# Manage notifications

Catena will notify admins about transactions, approval requests, and agents
connecting to the organization. You can choose how you receive these
notifications under **Settings → My notifications** in the console.

Only admins receive these organization notifications. Your preferences apply to
you in the current organization and do not change anyone else's settings.

## Notification categories

Email is on by default, and Slack is off. You can choose a channel for each of
the following categories:

| Category     | Covers                                                                    | Email              | Slack     |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | --------- |
| Transactions | Deposits, payments sent, transfers, and payments that did not go through. | Always on.         | Optional. |
| Approvals    | Requests that need an admin to review them.                               | Can be turned off. | Optional. |
| Agents       | An agent connecting to your organization.                                 | Can be turned off. | Optional. |

Transaction email receipts are required for compliance and cannot be turned off.
Other emails, including welcome messages, verification results, organization
status notices, and team membership updates, are sent separately and are not
controlled by these three categories.

## Email

Catena will send email to the address shown under **My notifications**, which is
your Catena account email. Each admin can turn off their own approval and agent
emails or keep email on alongside Slack.

## Connect Slack

Catena will deliver Slack notifications as direct messages. An admin connects
the Slack workspace once, then each person links their own Slack account and
chooses which categories to receive.

To set up Slack, open **Settings → My notifications** and follow these steps:

1. An admin chooses **Connect Slack** and authorizes Catena in the workspace. If
   Slack requires approval from a workspace admin, connect again after they
   approve the app.
2. Each person chooses **Link your Slack account** and signs in to the connected
   workspace. If you installed the app and see **Confirm your Slack account**,
   confirm that the displayed account is yours.
3. Turn on **Slack** for the categories you want to receive. Connecting the
   workspace alone does not turn on Slack notifications.

Linking a Slack account does not change who receives notifications. Only admins
will receive the organization notifications listed above.

## Sandbox

The [sandbox](https://docs.catena.com/sandbox.md) sends notifications by email only. Slack notifications
are not available there.

## Related

- [Handle approvals](https://docs.catena.com/approvals.md): Learn what goes to the approvals queue, who can approve, when requests expire, and what happens between an approval and a completed payment.
- [Team and roles](https://docs.catena.com/team.md): The three roles in a Catena organization, what each one can do, and how operators and admins divide the work.
- [Sandbox](https://docs.catena.com/sandbox.md): A separate organization that runs on test money, where you can connect an agent, write a policy, and test payments before you move real money.