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Managing messages

Hoot provides several features to help you organize and manage your messages effectively.

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Inbox

Your inbox displays all received messages from allowed senders. Messages are shown in a table format with:
  • Sender - Display name or Nostr public key
  • Subject - Message subject line
  • Date - When the message was received
  • Thread count - Number of messages in the conversation
Click any message to open it in the thread view and see the full conversation. Hoot includes a powerful search feature to find messages quickly.
  1. Type your query in the search bar at the top of the window
  2. Search is debounced by 150ms for performance
  3. See live suggestions as you type (up to 8 results)
  4. Press Enter to see full search results
  5. Click any suggestion to jump directly to that message
// From search.rs:5-6
const DEBOUNCE_MS: u64 = 150;
const MAX_SUGGESTIONS: usize = 8;

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Search behavior

  • Search looks through message subjects and content
  • Results update automatically as you type
  • Use keyboard navigation (up/down arrows) to select suggestions
  • Clear search with the × button
  • Empty searches return you to the inbox
Search is optimized with debouncing - it waits 150ms after you stop typing before executing the query to avoid performance issues.

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Message requests

Messages from unknown senders (not in your contacts) appear in the Requests folder. This helps you control who can reach your inbox.

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Managing requests

1

View requests

Navigate to the Requests page from the sidebar to see messages from unknown senders.
2

Accept or reject

For each request, you can:
  • Accept - Moves the sender to “Allowed” status and the message to your inbox
  • Reject - Moves the sender to “Junked” status
3

Refresh

Click the Refresh button to check for new message requests.
// From requests.rs:38-39
let mut to_accept: Option<String> = None;
let mut to_reject: Option<String> = None;
The requests system uses a sender status database to track which senders are allowed, junked, or unknown. See Contacts for more on managing sender status.

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Junk

Messages from blocked senders are automatically filtered to the Junk folder.

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Unblocking senders

  1. Navigate to the Junk folder from the sidebar
  2. Find the sender you want to unblock
  3. Click Unblock to change their status from “Junked” to “Unknown”
  4. Future messages will appear in Requests instead of Junk
// From junk.rs:37
let mut to_unblock: Option<String> = None;
Junked messages remain accessible in the Junk folder but won’t appear in your inbox. Unblocking a sender doesn’t automatically move their old messages.

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Trash

Deleted messages are moved to the Trash folder where they can be restored or permanently deleted.

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Using trash

1

Delete a message

In any message view, delete the message to move it to trash. The message is recorded in the database but hidden from normal views.
2

Restore from trash

Navigate to Trash, find the message, and click Restore to return it to your inbox.
3

Permanently delete

Click Delete in the trash view to permanently remove the message. This creates a Nostr deletion event.
4

Auto-purge

Trash is automatically purged after 30 days. Messages older than this are permanently deleted.
// From trash.rs:38-39
let mut to_restore: Option<String> = None;
let mut to_delete: Option<String> = None;
The trash system uses Nostr deletion events (kind 5) to mark messages as deleted. These events are broadcasted to relays when you permanently delete a message.

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Drafts

Drafts are automatically saved when you compose messages, allowing you to return to them later.

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Working with drafts

  1. Auto-save - Drafts are saved automatically as you compose
  2. View drafts - Navigate to the Drafts folder to see all saved drafts
  3. Resume editing - Click a draft to open it in the compose window
  4. Delete drafts - Remove drafts you no longer need
The drafts table shows:
  • Subject
  • Recipients (To field)
  • Last modified time
  • Actions (edit/delete)
// From drafts_page.rs:37-38
let mut draft_to_delete: Option<i64> = None;
let mut draft_to_open: Option<db::Draft> = None;
Drafts are stored in the local encrypted database and are never sent to relays until you explicitly send the message.

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Refresh buttons

Each message view (Inbox, Requests, Junk, Trash, Drafts) has a Refresh button to reload the message list from the database. Use this to:
  • Check for new messages received via relays
  • Update after making changes in another window
  • Ensure you’re seeing the latest state

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Next steps

  • Learn about thread views for reading conversations
  • Manage your contacts to control inbox access
  • Configure settings like relays and profile information

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