# Notifications and emails

> What triggers a notification, how subscriptions decide who receives it, and how to set preferences and email digests.

Open your [inbox](https://tangled.org/notifications) to read your notifications; the bell in the header shows the unread count.

There are two categories to notifications, **work** and **social**. Things that might need your attention typically go into the **work** category, a new issue notification for example. Events such as stars and follows are categorized as **social**.

## Subscriptions

In addition to default notifications, you can subscribe to repositories, issues and pull requests to be notified on status changes:

* **Watch** on a repository page subscribes you to the whole repository: new issues, new pull requests, and every comment.
* **Subscribe** on an issue or pull request subscribes you to that thread.
* Opening an issue or pull request, or commenting on one, subscribes you to that thread automatically.

## Email digests

With **Email notifications** on, Tangled batches unread work notifications (new issues and pull requests, comments, mentions) into a digest email. It waits about ten minutes after an event before sending, so bursts of activity arrive as one message. Stars, follows, and invites stay in the web inbox.

Digests go only to your **verified primary** email. Add and verify one under **Settings → Emails** first: Tangled sends a verification link, and the address shows as verified once you open it. Without a verified primary address, no email is sent.