Constant DMs and private threads kill deep work. You're always interrupting someone or being interrupted, never sure if you're in the loop. Cleariest changes this. Public-first channels mean fewer "quick questions," less FOMO, and more focused work time. Built-in mindfulness features help teams communicate intentionally. Result? Teams that collaborate openly, waste less time in information black holes. WARNING: this is an opinionated software and will bug you if you do things "wrong")
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Maker
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TL;DR: We built a team communication platform where public channels are the default, not the exception. Less friction, fewer silos and more mindfulness.
The Problem We're Solving
Ever been stuck waiting for a decision because two people discussed it in a private DM and forgot to share the outcome? Or spent 30 minutes explaining something that three other people already know, but the conversation was buried in a thread you weren't in?
Traditional team chat tools like Slack and Teams make it easy to create private channels and DMs, but that convenience comes at a cost: information silos, duplicated work, and teammates who feel out of the loop. Remote and hybrid teams suffer the most, if you're not in the right private channel, you're invisible.
What Makes Cleariest Different
Public-first by design. We flip the script on team communication. In Cleariest:
✅ Public channels are the default – The UI guides teams toward open discussions
✅ DMs exist, but they're de-emphasized – Use them when truly needed, not as the path of least resistance
✅ Everyone can discover conversations – No more "I didn't know that channel existed"
✅ Searchable knowledge base – Every discussion becomes findable, referenceable context
✅ Transparency metrics – See how openly your team communicates
Key Features
🚀 Real-time messaging with SignalR WebSockets
📝 Rich text with Markdown, code snippets, and file uploads
🔍 Full-text search across all accessible messages
🎯 Smart mentions & notifications – Stay informed without drowning
📊 Transparency dashboard – Track public vs. private communication patterns
🔒 Workspace isolation with Row-Level Security for bulletproof multi-tenancy
Who It's For
Remote-first teams tired of information black holes
Growing startups who want to build transparency into their culture from day one
Open-source communities and public-by-default organizations
Anyone who's ever said "I wish I'd known about this conversation earlier"
Tech Stack (for the curious)
Built with React + TypeScript, .NET 9.0, PostgreSQL with Row-Level Security, and SignalR for real-time updates.
Why We Built This
We believe the best decisions happen in the open. When teams default to transparency, new members onboard faster, cross-functional collaboration improves, and everyone feels included. Hidden conversations create friction, open ones build momentum.
Try Cleariest today and experience what team communication feels like when transparency is the foundation, not an afterthought.
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💎 Pixel perfection
@ola_halvorsen This is refreshingly opinionated. “Public-first by default” directly targets the real root cause of Slack fatigue: decisions disappearing into DMs and private channels, plus constant interruption and FOMO. I like that you’re not just building another chat app — you’re baking in norms (discoverability, searchable context, transparency metrics) that help teams stay in flow and onboard faster. Congrats on the launch — this feels especially valuable for remote-first teams who want to avoid information black holes 👏
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@ola_halvorsen This is surprisingly handy; I’ve already bookmarked it for daily use.
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@ola_halvorsen The "public-first" philosophy is a sharp and necessary critique of how modern team chat creates silos. Forcing transparency as the default is a bold, culture-shifting move.
A key adoption question: Since switching requires changing entire team habits, what's the primary entry point—is it teams frustrated by a specific "information black hole" incident, or leaders proactively wanting to build a transparent culture from the start?
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Slack works well enough from a technical perspective, but the way it's actually used on teams is frustrating and hurts productivity. If Cleariest can solve the problems of constant interruptions, context that should be fully shared but isn't, and end the expectation the people should drop what they're doing and immediately reply to messages, then that'll be a huge step forward in how teams function. Best of luck with this!
@ola_halvorsen This is refreshingly opinionated. “Public-first by default” directly targets the real root cause of Slack fatigue: decisions disappearing into DMs and private channels, plus constant interruption and FOMO.
I like that you’re not just building another chat app — you’re baking in norms (discoverability, searchable context, transparency metrics) that help teams stay in flow and onboard faster.
Congrats on the launch — this feels especially valuable for remote-first teams who want to avoid information black holes 👏
@ola_halvorsen This is surprisingly handy; I’ve already bookmarked it for daily use.
@ola_halvorsen
The "public-first" philosophy is a sharp and necessary critique of how modern team chat creates silos. Forcing transparency as the default is a bold, culture-shifting move.
A key adoption question: Since switching requires changing entire team habits, what's the primary entry point—is it teams frustrated by a specific "information black hole" incident, or leaders proactively wanting to build a transparent culture from the start?
Slack works well enough from a technical perspective, but the way it's actually used on teams is frustrating and hurts productivity. If Cleariest can solve the problems of constant interruptions, context that should be fully shared but isn't, and end the expectation the people should drop what they're doing and immediately reply to messages, then that'll be a huge step forward in how teams function. Best of luck with this!