Check-ins

What a check-in space is

A check-in is one shared space per pair (or group). It is not a notebook and it does not appear in the Notes rail. It is a purpose-built advising workspace that all members edit, so the weekly goals you agreed on, the notes from your last meeting, and the agenda for the next one all sit together. Anyone in the space can open it and see the same thing.

Each space is shared with exactly the people in it. Everything you add inside is visible to all of them and to no one else (a PI's implicit view-all still applies, the same as everywhere else in ResearchOS). See Sharing and permissions for how that read access works.

The tab is always "Check-ins"

The Workbench tab reads Check-ins for every account type. The old role-flipped "Mentoring" label is retired. The tab is always visible regardless of how many spaces you are in, so starting your first space is always reachable. The empty state in the panel explains what a check-in is and offers a Start a check-in button right there.

Within a pair space, the per-space entry in the left rail shows the other member's name. In a group space it shows the group title (if one is set) or a summary like "Alex, Morgan +1". A soft relationship hint (you mentor them, they mentor you, peer) is shown inside the open space as a cue, not baked into the tab or rail label.

Who can create a check-in

Any account can start a check-in space. The old lab-head gate is retired. Click Start a check-in in the rail header (or in the empty state), pick the other person, and optionally tick I am the mentor in this relationship. The other person sees the space appear in their Check-ins tab automatically.

The core sub-tabs (all spaces)

Every check-in space has four shared areas, shown as sub-tabs in the main pane. All members can add to and edit all four.

1. Weekly goals. A per-week checklist either person can add to and check off. A week selector moves between weeks, so the goals you set in one meeting stay attached to that week.
2. Meeting notes. A shared running log, one entry per meeting, with a date picker so each entry is filed under the meeting it belongs to.
3. Notes. Freeform shared notes scoped to this space, for anything that is not a goal or a meeting note.
4. Agenda. A running list of items for the next meeting. Items carry between meetings until they are checked off, so nothing falls through.

Extra sub-tabs for mentoring pairs and groups

Beyond the four core tabs, additional sub-tabs appear depending on the space type.

• IDP (Individual Development Plan). Appears on pair spaces where a mentor direction is set. The trainee sees My IDP; the mentor sees a review surface. Peer pairs and groups have no IDP tab.
• Expectations. A mentoring compact (goals and expectations both sides agreed to). Available on all spaces, started on demand.
• Onboarding. A checklist for onboarding a new member. Available on all spaces, most relevant for new-member spaces.
• Task board. Appears on group spaces (three or more members). A per-assignee task view for the group.
• Rotation. Appears on group spaces. A presenter or journal-club rotation tracker. Pair spaces have no rotation tab (it takes three or more people to rotate).

Group spaces

A group space holds three or more members. It carries the same four core tabs as a pair space, plus the Task board and Rotation tabs described above. Group spaces are created the same way as pair spaces: click Start a check-in and pick multiple people.

Where to find it

The Check-ins tab is always present on the Workbench, alongside Projects, Experiments, Notes, and Lists. If you have no spaces yet, the tab still shows and offers the empty-state start button.

Where to go next

• The Workbench covers the other tabs the check-ins surface sits next to, including shared notebooks.
• PI covers the lab-head role and the mentoring relationship.
• Sharing and permissions explains the read and write access that backs every shared space.