---
title: "Group conversations — Messages for Laravel | Roundly"
description: "Start named group threads, set public and join flags, and add, remove or let participants leave."
url: https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/messages-for-laravel/group-conversations
language: en
---

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[Messages for Laravel](https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/messages-for-laravel.md)

# Group conversations

Messages::start() sets the name, publicity and participants in one chain. The first participant in the list becomes the thread’s owner, everyone else joins as a member:

```php
use RoundlyConsulting\Messages\Facades\Messages;

$thread = Messages::start('Project X')
    ->public()                 // ->private(), ->direct()
    ->everyoneCanJoin()
    ->withParticipants([$alice, $bob, $carol])   // $alice becomes the owner
    ->create();

Messages::send($thread, $alice, 'Welcome everyone');
```

## From the model

The HasMessaging trait is shorthand over the same manager — startConversationWith() makes the calling model the owner:

```php
$thread = $alice->startConversationWith([$bob, $carol], name: 'Project X');
$alice->sendMessageTo($thread, 'Welcome everyone');

$alice->threads();        // every thread $alice is in, newest activity first
$alice->conversations();  // alias of threads() with a chat-inbox name
$alice->unreadThreads();  // only threads with unread messages
$dave->joinThread($thread);  // only when the thread is open to everyone
```

## Public threads and join rules

Group threads carry two flags, is\_public and everyone\_can\_join. When a caller does not set them, they default to publicity.public-by-default and publicity.everyone-can-join (THREADS\_PUBLIC and THREADS\_EVERYONE\_CAN\_JOIN). is\_public decides the broadcast channel for a new thread and which threads Messages::threads() lists for everyone.

joinThread() is a self-join: it is allowed only on a thread created with ->everyoneCanJoin() (or with publicity.everyone-can-join on) and throws an UnauthorizedMessagingAction otherwise — direct threads are never open. For someone who is already in the thread it is a no-op returning their row. To bring someone into a closed thread, a manager adds them.

## Adding and removing participants

Participant changes go through the thread’s participants() handle. Pass by: to enforce roles; omit it for trusted server-side code:

```php
use RoundlyConsulting\Messages\Enums\ParticipantRole;
use RoundlyConsulting\Messages\Facades\Messages;

$participants = Messages::thread($thread)->participants();

// $alice (the owner) adds Dave as an admin — a role above member needs the owner
$participants->add($dave, ParticipantRole::Admin, by: $alice);

// $alice removes Carol — takes a role above Carol's
$participants->remove($carol, by: $alice);

// Bob leaves on his own — no role needed (the owner hands over first)
$participants->leave($bob);
```

Adding someone who is already a participant never creates a second row: add() returns their existing Participant unchanged — no event, no system message, no role change (use setRole() for that). Someone who left and is added to a group thread again gets a fresh row; a direct thread takes no one new (see Direct messages). Every method accepts the participating model or its Participant row; a row from another thread throws a ParticipationException.

Every new join and every leave touches the thread’s last\_activity\_at, fires ParticipantJoined or ParticipantLeft, and — with system messages enabled — writes a system message. Removing a model that is not in the thread throws ParticipationException::notAParticipant(), and the owner cannot leave while anyone else is still in the thread — they transfer ownership first (see Roles & permissions). The owner may leave last; whoever joins next becomes the owner.

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