Commenting with Mentions in Channels

Commenting with Mentions in Channels

A task’s comments and its Microsoft Teams thread are two ends of the same conversation. Comments you write in AB always post to the thread; a reply in the thread comes back to the task when it @mentions AB Projects. And a comment by itself notifies no one — mentions only happen when you pick people in the mention picker.

Write a comment and mention people

  1. Open the task and go to its Comments section.
  2. Write the comment in the rich-text editor — formatting and image upload are supported.
  3. Pick who to notify. In the Mention in Teams notification row, click a member’s chip to select them; click again to deselect. Only members with a Teams identity in this project appear (someone who can’t be @mentioned in Teams isn’t listed).
  4. Post. The comment is saved on the task and posted to the linked channel, with your selected members @mentioned in the Teams message.

How the sync works

  • Every comment posts to the linked channel, not just the first one. The first comment on a task starts a thread with an Adaptive Card (an interactive message card in Teams) showing the task details; each later comment is a reply in that same thread. See Adaptive Cards and Task Previews.
  • Thread replies sync back when they @mention the bot. Reply in the task’s thread and include @AB Projects in the message — that reply is added to the task as a comment. This is a Microsoft Teams platform rule: a bot only receives channel messages that @mention it, so a plain reply without the mention stays in Teams only.
  • Unregistered repliers are still captured. If the replier isn’t an AB Projects user yet, the comment is saved with a “(Teams)” label on their name, and the bot invites them to register so future comments link to their profile.
  • Viewer replies stay in the channel. Replies from members with the read-only Viewer role are not copied into the task’s comment history — they can chat in the channel, but the audited task record only takes comments from members who can edit. See Role-Based Access Control.

Quick reference

Where you writeWhere it ends upWho gets notified
Task comment, chips selectedTask and the Teams threadSelected members, via a real Teams @mention
Task comment, no chipsTask and the Teams threadNo one directly (the post is still visible in the channel)
Thread reply with @AB ProjectsThe thread and the task’s commentsWhoever Teams itself notifies for thread replies
Thread reply without the mentionThe thread only — not recorded on the taskWhoever Teams itself notifies

Best practices

  • Mention only the people who need to act or weigh in — each chip is a real Teams notification.
  • Keep discussion on the task (or @AB Projects-mentioned thread replies) instead of plain channel chatter, so nothing detaches from the work record.
  • Glance at your selected chips before posting; it’s the difference between a useful ping and noise.

Comment where it’s convenient — the task and its Teams thread stay one conversation, and only the people you choose get pinged.

Published on 2025-07-07
Last updated on 2026-07-19
Version 8