Using the Retrospective Editor

How the Editor Works

The new retrospective editor provides a rich text editing experience with real-time collaboration, dynamic data blocks, and template support. This page covers everything you need to know to create and edit retrospectives effectively. The editor is designed to be intuitive. You can type naturally, use slash commands for quick actions, and let autosave handle the rest.

Getting Started with the Editor

Where to Find the Editor

Open the incident

Navigate to the incident from the incidents list or a direct link.

Go to the Retrospective tab

Click the Retrospective tab on the incident page.

Click the document preview

Click anywhere in the document preview to start navigate to the editor.

Begin editing

The editor opens with your team’s default template pre-appended to the document. Start typing or use slash commands to add content.

Retrospective documents automatically populate with your team’s default template. You can configure this template in Retrospectives → Document Templates.

Quick Start

Type naturally to add text
Press Enter to create new nodes in the document
Type / to open the slash command menu
Select text and use the toolbar for formatting
Drag and reposition nodes of content in your document
All changes save automatically

Rich Text Formatting

The editor supports standard rich text formatting through the toolbar, keyboard shortcuts, and slash commands.

Text Formatting

Format	Keyboard Shortcut
Bold	`Cmd/Ctrl + B`
Italic	`Cmd/Ctrl + I`
~~Strikethrough~~	`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + X`
`Inline Code`	`Cmd/Ctrl + E`

Headings

Level	Keyboard Shortcut	Slash Command	Description
Heading 1	`#`	`/h1`	Main section headers
Heading 2	`##`	`/h2`	Subsection headers
Heading 3	`###`	`/h`3	Minor section headers

Lists

Type	Keyboard Shortcut	Description
Bullet List	`-`	Unordered list with bullet points
Numbered List	`1.`	Ordered list with numbers

Other Blocks

Block	Slash Command	Description
Blockquote	`/blockquote`	Indented quote block for callouts
Code Block	`/codeblock`	Multi-line code with syntax highlighting
Table	`/table`	Insert a 3x3 table (expandable)
Image	`/image`	Upload and insert an image

Slash Commands

Slash commands provide quick access to all editor features. Type / anywhere in the editor to open the command menu.

Incident Data Blocks

With incident data blocks, you can insert dynamic content that pulls data from the incident.

Command	Description
`/timeline`	Insert the incident timeline block
`/followups`	Insert the follow-ups (action items) block
`/liquid-variables`	Insert a single liquid variable into the document
`/liquid-block`	Insert a code block that render outputs from more complex liquid syntax or conditional variables.

Basic Blocks

Basic blocks insert standard document elements.

Command	Description
`/text`	Insert a paragraph
`/h1`	Insert Heading 1
`/h2`	Insert Heading 2
`/h3`	Insert Heading 3
`/bulletList`	Insert bullet list
`/orderedList`	Insert numbered list
`/blockquote`	Insert blockquote
`/code`	Toggle inline code
`/codeBlock`	Insert code block
`/table`	Insert 3x3 table
`/bold`	Toggle bold
`/italic`	Toggle italic
`/strike`	Toggle strikethrough

The slash command menu filters as you type. For example, typing /time will show the timeline command at the top.

Incident Data Blocks

Incident Data Blocks are dynamic elements that pull live data from the incident. They update automatically when the underlying data changes.

Timeline Block

The Timeline block displays all events from the incident timeline, including user actions, system events, and status changes.

To insert a Timeline block:

Type /timeline in the editor
Press Enter or click the command

Timeline block features:

Shows event date/time, source, user, and description
Pagination controls help keep the document compact
Drag the block to reposition it in the document
Click the node to select the entire block, then use backspace to delete

The Timeline block pulls live data from the incident. If new events are added to the timeline, the block updates automatically.

Follow-ups Block

The Follow-ups block displays action items associated with the incident.

To insert a Follow-ups block:

Type /followups in the editor
Press Enter or click the command

Follow-ups block features:

Shows action item title, priority, status, assignee, and due date
Sort options: Due Date, Priority, or Status
Drag the block to reposition it in the document
Click the node to select the entire block, then use backspace to delete

When follow-ups are added or updated on the incident, the block reflects those changes automatically.

How Data Blocks Render on Export

When you publish or export the retrospective to an external provider, data blocks are rendered as static content at the time of export. This includes:

Timeline events formatted as a table
Follow-ups formatted as a list with metadata
Liquid variables or blocks resolved to their actual values

Using Templates

Templates provide pre-built content structures that ensure consistency across retrospectives.

Inserting a Template

Open the slash command menu

Type / in the editor.

Select Template

Click Template from the dropdown

Choose a template

Browse your team’s available templates and click to insert.

Customize the content

The template content is inserted at your cursor position. Edit as needed.

What Templates Can Include

Headings and sections (Summary, Root Cause, Timeline, etc.)
Placeholder text to guide authors
Liquid variables (e.g., {{ incident.title }})
Data blocks (/timeline, /followups)
Formatting and structure

Templates are configured by administrators in Settings → Retrospective Templates. Contact your admin to create or modify templates.

