What is shared in a channel
A group chat, server channel, or thread is a shared conversation. People in that room see the same conversation history, and supported room settings affect everyone there. Your own account does not become the room's account. For the platform-specific steps, see Telegram, WhatsApp, and Channels.
Shared history and settings
Messages in the same room continue one conversation until someone starts a new one with /new. The command starts a fresh conversation for that channel; it does not create a new room in Telegram, WhatsApp, or the other platform.
Some controls, such as the model or display options, may change the shared room for everyone. Which controls are available and who may use them depends on the channel plugin and its access policy. On supported channels, shared controls may require the sender's policy to have administrator access. This is a channel permission, not proof that the person owns the Elowen instance.
A reply normally returns through the platform where the message arrived. Notifications from scheduled or other proactive events need a destination configured for that platform. A recurring task created in a private chat can instead return its result to that originating chat.
Your account and permissions
Each person's message uses that person's linked Elowen account. That account determines which projects and tools are available to the person. Being the person who opened the room, having a platform role, or matching a channel policy does not by itself grant access to another person's projects or tools.
An administrator access policy enables only the shared controls supported by that channel. It does not turn the sender into the instance owner or replace their linked account. If your access changes, ask the instance administrator to review both the channel policy and your linked account.
Direct chats and private context
A verified one-to-one chat is treated as direct and can use the linked person's account context. Each channel keeps its own conversation history. When the platform cannot establish that a chat is private, Elowen treats it as shared rather than assuming that its history is private.
Use /new when you want a clean conversation in the same room. Use /compact where supported to summarize a long conversation; it does not make the room private or change who can access the channel. For connection steps and access policy setup, see Connect a channel as an administrator.