Inbox
The Inbox is an administrator-only view for announcements that need vCluster Platform operator attention. It collects platform-generated messages such as product update notices, license warnings, and feature availability warnings in one place.
Who can use the Inbox​
Only platform administrators can open the Inbox. Administrators can access it from the Inbox entry in the left navigation, just above the username. When unread announcements are available, the entry shows an unread count.
Users who aren't administrators don't see the Inbox entry in the left navigation. If they open the Inbox URL directly, the platform redirects them to the home page.
How the Inbox is populated​
The platform generates announcements based on version, license, and feature state. The UI polls for new announcements every 60 seconds. New unread announcements appear in the Inbox and update the unread count in the left navigation.
The Inbox can include:
| Announcement type | When it appears |
|---|---|
| Product update | A newer vCluster Platform version is available. |
| License announcement | The license server returns an announcement for the platform instance. |
| License limit warning | An offline license has reached 90% or more of a resource limit, such as an active or total resource count. |
| License expiration warning | An offline license is expired or expires within 90 days. |
| Feature warning | The platform detects use of a feature that is not included in the current license. |
Clear announcements​
Announcements are generated dynamically on each poll. When the platform detects that the underlying condition is resolved, the announcement is removed from the Inbox at the next 60-second poll. Administrators don't need to manually mark resolved announcements as read.
To clear a specific announcement, resolve the underlying condition:
- Upgrade vCluster Platform to clear product update announcements.
- Update or renew the license to clear license expiration and limit warnings.
- Disable unlicensed features or use a license tier that includes those features to clear feature warnings.
The Inbox does not support custom messages. You can add custom navigation items that link to your own announcement or support pages using custom branding, but these don't add messages to the Inbox.
Read and unread state​
The Inbox tracks whether each administrator has read an announcement. Opening an announcement marks it as read for the current administrator in the current browser. Administrators can also select Mark all as read from the Inbox toolbar.
Read state is stored in browser local storage. If an administrator changes browsers, clears browser storage, or uses a different device, previously read announcements can appear as unread again.
API access​
Administrators and roles with list access to announcements can retrieve Inbox announcement data through the platform API. Use this to integrate license and version alerts into external monitoring or alerting pipelines. Announcement objects belong to the management.loft.sh/v1 API group:
kubectl get announcements.management.loft.sh
There is no built-in webhook or email notification for new announcements.
For role-based access control (RBAC) details, see the Cluster Role Template resource documentation.