User-level notifications
Each user can set up their notifications on each Tracker.
Several notification modes are available:
No Notification : no notification will be sent.
Notify every update of artifacts involving the user : is the default mode.
Notify when creating an artifact: a notification is sent only when an artifact is created.
Notify on every change : a notification is sent for any change, even without user involvement.
Notify on status change: a notification is sent for every state change, even if the user is not directly involved.
Practical information
You have the option to suppress notifications by artifact by clicking "Disable Notifications" in the Actions menu next to the artifact title.
Tracker-level notifications
To configure all notifications for a tracker, you need to access the tracker's administration, which is only available to its administrators.
This configuration takes precedence and overrides rules that are set individually by users.
Three types of notifications can be configured:
Default notifications
Global notifications
Reminders.
Default notifications
Practical Info
By default, notifications are sent to people designated as Contributors or Artifact Maintainers. To define these roles, the configuration is done in the Semantics of the tracker's administration.
All you have to do is define the field that will serve as a reference for the "Contributor" semantics. The usable field is a list field linked to users.
Global Notifications
Global notifications are used to notify users or groups of users by email, regardless of the role they play in relation to the artifact.
For each type of notification, it is possible to send emails either for each change or only for creation.
Warning
When sending an email, checking the permissions granted to users or groups allows you to check that the recipients of the email are authorized to view the content of the artifact.
Automatic reminders on dates
This allows notifications to be sent based on the information entered into the tracker.
Anyone assigned to an artifact will receive a notification on the scheduled date.
When an artifact contains dates, especially when it comes to deadlines, it is therefore possible to set up automatic reminders sent by email.
Useful tip
Email notifications are very convenient but proceed with caution because artifact changes will be very numerous and your mailboxes will quickly be overwhelmed if the notifications are misconfigured. At any time, you can pause all email notifications.
Field-level notifications
Some tracker fields can be configured to automatically send notifications to the people selected in them. This is the "Send notifications to selected people" option.
Only list-type fields (Selectbox, Multi-selectbox, Open List) bound to a User bind or a User Group bind support this feature.
To enable it:
Go to Tracker Administration → Manage Field Usage.
Edit a list-type field bound to users or user groups.
Check the "Send notifications to selected people" option.
Save.
From then on, any person selected in this field will be added to the notification recipients list. The usual filtering rules then apply (permissions, unsubscription, etc.).
Useful tip
This is typically used for "Assigned to", "CC" fields or any Open List field bound to users. People selected in these fields receive a notification on every artifact creation or update.
@mentions in comments
When writing a comment on an artifact, you can mention a user by typing @ followed by their identifier (for example: @john.doe). The mentioned user will receive an email notification.
Warning!
@mentions have a privileged behavior: they bypass most notification filters. A mentioned user will receive the notification even if they have unsubscribed from the tracker or the artifact, and even if they are in "Notify me on status change" or "Notify me when artifacts are created" mode.
The only conditions that block an @mention notification are:
The tracker's notifications are disabled ("Disable all notifications" option in the administration).
The mentioned user is a technical account.
The mentioned user does not have read permission on the artifact.
The user is the author of the change and has disabled the "When you are the author of a change" preference in their profile.
Per-artifact unsubscription
In addition to the "No notifications at all" mode configurable at the tracker level (via "My notifications"), you can unsubscribe from an individual artifact.
To do so, open the artifact and click on "Stop receiving notifications for this artifact" in the Actions menu next to the title.
Useful tip
Per-artifact unsubscription is independent from tracker unsubscription. You can be subscribed to tracker notifications but unsubscribed from a specific artifact, and vice versa. An @mention will bypass this unsubscription.
User profile notifications
In your user profile, two global preferences affect notification behavior across all trackers:
"For all updates after you made a change on an artifact (comment, change values...)": if enabled (default), you will receive notifications for artifacts you have commented on or modified, even if you are not directly assigned. If disabled, you will only be notified if you are explicitly designated (via a field, a global notification, or an @mention).
"When you are the author of a change": if enabled (default), you will receive an email even when you are the one modifying the artifact. If disabled, you will never be notified of your own changes.
Warning!
The "When you are the author of a change" preference is the most powerful user-side filter: even an @mention will not bypass this filter. If you mention yourself in a comment and this preference is disabled, you will not receive a notification.
Understanding notification priority levels
With so many configuration points, it is fair to ask: which setting takes precedence over the others? Here is the logic applied by Tuleap, step by step.
Step 1: Global blockers
Before collecting any recipients, two conditions can block sending:
The tracker has its notifications disabled (Tracker Administration → Notifications → "Disable all notifications"). This is the only true "kill-switch": no email notification will be sent for this tracker, including @mentions.
The artifact was created/modified via the REST API with the
notify: falseparameter. Notifications to regular subscribers (fields, commenters, global notifications) are disabled. However, @mentions in comments are still processed and sent.
If the tracker's notifications are not disabled, the system proceeds to the next step.
Step 2: Collecting potential recipients
Tuleap collects recipients from four sources:
Fields with notifications enabled: people selected in configured fields (e.g., Assigned to, CC).
Previous commenters: users who have already commented on the artifact, provided they have the "For all updates after you made a change on an artifact" preference enabled in their profile.
