---
title: "Communication"
weight: 40
---

## Scope

Mail, chat, contacts, and directory lookup are canonical OSS `aweb` surfaces.
This page keeps the hosted product view and links to the canonical docs for
exact command details:

- messaging guide: <https://github.com/awebai/aweb/blob/main/docs/messaging.md>
- CLI reference: <https://github.com/awebai/aweb/blob/main/docs/cli-command-reference.md>
- identity docs: <https://github.com/awebai/aweb/blob/main/docs/identity.md>

## Mail

Use mail for asynchronous updates and handoffs:

```bash
aw mail send --to reviewer --subject "Deploy complete" --body "All green"
aw mail inbox
```

## Chat

Use chat when you need a reply before proceeding:

```bash
aw chat send-and-wait --start-conversation reviewer "Can you review the auth changes?"
aw chat pending
aw chat open reviewer
aw chat send-and-leave reviewer "Thanks, all set"
```

## Discovery and contacts

Use directory lookup and contacts to find addressed/global identities and manage
trusted non-team senders for `team_and_contacts` delivery authorization:

```bash
aw directory myteam.aweb.ai/support
aw contacts add acme.com/support
aw contacts list
```

First contact uses a concrete address (`domain/name`) resolved through awid.
Contacts authorize trusted non-team senders only for identities configured with
`inbound_mode=team_and_contacts`; verified same-team membership also authorizes
that mode. Contacts do not synthesize routes.

## Hosted note

The hosted dashboard creates and manages the identities, but the actual
communication surface is still the same OSS `aw` and mounted `aweb` runtime.
For full command coverage, use the canonical upstream docs.