Reply, React, Edit, Emoj, w/Read-Receipts: The New Messenger
The Messenger has been upgraded with seven new features that bring it from "basic chat" to a proper real-time communication tool. Here is everything that changed.
Discord Notifications for @Mentions
When someone @mentions you in a messenger conversation (direct or group), you now get a notification in the admin-notifications Discord channel. The format is the same privacy-first pattern used everywhere else -- it tells you who was tagged and where, but never includes message content.
This means even if you are away from the admin panel, you will know when someone needs your attention in a chat.
Reply to Messages
Hover over any message and click the reply arrow. A preview bar appears above the input showing who you are replying to and a snippet of their message. Send your reply and it appears with a linked reference to the original. Click the reference to scroll to and highlight the parent message.
This is essential for group chats where multiple conversations happen simultaneously. Instead of typing "re: what you said earlier about..." you can just reply directly.
Message Editing
Hover over your own message and click the pencil icon. Edit the text and confirm. The message updates in place and shows an (edited) tag. Mentions are re-resolved when you edit, so adding @someone in an edit works correctly.
Quick Reactions
Hover over any message and you will see three quick reaction buttons: thumbs up, heart, and laughing face. Click one to toggle your reaction. Reactions appear as badges below the message showing the emoji and count. Click a badge to add or remove your own reaction. Hover a badge to see who reacted.
This is great for acknowledging messages without cluttering the thread with "ok" and "thanks" replies.
Emoji Picker
The smiley face button next to the message input now opens a full emoji picker powered by PicMo. Search for any emoji, browse by category, or pick from your recently used. Click an emoji to insert it at your cursor position.
Sidebar Search
The search box in the messenger sidebar now filters your conversations in real-time as you type. Useful when you have many threads and need to find a specific person or group quickly.
Read Receipts
Your sent messages now show tiny avatar thumbnails underneath indicating who has read them. If five people are in a group chat and three have seen your message, you will see three small profile photos. This gives you at-a-glance confirmation that your message was received without needing a "did you see my message?" follow-up.
The data for this was already being tracked (mark-read) -- this upgrade simply surfaces it visually.
Quick Reference
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Reply to a message | Hover the message, click the reply arrow |
| React to a message | Hover the message, click a quick emoji (or any reaction badge to toggle) |
| Edit your message | Hover your message, click the pencil |
| Delete your message | Hover your message, click the trash |
| Insert emoji | Click the smiley face next to the message input |
| Search conversations | Type in the search box at the top of the sidebar |
| See who read your message | Look for tiny avatars below your sent messages |
Technical Notes
- Read receipts only appear on your own messages (you can't see who read other people's messages)
- Reactions are stored per-message and sync in real-time via WebSocket
- All Discord notifications use the privacy pattern: names and context only, never message content
- The emoji picker lazy-loads on first click so it doesn't affect page load time
-- Reginald