Threads in Azure SRE Agent

A thread is a conversation with your agent. Each time you start a new investigation or ask a question, you create a thread that maintains context throughout the conversation.

Thread sources

Your agent creates threads from several different sources.

Source	Description
Conversation	You start a chat in the portal.
Incident	An incident from PagerDuty, ServiceNow, or Azure Monitor triggers an investigation.
Scheduled task	A scheduled task runs and creates a thread for its output.
Teams	You tag your agent in a Teams channel or direct message.
Alert	A webhook or alert triggers your agent.
Daily report	Automated daily summary of your agent's activity.
Best practices	Security and operational recommendations from your agent.
Playground	Test threads created in the test playground.
Welcome message	Initial welcome thread when you first access an agent.
Agent	The agent proactively creates a thread (for example, for monitoring alerts).

Thread organization

The sidebar shows threads organized into two categories.

Section	Purpose
Favorites	Threads you pinned for quick access.
Chats	All other conversations.

Each thread in the sidebar displays its title. You can easily spot unread threads because they appear in bold text.

Filter threads

Use the two filter buttons at the top of the thread list to find relevant conversations.

Filter	What it shows
Unread	Only threads you didn't read yet.
Mine	Only threads you started (excludes scheduled tasks and agent-initiated threads).

The Mine filter is active by default. When you open the sidebar, you see your own threads first. Toggle it off to see all threads on the agent.

When active, a filter button appears filled (blue). You can activate both filters at the same time so that only threads matching both conditions appear.

Thread status

Each thread has a status that indicates its current state.

Status	Meaning
In Progress	The agent is actively working.
Pending User Input	The agent is waiting for your response or approval.
Complete	The investigation finished.

Manage threads

Right-click any thread in the sidebar, or select the ... (More options) menu, to access thread actions.

Action	Description
Add to favorites	Pin the thread to the Favorites section for quick access.
Info	View thread details including thread ID, creation date, and source.
Copy link to thread	Copy a deep link to share with teammates.
Rename	Change the thread title.
Delete	Permanently remove the thread.

View thread details

Select a thread to open it. The title bar shows the thread name, a ... (More options) menu, and a View trace button when you configure Application Insights.

Search threads

Select Search threads in the sidebar to open the search dialog. Type any part of a thread title, or paste a full or partial thread ID, to find a specific conversation.

Search results display each thread's title, unique ID, and a preview of the last message. The search text is highlighted wherever it matches, in the title, the ID, or both.

The following table describes scenarios where searching by thread ID is helpful.

Scenario	How it helps
Debugging	Paste a thread ID from logs or monitoring tools to jump directly to the conversation.
Collaboration	A teammate shares a thread ID for you to review.
Cross-referencing	Navigate to a thread linked from an incident report or support ticket.

Tip

To find a thread's ID, right-click any thread in the sidebar and select Info. The dialog displays the thread ID with a Copy button, making it easy to share with teammates or reference in documentation.

Image zoom

When your agent generates or displays images in the chat (charts, diagrams, screenshots), select any image to open it in a fullscreen overlay.

Interaction	How
Zoom in/out	Scroll the mouse wheel, press +/- keys, or use the toolbar buttons.
Pan	Select and drag when zoomed in.
Reset view	Press 0 or select the reset button in the toolbar.
Close	Press Escape, select the x button, or select outside the image.

A scale indicator in the toolbar shows the current zoom percentage (zoom range: 25% to 500%).

Keyboard shortcuts

The following keyboard shortcuts help you navigate threads quickly.

Shortcut	Action
Alt+N	Start a new chat thread.
Alt+S	Open the thread search dialog.

Shortcut hints appear next to the corresponding buttons in the sidebar. The app ignores shortcuts when focus is inside a text input field or when modifier keys (Ctrl, Shift) are held.

Chat commands

Type / or # in the chat input to access quick commands.

Command	Description	Learn more
/agent	Switch to a specific custom agent.	Custom Agents
/clear	Start a fresh thread.
/compact	Summarize and compress conversation history.
/incident	List all incidents.	Incident response
/resource	List agent-managed resources.
#remember	Save information to agent memory.	Memory
#retrieve	Recall saved information from memory.	Memory
#forget	Remove information from agent memory.	Memory

Conversation compaction

Long conversations automatically compact to stay within token limits. When this process happens, you see a "Compacting conversation..." message in the chat, similar to tool execution feedback.

Compaction preserves key context while reducing token usage. Your agent continues to remember important facts and decisions from earlier in the conversation.

You can also manually trigger compaction by using the /compact command to summarize the current conversation.

Tip

Markdown tables with numeric columns sort numerically (1, 2, 12) rather than lexicographically (1, 12, 2).

Test threads

When you test your agent configuration in the test playground, you create test threads that run in read-only mode. Test threads:

• Are separate from production threads in the sidebar.
• Don't execute real actions against your Azure resources.
• Let you validate prompt changes, tool configurations, and agent behavior safely.

Test threads appear with a distinct label so you can tell them apart from real conversations.

Related content

Resource	Why it matters
Memory and knowledge	How your agent remembers information
Incident response	Threads created from incidents