Tracker's Global Email Notifications: addresses, users, and groups configured by the administrator.
@mentions: users mentioned by
@identifierin the comment.
Step 3: Filtering (who is ultimately removed?)
Once the list is collected, Tuleap applies a series of filters in a specific order. If a filter removes a recipient, they will not receive the email.
For regular recipients (sources 1, 2, and 3), the following filters are applied in order:
❌ Technical account → Automatically removed.
❌ Author of the change → Removed if the "When you are the author of a change" preference is disabled in their profile.
❌ No read permission → Removed if the user cannot view the artifact, or if they cannot read any modified field and there is no comment. This filter only applies when permission checking is enabled (
check_permissionsparameter of the global notification).❌ Unsubscribed → Removed if the user has unsubscribed from the tracker or the artifact.
❌ "Notify me on status change" mode → Removed if the artifact's status has not changed.
❌ "Notify me when artifacts are created" mode → Removed if it's an update (not a creation).
For @mentions (source 4), only 3 filters apply:
❌ Technical account
❌ Author of the change (if "When you are the author of a change" preference is disabled)
❌ No read permission
Warning!
@mentions are particularly resilient: they bypass unsubscription (tracker and artifact), the "Notify me on status change" mode and the "Notify me when artifacts are created" mode. Furthermore, they are always sent even via the REST API with
notify: false. Only the "Disable all notifications" option at the tracker level blocks them completely.
Useful tip
The two lists (regular recipients and @mentions) are then merged. If a user was removed from the regular list (for example because they unsubscribed) but was @mentioned, they will still receive the notification.
Summary table — Who gets notified and when?
Situation | Notification sent? |
|---|---|
Tracker notifications disabled by admin ("Disable all notifications") | ❌ Never |
Action via REST API with | ❌ Regular subscribers / ✅ @Mentions / ✅ Webhooks |
User unsubscribed from tracker ("No notifications at all" mode) | ❌ Except if @mentioned |
User unsubscribed from an artifact | ❌ Except if @mentioned |
User in "Notify me on status change" mode and status unchanged | ❌ Except if @mentioned |
User in "Notify me when artifacts are created" mode during an update | ❌ Except if @mentioned |
User without read permission on the artifact | ❌ Never (even with @mention) |
Author of the change with "When you are the author of a change" disabled | ❌ Never (even with @mention) |
User @mentioned in a comment | ✅ Yes (bypasses unsubscription and modes) |
User selected in a field with "Send notifications to selected people" | ✅ Yes (subject to full filtering) |
User in the tracker's "Global Email Notification" | ✅ Yes (subject to full filtering) |
Previous commenter (with "For all updates after you made a change" preference enabled) | ✅ Yes (subject to full filtering) |
FAQ
Why am I receiving notifications even though I unsubscribed from the tracker?
Check if you are @mentioned in comments. @mentions bypass tracker and artifact unsubscription. This is the only case where an unsubscription is "ignored".
Also check if you are selected in a field with the "Send notifications to selected people" option (for example, the "Assigned to" field). This notification source is independent from your notification mode.
Why am I no longer receiving notifications?
Several possible causes, check in this order:
The administrator has disabled notifications on this tracker (Administration → Notifications → "Disable all notifications").
You have unsubscribed from the tracker via "My notifications" → "No notifications at all" mode.
You have unsubscribed from this specific artifact (artifact Actions menu).
You are in "Notify me on status change" mode and the status has not changed.
You are in "Notify me when artifacts are created" mode and the artifact was modified (not created).
You do not have read permissions on the artifact or the modified fields.
What is the difference between "My notifications" and the tracker's "Global Email Notification"?
"My notifications" is a personal setting: each user chooses their own notification mode (none, involved only, status change, etc.). It is accessible from the tracker breadcrumb.
"Global Email Notification" is an administrator setting: the tracker admin defines email addresses, users, or groups that will be automatically notified on every artifact creation or update. This setting applies in addition to personal preferences.
Do @mentions work when tracker notifications are disabled?
No. When notifications are disabled at the tracker level (kill-switch), no notification is sent, including @mentions. This is the only case where @mentions are completely blocked (aside from read permissions, technical accounts, and the "When you are the author of a change" preference).
However, if the action is performed via the REST API with notify: false, @mentions are still sent. Only regular subscribers (fields, commenters, global notifications) are blocked by this parameter.
Does the "Assigned to" field send notifications automatically?
Not by default. For the "Assigned to" field (or any other list-type field bound to users) to send notifications, the administrator must enable the "Send notifications to selected people" option in the field's properties. Without this option, the field has no effect on notifications.
How can I find out which notification mode is active for me on a tracker?
Go to the relevant tracker, then click on "My notifications" in the breadcrumb. You will see the currently selected mode among the 5 available options.
Are webhooks affected by disabling notifications?
No. Webhooks work completely independently from the email notification system. Even if notifications are disabled or if the REST API is called with notify: false, webhooks will still be triggered.
Do notification emails contain attachments?
If the tracker has a "Timeframe" semantic configured and the calendar events option is enabled, notification emails will include an .ics file (calendar event) as an attachment.