Workspace admins
Security settings
Open Settings in the admin console. Some settings can be changed only by an owner. Every change is recorded in the audit log, and you are asked to confirm it's you.
| Setting | What it does | Default | Allowed values | Who |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workspace name | The name shown to your team | as created | up to 80 characters | Admin |
| Max file size | Largest upload | 50 MB | 1 to 100 MB | Admin |
| Allowed countries | People can only connect from these countries | United States | one or more | Owner |
| Session idle time | Signed out after this long unused | 7 days (168 hours) | 1 to 720 hours | Owner |
| Session length | Signed out after this long no matter what | 30 days | 1 to 90 days | Owner |
| Guest idle time | Same, for guests | 12 hours | 1 to 72 hours | Owner |
| Guest session length | Same, for guests | 7 days | 1 to 30 days | Owner |
| Confirmation window | How long "confirm it's you" lasts | 15 minutes | 5 to 60 minutes | Owner |
| Second step at sign-in | Everyone also needs a passkey, authenticator app or recovery code after the email code | Off | On or off | Owner |
| Passkeys required for admins | Owners and admins must use passkeys | Off | On or off | Owner |
| Retention | How long to keep messages | Forever | Forever, or 30 to 3,650 days | Owner |
| Message text in notifications | Show message text in notifications | On | On or off | Admin |
| Calls enabled | Turn calls on or off for the workspace | On | On or off | Owner |
| Guests can join calls | Let guests join calls in their channels | On | On or off | Owner |
| Relay-only calls | Hide people's network addresses from each other in calls | On | On or off | Owner |
| Longest call | Calls end automatically after this long | 240 minutes | 5 to 720 minutes | Owner |
The screen shows owner-only fields with a lock and Owners only. Admins see them read-only.
On screen the names are: Workspace name, Allowed countries, Sign out after inactivity (hours), Longest session (days), Guest inactivity (hours), Guest longest session (days), Admin confirmation lasts (minutes), Require a second step at sign-in, Admins must use a passkey, Largest file (MB), Keep messages for (days), Show message text in notifications, Calls enabled, Guests can join calls, Relay-only calls (hide IP addresses) and Longest call (minutes). Click Save changes (or Discard changes) and confirm in Change security settings?.
Allowed countries
CM Chat blocks connections from countries not on your list. If the country cannot be worked out, the connection is blocked. To change the list:
- Go to Settings, then Where people can sign in from.
- Use Search countries to add or remove countries.
- Click Save changes.
You cannot save a list that excludes the country you are in right now, because that would lock you out. Travelers should be added before they go. If everyone is locked out, email hello@cmchat.app.
Second step at sign-in
Off (the default): the 8-digit code we email is enough to sign in on any device. That is simple, but anyone who can read a member's email inbox can sign in as that member. On: after the email code, everyone also needs a passkey, an authenticator app code or a recovery code, set up on each device they use. Admin actions always need a passkey or authenticator app, whichever you choose here.
Passkeys required for admins
When on, owners and admins must sign in with a passkey. You must have registered a passkey on your own account first, or CM Chat will refuse to turn it on.
Retention
Retention is the number of days messages are kept. When you set a number of days, CM Chat deletes older messages automatically, once a day (early morning UTC). "Forever" keeps everything.
- What is deleted: messages older than the period, together with their replies, reactions, mentions, search entries and attached files. Deleted files are removed from storage too.
- Threads: a thread is kept until its newest reply is older than the period, then the whole thread is deleted together. A recent reply keeps the older messages in its thread.
- What is kept: the audit log is never deleted by retention. Channels and members are not affected.
- Large clean-ups: each daily run deletes a limited amount, so a workspace with a very large backlog is cleared over several days.
- Record of each run: every day that retention deletes something, the audit log gets a "retention run" entry with the counts.
- Backups: deleted data can remain in backups (kept for 30 days or less) and in short-term recovery copies for a little longer, until those copies expire.
Deleted messages cannot be restored by CM Chat. Shortening the period deletes older messages at the next daily run, so check the number before you save.
Session lengths
Shorter lengths are more secure and more annoying. Guests default shorter on purpose.