Area: Settings
Path: /settings or via Ctrl+. / Cmd+.
Overview
The Settings area contains all configuration options for Sparks. Settings are divided into sections; each section appears as its own tab or block.
Sections Overview
| Section | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| General | Language, date, time, numbers, Getting started |
| Files & Links | Office editing (browser/desktop), WebDAV |
| Appearance | Theme, colors, font, density |
| Chat | Message format, emojis, read receipts, Element/Matrix calls |
| Notifications | Desktop, display, chats and channels, time range |
| Apps | Marketplace, installed apps |
| AI Assistant | Agent name, provider, API key, response language |
| Privacy | Do Not Disturb, priority contacts, E2EE, optional services |
| Provider Accounts & Organisations | Connect calendar, contacts, tasks, storage |
| Security | Encryption, devices, key backup |
| Accessibility | Live captions, statement, feedback |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | View and customize shortcuts |
| Further notes | OS assistive tech, links |
| Account | Microsoft, Matrix, sign out |
General
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Language | English, German | Application display language |
| Date Format | US (MM/DD/YYYY), European (DD/MM/YYYY) | Date display format |
| Time Format | 12h (AM/PM), 24h | Time display |
| First Day of Week | Monday, Sunday | Start of calendar week |
| Number Format | US, European | Decimal and thousand separators |
Getting started (onboarding)
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Reset onboarding | Show checklist, welcome dialog, intent question, app tour, and empty-area hints again |
| Start app tour | Guided tour of navigation, search, profile |
| Module tours | Optional: restart Calendar, Calls, Planner, or Activity tour |
Details: Getting started & onboarding
Files & Links
For Files tabs with WebDAV/Nextcloud:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Office editing | Automatic, desktop app (check out/in), or browser editor (Collabora/Eurooffice/Office Online) |
| Preferred desktop editor | Which app opens when checking out |
Details: Editing files (WebDAV)
Appearance
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | Light, Dark, System | Color scheme; "System" follows OS |
| Brand Color | Color palette | Accent color for buttons and highlights |
| Font Size | Small, Normal, Large | Base font size |
| Density | Compact, Normal, Comfortable | Spacing and line height |
| Separate Matrix and Microsoft | On/Off | Sidebar: Matrix and Microsoft apps in separate groups |
Chat
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Message Format | Rich text, Plain text | Formatting in messages |
| Emoji Skin Tone | Default, 1–5 | Default emoji skin tone |
| Read Receipts | On/Off | Show when messages were read |
| Typing Indicators | On/Off | Show "X is typing…" |
Element / Matrix native calls (federated callers)
Under Chats and channels you can configure behavior for calls from Element or other Matrix clients (not for Sparks-native calls via the chat call button).
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Element / Matrix native calls (legacy VoIP) | Reject and suggest Sparks · Notify only | Applies to older Matrix calls (m.call.invite): auto-decline with chat hint or desktop notification only (answer in Element) |
| Respond to Element Call (MatrixRTC) | On/Off (default: off) | Modern Element Call ring events (m.rtc.notification): when on with “Reject”, Sparks sends a protocol decline and optional chat message; with “Notify only”, desktop alert without decline. When off, no reaction to MatrixRTC |
More detail: Element Call and federation
Notifications
How notifications look in Sparks (Teams-style)
Messages, @mentions, and meeting reminders appear as in-app toasts (Teams-like cards with Sparks icon, sender, and optional actions such as Join meeting).
| Platform / situation | Behavior |
|---|---|
| App in foreground (web, desktop, mobile) | Toast stack at the position you choose in settings (window corner) |
| Desktop app in background (Tauri) | Dedicated overlay window with the same toast UI (not native OS cards for chat/meetings) |
| Web/PWA in background | OS/browser notification (fallback), if permitted |
Incoming Sparks calls do not use these toasts; they use the incoming call dialog. While a call is ringing, message/meeting toasts are suppressed.
Technical reference (Vistameet-Teams): docs/KONZEPT_DESKTOP_BENACHRICHTIGUNGEN.md.
Display
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop Notifications | On/Off | Notifications for messages and meeting reminders (in-app toasts or OS fallback in background). Sparks calls use the call dialog. On the desktop app (Tauri), chat/meeting toasts work without system notification permission (Teams-style in-app + overlay) |
| Background push notifications | On/Off (default: On) | Matrix push when the app is closed or in background (Web Push / mobile FCM). Requires push gateway on the server (Sygnal). Can be disabled server-wide via config.json |
| Message Preview | On/Off | Show message content preview in notifications |
| Show During Calls | On/Off | Show notifications even during active calls |
| Show When Tab Not Visible | On/Off (default: On) | Show notifications when the app is in background or tab is not visible |
| Ring on mobile when Busy or Do not disturb | On/Off | Incoming calls: default On – play ringtone on phone/tablet even when your status is Busy/Do not disturb. Off matches desktop (dialog may still show; no ringtone). |
| Close After | 5, 10, 30 seconds | Auto-close for in-app toasts |
| Position | Bottom right, Top right, Bottom left, Top left | Corner for in-app toasts (foreground) |
| Size | Comfortable, Compact | In-app toast size |
Chats and Channels
Per category you can choose when notifications appear:
| Category | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chat Messages | Off, Show in banner, Show in Activity and Banner | Direct messages |
| @Mentions | Off, Show in banner, Show in Activity and Banner | Mentions in chats/channels |
| Replies to Followed Threads | Off, Show in banner, Show in Activity and Banner | Replies to threads you follow in Sparks (not every thread reply) |
| Reactions | Off, Show in banner, Show in Activity and Banner | Likes and reactions on your messages (desktop banner + optional activity feed) |
| Channel Posts | Off, Show in banner, Show in Activity and Banner | New posts in channels |
- Off: No notification
- Show in banner: Desktop notification (popup) only
- Show in Activity and Banner: Notification + entry in Activity page
Activity Time Range
Under "Activity Time Range" you set how many days back the Activity page and AI Assistant consider events (e.g. 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 90 days).
