> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.clearfeed.ai/clearfeed-help-center/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.clearfeed.ai/clearfeed-help-center/clearfeed-helpdesk/merging-and-split.md). # Merging & Split ## Merging & Split Handling support requests in Slack can quickly become overwhelming. Customers often: * Send messages in rapid bursts * Change topics mid-thread * Follow up without clear context This fragmentation makes it difficult for support teams to track issues, prioritize responses, and maintain continuity in conversations. To tackle this issue - ClearFeed offers powerful primitives to autmatically merge messages in Slack using AI and also enables users to manually Split and Merge requests to manage customer conversations better. ## Automatic Merging ClearFeed offers **two powerful automatic merging capabilities** to merge related adjacent conversations: * **Rule-Based Merging** * **AI-Based Merging** Note that whether automatic merging of messages is enabled for your account depends on the product edition and ticketing configuration as [listed here](#status). ### Rule-Based Automatic Merging {% hint style="warning" %} **Important:** Rule-Based Merging is not the default and (unless specifically opted-in) applies to some Slack Channel Collections created before March, 2025 {% endhint %} Rule-Based Merging uses a set of deterministic rules to decide when consecutive messages should be grouped into a single request. This ensures related updates stay together, improving context and reducing clutter. Messages are grouped if they meet these conditions: * **Same Author**: Consecutive messages from the same person within a short window (default: 5 minutes) * **Continuation Cues**: Phrases like “but,” “otherwise,” or “on the other hand” in the beginning of a message **Example** A customer might write in 3 different messages on a Slack Request Channel in rapid succession: > “Unable to access your application.” “We’re getting a 503 error.” “Any update on this?” Without merging, these could appear as separate requests. With Rule-Based Merging, they’re automatically grouped into one Request. Because Rule-based merging uses a small set of continuation cues and timing heuristics - it applies less often in real-life usage (but is highly accurate when it does). Users can select Rule-Based merging by contacting ClearFeed Support if they feel AI-Based merging is too aggressive for their use case. ### AI-Based Automatic Merging While Rule-Based Merging handles straightforward cases well, it can miss the subtle ways users continue conversations. ClearFeed’s **AI-Based Merging** enhances context tracking by applying an intelligent model on top of existing rules. The AI model identifies when messages are contextually related—even if they're delayed, or don't match continuation cues described previously. Key capabilities include: 1. **Pronoun & Entity References:** Understands vague continuations like * “Let me check that.” * “Any update on this? * “Still investigating it.” 2. **Indirect Continuity:** Detects when a new participant joins but continues the same topic: * “Looking into this now.” 3. **Follow-Up & Resolution Cues:** Recognizes acknowledgments and contextual replies: * “Got it, that solved the issue.” * “Here’s the version: v2.1.0” * “Uploading the screenshot now.” 4. **Urgency & Escalation Detection:** Identifies urgency even when the issue isn’t restated: * Original: “We’re facing some issues with our prod cluster.” * Follow-up: “This is quite urgent, could someone please check!!!” {% hint style="warning" %} **Important:** To prevent reviving old threads unnecessarily, AI-Based automatic merging applies a **3-day cutoff**. Any message sent more than three days after the last activity will start a new request, even if it seems related. {% endhint %}

Messages in Request channel

### Automatic Merge Settings in Your ClearFeed Account * **Rule-Based Merging** maybe active for older collections created before March, 2025. * **AI-Based Merging** follows the default behavior outlined below. If you'd like to override these defaults, please contact the ClearFeed support team. * For **Internal Helpdesk** and **Integrations** product editions, AI-based merging is **turned off by default**. * For **External Helpdesks** * **With automatic ticketing** (whether filing Tickets to ClearFeed or External systems like Zendesk, Freshdesk et al), AI-based merging is **turned off by default**. * **If ticketing is disabled, or manual ticketing is enabled** – AI-based merging is **turned on by default**. {% hint style="info" %} UI configuration is not yet available; all changes are managed by ClearFeed team. If you'd like to switch merging modes or disable merging to ensure a 1:1 mapping between Slack threads and ClearFeed tickets, contact the ClearFeed support team. {% endhint %} ### Splitting Unrelated Messages Merging helps keep context together, but sometimes, customers