# Forum topics

# Forum topics

A feed or follow automation can route its messages into a forum topic of its group, instead of General.

## The two topic kinds: Alerts and Lists

*Topic kinds*

| Kind | Dashboard label | What lands there |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alerts | follow: New Follower Alerts · feed: New Post Alerts | Every announce and, for feed, the recap. |
| Lists | Follower Lists (follow only) | Follower-list messages and the JSON file. |

A kind left unset routes to the group's General.

## How the bot knows a topic

The bot learns a topic's name when it sees the topic created, renamed, or posted in. Topic id `1` is General.

The Topics popup lists every topic the bot has seen for the group ("tap one to use it"), or you can type a topic id and let the popup check it.

The popup also says whether topics are turned on in the group. Routing only works when they are.

## When a topic is missing

> **No fallback to General**
>
> A topic that no longer exists — deleted, or never valid — does not fall back to General. The message fails and nothing reaches the group.

Nothing tells the owner; the post is not retried.

Re-point the automation at a valid topic, or clear it back to General, in the Topics popup.

## Setting a topic

The Topics button — a speech-bubble icon, next to Edit — on each automation's card opens the popup for that automation: the group's title, a dropdown of the kinds the automation offers, and the current topic for each kind with a clear control.

#### Set a topic for one automation

1. Open the automation's card and click the Topics button.
2. Pick a kind from the dropdown — the kinds offered depend on the automation's type.
3. Tap a topic from "Topics the bot has seen", or type its id.
4. Repeat for any other kind.
5. Save.

#### Set topics for every following tracker in one group at once

1. Click the gear icon ("Group topic settings") next to the automations list.
2. Pick Following Tracker — the only type this flow covers.
3. Pick the group, from the forum groups that already contain a following tracker.
4. Assign kinds as above, or click "Clear topic settings" to reset them all.
5. Save.