile app, email
- Last updated: March 2026

## TL;DR

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.

## Before you start

- A GitHub account
- At least one repository you own or collaborate on

## Step-by-step guide

### 1. 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.

### 2. 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.

### 3. 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.

### 4. 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.

### 5. 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 code example

File: `notification-workflow.md`

```markdown
# Daily GitHub Notification Workflow

## Morning triage (2 minutes)
1. Open github.com/notifications
2. Filter: Unread → Reason: Mention, Assigned, Review requested
3. Open each, respond or take action
4. Mark as Done

## Quick sweep (1 minute)
1. Filter: Unread → all remaining
2. Scan titles for anything important
3. Save important items, mark rest as Done

## Weekly cleanup
1. Visit github.com/watching
2. Unwatch repos you no longer need
3. Review Saved tab, clear stale items

## Recommended Settings
- Participating → Email: ON, Web: ON
- Watching → Email: OFF, Web: ON
- Mobile: ON for Participating only
```

## Common mistakes

- **Ignoring the notification inbox and relying only on email** — undefined Fix: The web inbox at github.com/notifications has better filtering and bulk actions. Use it as your primary notification hub.
- **Never clearing notifications, causing the unread count to grow into the hundreds** — undefined Fix: Use the Select All checkbox and Mark as Done button to clear old notifications in bulk. Start fresh and triage daily.
- **Not understanding why notifications keep arriving after unsubscribing** — undefined Fix: 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.

## 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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Source: https://www.rapidevelopers.com/github-for-non-tech/how-to-understand-github-notifications
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