Email notifications (calendar & chat)
In the Activity tab (formerly "Notifications") you will find Calendar notifications with optional emails to your account address (default: off). Your operator must configure SMTP on the server.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Receive calendar invites by email too | In addition to in-app notification: email with ICS attachment for calendar invites |
| Email reminder for open chat invites | One reminder after ~24 hours if a Matrix room invite is still pending |
| Missed chat messages by email | Digest of unread Matrix and MS Teams chats when you were away from Sparks (similar to Teams "Missed activity emails") |
| Frequency (when chat email is enabled) | As soon as possible, every 10 minutes, hourly (default), every 8 hours, daily, or off |
Quick reply: When enabled by your operator, the digest email includes Reply links (web page /missed-message-reply) and optionally an Outlook card for inline reply. Matrix replies are sent via an operator bot; MS chats open Sparks to reply.
Apps
A marketplace is planned where MS Teams apps can be reused with minimal changes. Developers can find guides at docs.sparks.team/developer.
AI Assistant
The AI Assistant (/assistant) is an AI-powered chat assistant for calendar, contacts, and tasks.
In settings you can configure:
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Assistant | On/Off | Enable or disable the AI assistant |
| Agent Name | Text | Name shown for the assistant in chat |
| Credential Storage | Local, Proxy | Store API key locally in browser or server-side (Proxy) |
| Provider | OpenAI, Anthropic, … | LLM provider and model |
| API Key | (entered) | API key for the provider |
| Response Language | Follow UI, Fixed | Language of responses (UI language or fixed) |
| Confirm Write Actions | On/Off | Confirm before creating events or tasks |
Platform AI vs. your own API key
| Mode | Billing / quota |
|---|---|
| Your own API key (credential storage: Local or Proxy) | Usage billed by the provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, …) — no Sparks organization quota |
| Platform credentials (operator-hosted proxy) | Usage counts against your organization's monthly AI token quota |
When platform quota is exhausted, Sparks shows a recovery dialog (buy prepaid pack, add your own API key, contact team admin). Admins see usage and quota under Account → Team → AI usage.
Affected features include: AI Assistant, meeting transcript summary, and translation (when platform credentials are active).
Privacy
All privacy options with details: Privacy Help
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Do Not Disturb | Who can reach you when "Do Not Disturb" is on? |
| Manage Priority Contacts | Priority contacts receive notifications even when Do Not Disturb |
| Manage Blocked Contacts | Block/unblock contacts |
| Set Do Not Disturb when screen sharing | Auto Do Not Disturb when sharing screen |
| Block calls without caller ID | Block unknown callers |
| Surveys | Participate in polls in chats/channels |
| Advanced Diagnostic Data | Store additional debug data |
| Identify me in attendance reports | Name in meeting attendance reports |
| End-to-End Encrypted Calls | E2EE for 1:1 calls (both must enable) |
| Optional Connected Experiences | Giphy, URL preview, etc. |
| Keyboard shortcut to unmute | Option+Space / Alt+Space in meeting |
| Presence (server) | With server aggregator only: calendar/MS import, external sharing, calendar vs. manual priority – see Presence and status |
Provider Accounts & Organisations
Connect external services here. See Data Backends for details.
| Category | Providers | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar | Microsoft, Nextcloud (CalDAV), Open-Xchange | Events merged |
| Contacts | Microsoft, Nextcloud (CardDAV), Open-Xchange | Contacts merged |
| Tasks | Microsoft Planner, Nextcloud, Open-Xchange | Tasks merged |
| Storage | Microsoft OneDrive, WebDAV | File upload/access |
Default Provider: When multiple accounts are connected, set a default; new entries are created there by default.
Security
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Encryption Status | Matrix E2EE status (auto/manual) |
| Device Management | View all devices, sign out devices |
| Key Backup | Create backup, restore, view recovery key |
| Cross-Signing | Device verification status |
| Profile | Quick access to user profile |
Accessibility
Path: Settings → Accessibility tab · in-app statement: /accessibility
Full help page: Accessibility.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Identify me in live captions | Show your name on your caption lines or use a neutral “Speaker” label — live overlay and transcript |
| Always show subtitles | Show live captions when the meeting starts, when captions are available |
| Accessibility statement | Link to the public statement (WCAG, EN 301 549, EAA) |
| Feedback | Form to report barriers (email to support) |
Starter/Free plan: Live transcription is a short demo only (typically the first 10 minutes after connecting); the settings above apply only while captions are running. On paid plans they apply whenever captions are available.
Readability and contrast: Appearance; keyboard: Keyboard Shortcuts and the “Skip to main content” link in the app shell.
Further accessibility notes
Readability and control are also tied to Appearance, Notifications, and Privacy (meeting unmute shortcut). OS screen readers and magnifiers apply to the whole app. See Accessibility – help page and User Manual – Accessibility.
Keyboard Shortcuts
- View all available shortcuts
- Customize shortcuts (if supported)
Key Shortcuts:
- Ctrl+K / Cmd+K: Search / command palette
- Ctrl+. / Cmd+.: Settings
- Ctrl+Shift+M / Cmd+Shift+M: Focus message input
Account
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Account | View/manage connected account |
| Matrix Account | Matrix account info |
| Sign Out | Sign out of all accounts |