report **unrelated issues** in a single burst. Automatically merging such messages could create confusion. To solve this, ClearFeed supports **Request Splitting**. With **Request Splitting**, agents can manually separate unrelated messages into distinct requests. This ensures each issue: * Has its own clear thread * Can be assigned and resolved independently * Is tracked without context bleed #### **When You Can Split a Message** * You can split a message into a new request **only if it is a parent message (not a reply)** on the Slack Channel. * The **Split** button is visible **only when no ticket/task** (e.g., ClearFeed, Jira, Asana) **has been filed for that request**. #### **When You Cannot Split a Message** * If a request has a linked task (Jira, Linear, etc.) it cannot be split. * Once a story is marked **Not a Request**, older DMs cannot be split—even if the story is later converted into a request. * You can split a message into a new request **only if it is a parent message** (not a reply). * The **Split** button is visible only when no ticket/task (e.g., ClearFeed, Jira, Asana) has been filed for that request. #### How to Use the Split Functionality **From Slack** 1. Open the request thread in the triage channel. 2. On the merged customer message, look for the note and the **Split** button. 3. Click **Split**. 4. ClearFeed will create a new independent request for the messages in that thread. The image below shows an example of request with merged messages. The Split button is shown next to the first merged message. Click on it would create a separate request out of the merged message - which would show up separately on Triage channels and ClearFeed WebApp dashboards.
**From ClearFeed WebApp** 1. Open the request in the ClearFeed WebApp. 2. On the merged customer message, look for the note and the **Split** button. 3. Click **Split**. 4. ClearFeed will create a new independent request for the messages in that thread. The image below shows an example of request with merged messages. The Split button is shown next to the merged message. Click on it would create a separate request out of the merged message - which would show up separately on Triage channels and ClearFeed WebApp dashboard.\\
### Manual Merging of Requests While automatic merging provides a great default experience - users may sometimes want to merge Requests not merged by automatic merging. Others may choose to disable automatic merging (or use the less aggressive Rule Based Merging) and may want to merge requests manually when required. For these purposes - ClearFeed offers users the ability to merge messages manually. #### When You Can Merge a Request * You can merge a request into a new/old request only from the parent message of a thread (not a reply inside it). * The Merge functionality is available only when no ticket/task (e.g., ClearFeed, Jira, Asana, Zendesk) has been filed for both the source and target request. * Merging is allowed only when both the source and the target request belong to the same collection and are in the same channel. #### When You Cannot Merge a Message * ClearFeed requests that originate from non-Slack sources (such as WebChat, Email, or the Portal) cannot be used for manual merging, either as the source or as the target of the merge operation. * A request created in one Slack channel cannot be merged with a request created in another Slack channel. * Merging cannot be performed if an AI Agent session is currently active for either the source or the target request. #### How to Use the Manual Merge Functionality **From Slack Triage Channel** 1. Open the request thread in Triage and click on **More Actions** > **Scroll Down** > Under **Other Actions** > Select **Merge into Another Request**. 2. Next, select the **Target Request**, the request you want to merge the given request into. 3. Click on **Merge**.
**From ClearFeed WebApp** 1. Open the request in the ClearFeed WebApp and then click on the **Three Dots (More Actions)** on the right side panel. 2. Click on **Merge into Another Request**. 3. Select the **Target Request**, the request you want to merge the given request into. 4. Click on **Merge**.
#### Manual Merge Behavior * **Reactions:** Reactions from the source request and its messages are not synced to the target request. * **Assignment:** The target request's assignment is not changed by the merge. If the source request had an assignee and the target is unassigned, the target remains unassigned and requires manual re-assignment. * **Thread Replies:** When a request (the source) is merged into another request (the target), replies added to the source thread in the request channel will now appear in the target thread, since the source has been merged and is no longer separate. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.clearfeed.ai/clearfeed-help-center/clearfeed-helpdesk/merging-and-split.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.