> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/ai-sre/ai-sre-for-incident-responders/respond-to-active-incidents/use-the-incident-timeline.md).

# Use the Incident Timeline

The incident timeline is a chronological record of everything that happens during an incident, automated actions, status changes, runbook executions, key events, and messages from responders.

It serves as both a coordination tool during the incident and a permanent audit trail after resolution.

### View the timeline <a href="#view-the-timeline" id="view-the-timeline"></a>

To open the timeline for an incident, follow these steps:

1. Open the **Incident Details** page.
2. Click the **Timeline** tab.
3. Scroll through events in chronological order.

The timeline automatically captures:

* Status changes
* Field updates
* Runbook execution start, progress, and completion
* Key events
* Alert correlations
* Paging and acknowledgment activity

***

### Post messages <a href="#post-messages" id="post-messages"></a>

Use the timeline to share updates, findings, and coordination notes with other responders.

1. Type your message in the text field at the bottom of the timeline.
2. Press **Enter** to post.

Timeline messages are visible to everyone with access to the incident and become part of the permanent record.

***

### Timeline versus incident channel <a href="#timeline-versus-incident-channel" id="timeline-versus-incident-channel"></a>

Both the timeline and the auto-created Slack or Teams incident channel serve as communication spaces, but they have different purposes:

|                  | Timeline                                                   | Incident Channel                                                 |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Purpose**      | Permanent record of key updates and actions                | Real-time discussion and troubleshooting                         |
| **What to post** | Findings, decisions, status updates, coordination notes    | Brainstorming, questions, quick back-and-forth                   |
| **Audience**     | Anyone reviewing the incident (including after resolution) | Active responders during the incident                            |
| **Persistence**  | Part of the incident record forever                        | Channel history (subject to your Slack/Teams retention settings) |

A good rule of thumb: if something is important enough that someone reviewing the incident later should see it, put it in the timeline.

***

### Best practices <a href="#best-practices" id="best-practices"></a>

Keep these practices in mind when you work in the incident timeline:

* **Post findings as you go:** Do not wait until resolution to document what you discovered. Real-time updates help other responders and create a better post-incident record.
* **Summarize, do not duplicate:** You do not need to copy every Slack message into the timeline. Post concise summaries of key decisions and actions.
* **Use key events for milestones:** For major turning points (root cause found, mitigation applied, service restored), use [key events](/ai-sre/ai-sre-for-incident-responders/respond-to-active-incidents/update-incident-details.md#add-key-events) rather than timeline messages. Key events have higher visibility in summaries and reports.

***

### Next steps <a href="#next-steps" id="next-steps"></a>

Continue managing the incident with these related tasks:

* Go to [Update incident details](/ai-sre/ai-sre-for-incident-responders/respond-to-active-incidents/update-incident-details.md) to edit fields, send status updates, and add key events.
* Go to [Resolve and review](/ai-sre/ai-sre-for-incident-responders/respond-to-active-incidents/resolve-and-review.md) to close the incident and contribute to the post-incident review.
* Go to [Manage incidents](/ai-sre/ai-sre-for-incident-responders/respond-to-active-incidents/manage-incidents.md) to review the full responder workflow.