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Channels

Channels transform Open WebUI from a personal interface into a collaborative workspace. Unlike standard "Chats"—which are isolated sessions—Channels are persistent, topic-based rooms (similar to Discord or Slack), allowing multiple users and multiple AI models to interact in a shared timeline.

Beta Feature

Channels is currently a Beta feature. Functionality is subject to change, and it must be explicitly enabled by an Administrator before it appears in the interface.

Enabling Channels​

By default, the Channels feature may be hidden. An Admin must enable it globally for the instance.

  1. Click on your User Profile icon in the bottom left (or top right) corner.
  2. Select Admin Panel.
  3. Navigate to Settings -> General.
  4. Locate the toggle labeled Channels (Beta).
  5. Toggle it On and click Save.
  6. Refresh the page. The "Channels" section should now appear in the main sidebar.

Creating a Channel​

  1. Locate the Channels header in the sidebar.
  2. Click the (+) Plus icon next to the "Channels" header.
  3. Name: Enter a channel name (e.g., general, python-dev). Spaces should get converted to hyphens.
  4. Access Control:
    • Public: All registered users on your Open WebUI instance can see and join this channel.
    • Private/Group Access: Only you or users with permission can access this channel.

Using Channels​

To access a channel, click on an existing channel to join, or create a new one.

The @mention System​

Channels function differently than standard Chats. In a standard Chat, you select a model at the top, and it responds to every message. In Channels, the conversation is passive by default.

To trigger a response, you must tag a specific model using the @ symbol.

  1. Type @ in the input box.
  2. A popup list of your available models will appear.
  3. Select the model you wish to speak to (e.g., @llama3, @gpt-4o).
  4. Type your prompt.

Example:

User: @gpt-4o Write a Python script to scrape a website.

(GPT-4o responds with code)

User: @llama3 Can you explain the code that GPT-4 just wrote?

Multi-Model Workflows

This allows you to chain different models together in one timeline. You can use a "smart" model for reasoning and a "fast" model for formatting, all within the same context window.

Tagging Users​

You can also use the @ symbol to ping other human users in the channel to get their attention or direct a message to them specifically.

  1. Type @ in the input box.
  2. Select the user's name from the list.
  3. Usage: @admin Can you check the server logs?

Linking Channels​

You can reference other channels directly within a conversation using the # symbol. This creates a clickable link to that channel.

  1. Type # in the input box.
  2. Select the channel name from the list.
  3. Usage: Please post those screenshots in #screenshots instead.
Access Control

If a user does not have access to view a linked channel (e.g., #admin-only) within a channel they do have access to (e.g., #general-chat), the linked channel will appear to them as #Unknown, and clicking it will have no effect.

Message Interactions​

Hover over any message in the timeline to access interaction options:

  • Add Reaction: Click the Smiley Face icon to add a visual emoji eaction to a message.
  • Reply: Quotes the message within the main channel stream, linking your response to the original message while keeping it visible to everyone in the main flow.
  • Reply in Thread: Starts a separate, nested conversation thread centered on that specific message. This allows for focused discussions without cluttering the main channel history.
  • Edit: Click the Pencil icon to modify the content of your message.
  • Delete: Click the Trash icon to remove the message from the channel.
note

Currently, reactions are purely visual and do not influence model behavior.

Collaboration​

If your Open WebUI instance supports multiple users:

  • Real-time updates: Messages appear instantly for all users currently viewing the channel.
  • Shared Context: When a teammate asks an AI a question, the AI's response becomes part of the context for the next user's query. This allows teams to iterate on AI outputs together.

Managing Channels​

Editing and Deleting​

To manage an existing channel:

  1. Hover over the channel name in the sidebar.
  2. Click the Gear (Edit) icon.
info

Only the Channel Creator or an Admin can delete a channel.

Use Cases​

1. Team Development (#dev-team)​

Create a channel where developers can paste code snippets. Use @codellama or @deepseek-coder to generate solutions, while human team members comment on the logic in plain text alongside the AI.

2. Roleplay & Creative Writing (#story-mode)​

Keep long-running story contexts alive indefinitely without them getting buried in your personal chat history. Switch between different "Character" models (using Modelfiles) within the same story thread to create multi-character dialogues.

3. Project Knowledge Base (#marketing-strategy)​

Use a channel as a persistent "War Room" for a specific project. Humans can discuss ideas and paste links freely. When a decision is needed, tag an AI to process the conversation history.

  • Example: "Users discuss a marketing plan for 20 messages. Then, a user types: @gpt-4o Read the conversation above and create a bulleted list of the action items we just discussed."
warning

Privacy Note Remember that Public Channels are visible to everyone on your instance. Do not share API keys, passwords, or sensitive personal data in public channels.