Introduction
The Discourse project introduced Chat as a beta feature in late 2021. Since then, Chat has been integrated into the default stable release of Discourse and remains active on our forum.
Can I use it?
You might wonder: where exactly is this chat feature? Like Direct Messages (DMs), Chat becomes available only after reaching trust level 1 (TL1). You can achieve this level by actively participating on the forum for approximately 15 minutes.
This threshold helps protect our community from spammers and trolls. Chat and DMs present unique moderation challenges due to their rapid interaction pace and diverse conversation topics. By establishing a “trust but verify” approach to user intentions, we significantly simplify moderation efforts. Additionally, this gradual introduction of features prevents overwhelming new users with too many options at once, creating a more manageable learning curve. As you progress through higher trust levels, you’ll unlock additional capabilities.
Once you’ve attained TL1 status, you can access Chat 
Chat history
Channel chat histories automatically expire after 90 days. This policy exists because information inevitably gets lost in chat environments regardless of how well you organize them with bots or multiple channels—typically once messages scroll beyond the visible screen area. This intentional expiration encourages users to create dedicated topics for important discussions, ensuring information remains properly categorized and easily retrievable. If needed, you can preserve important chat conversations by converting them into permanent topics.
Note that only channel chats expire—personal chat histories remain permanent.
Move a chat into a topic
You can easily transform chat conversations into forum topics. This works for either individual messages or selected conversation segments. To begin, either long-press a message on touch-enabled devices or hover your cursor over a message with your mouse. Click the 3 dots that appear, then select select. After choosing all relevant messages, click quote to topic. This action opens a topic draft containing your selected messages as references, allowing you to create a permanent record of the conversation.