> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.staffer.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Replies and the inbox

> How a candidate's reply finds its way back to you, and where to go read it.

A candidate can reply two ways: to your email, or from their application in Staffer. Either way, the reply lands in the same thread you messaged them from.

## One thread per candidate per job

Each candidate has exactly one thread per job. If the same person is in two of your jobs, they have two separate threads, one per job, even though it's the same person.

## The Messages page

Open **Messages** in the sidebar (it carries your unread count) to see every conversation across every job. The page splits in two: a thread list on the left, and the full candidate view on the right once you pick one. Before you pick one, the right side reads "No message open" / "Pick a conversation on the left to see the candidate, the thread, and the rest of their pipeline."

The list shows everyone currently active in a pipeline, **In review** or later, plus anyone you've ever exchanged messages with, even if they're now **Rejected** or **Withdrawn**. Each row shows the candidate's name (bold while unread), the job, a relative time, a one-line preview of the last message, an arrow icon for one you sent or a reply icon for one they sent, and an unread-count badge. Unread threads sort to the top, then by most recent activity.

**Filter** narrows the list two ways: by read status, unread or read, and by whether you've contacted them yet, contacted or not. With nothing in the list at all, it reads "No conversations yet. Outreach you send and replies you get land here." Filtered down to nothing, it reads "No threads match the current filter."

Opening a thread marks it read and takes you straight to that candidate's **Messages** tab.

## The reply Staffer drafts for you

When a candidate replies, Staffer starts drafting a reply for you in the background, within seconds. You won't find it sitting in the thread: it shows up pre-filled in the **Reply to their message** recommendation on the candidate's **Process** tab, ready for you to edit before you send it. If you open that recommendation before the draft is ready, it reads "Drafting a reply from their message…" until it is.

A reply also triggers a rescore in the background. See [When scores change](/companies/editing-and-rescoring).

## Notifications

To hear about a reply as soon as it lands, turn on **Notify me** for that job, from its **…** menu, and make sure **Candidate sent a message** is switched on for you in **Settings** → **Account** → **Notifications**. Notifications are scoped per job: turning on **Notify me** for one job doesn't cover any other.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why isn't the AI-drafted reply in the Messages tab?">
    It never appears in the thread. It's pre-filled into the **Reply to their message** recommendation on the **Process** tab instead, so you review it before it goes anywhere.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a reply change the candidate's match score?">
    Yes, it triggers a rescore in the background. See [When scores change](/companies/editing-and-rescoring).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does my teammate see a different unread count than me on the same candidate?">
    Unread is tracked per person, not shared across the workspace. Whether a thread looks unread depends only on what you personally haven't opened yet.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a candidate in two of my jobs reply into one shared thread?">
    No. Each job gets its own thread with that candidate, even if it's the same person replying from the same email address.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Message candidates" icon="message-square" href="/companies/message-candidates">
    Where you write, what the composer can do, and what sending changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="When scores change" icon="rotate-ccw" href="/companies/editing-and-rescoring">
    Every event that updates a candidate's match score.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>