Liquid Variables

Liquid variables are dynamic placeholders that resolve to actual values from the incident.

Inserting Liquid Variables

Type {{ to start a liquid variable
Continue typing to filter available variables
Select from the autocomplete dropdown
The variable appears as a chip in the editor

Common Variables

Variable	Description
`{{ incident.title }}`	Incident title
`{{ incident.severity }}`	Severity level
`{{ incident.status }}`	Current status
`{{ incident.started_at }}`	Start timestamp
`{{ incident.resolved_at }}`	Resolution timestamp
`{{ incident.duration }}`	Total incident duration
`{{ incident.commander.name }}`	Incident commander’s name
`{{ incident.slack_channel }}`	Slack channel name
`{{ post_mortem.title }}`	Retrospective title

Liquid variables display as visual chips in the editor. On publish or export, they resolve to their actual values.

Liquid Blocks

Liquid Blocks are standalone template blocks that support the full Liquid templating language, including conditionals, loops, and complex logic.

Liquid Block vs Liquid Variable

Feature	Liquid Variable	Liquid Block
Scope	Inline (within text)	Block-level (standalone)
Syntax	`{{ variable }}` only	Full Liquid: `{% if %}`, `{% for %}`, filters
Rendering	Inline chip	Edit/Preview panel with live rendering
Best for	Inserting dynamic values	Conditional content, loops, complex logic

Use Liquid Variables for simple value substitution inline within your text. Use Liquid Blocks when you need conditionals, loops, or multi-line template logic.

Inserting a Liquid Block

Type /liquid to open the slash command menu
Select Liquid Block from the options
Write your Liquid template in the editor panel
Click Preview to see the rendered output with real incident data
Toggle back to Edit to make changes

Example Use Cases

Conditional severity messaging:

{% if incident.severity == "critical" %}
  🚨 CRITICAL INCIDENT - Immediate escalation required
{% elsif incident.severity == "high" %}
  ⚠️ High priority incident - Review within 1 hour
{% else %}
  📋 Standard incident - Follow normal procedures
{% endif %}

Loop through action items:

{% for item in incident.action_items %}
  - [{{ item.status }}] {{ item.summary }} (Owner: {{ item.owner.name }})
{% endfor %}

Conditional content with filters:

{% if incident.resolved_at %}
  Resolved on {{ incident.resolved_at | date: "%B %d, %Y at %I:%M %p" }}
  Duration: {{ incident.duration }}
{% else %}
  ⏳ Incident is still ongoing
{% endif %}

Click Preview at any time to see how your template renders with actual incident data. Syntax errors will be displayed with helpful error messages. When to Use Each

Use Liquid Variables when: Inserting a single dynamic value into a sentence You need a simple inline placeholder Example: “The incident commander is {{ incident.commander.name }}” Use Liquid Blocks when: You need conditional logic ({% if %}...{% endif %}) You need to loop over collections ({% for %}...{% endfor %}) You have multi-line template content You need complex formatting with multiple variables Example: Showing different content based on incident severity

Collaboration

Multiple users can edit the retrospective simultaneously.

What You’ll See

Presence indicators: Avatars/initials of users currently viewing the document
Collaborative cursors: Coloured cursors showing where each user is working
Real-time updates: Changes from other users appear instantly

Comments

Select text and click the comment button to start a discussion:

Select the text you want to comment on
Click the comment button in the toolbar
Type your comment and submit
Others can reply, creating a threaded conversation
Mark comments as resolved when addressed

Comments are visible to all collaborators and sync in real-time. Use them for async review and feedback.

Best Practices

Use slash commands for speed: Typing / is faster than reaching for the toolbar, especially for common actions.
Insert data blocks instead of copying: Timeline and Follow-ups blocks stay in sync with the incident. Manual copy-paste becomes stale.
Use templates for consistency: Starting from a template ensures all retrospectives follow the same structure.
Add comments for review feedback: Instead of sending feedback in Slack, add comments directly in the document for better context.
Use headings to structure content: Clear section headers (Summary, Timeline, Root Cause, Action Items) make retrospectives easier to scan.

Troubleshooting

The slash command menu doesn't appear when I type /

A data block shows 'Loading...' indefinitely

This usually means the block couldn’t fetch data from the incident. Check your network connection and refresh the page. If the problem persists, the incident may not have any data for that block type (e.g., no timeline events or follow-ups).

Template insertion failed

Ensure you have permission to access retrospective templates. If templates aren’t appearing, contact your administrator to verify templates are configured for your team.

I accidentally deleted content. Can I undo?

Use Cmd/Ctrl + Z to undo recent changes. You can also access version history to restore a previous version of the retrospective.

Getting Started

Incident Management

Alert Management

On-Call Management

Automation & Workflows

AI & Intelligence

Configuration & Setup

Analytics & Retrospectives

Team & User Management

Communication & Notifications

Liquid Templates & Variables

Support

​How the Editor Works

​Getting Started with the Editor

​Where to Find the Editor

​Quick Start

​Rich Text Formatting

​Text Formatting

​Headings

​Lists

​Other Blocks

​Slash Commands

​Incident Data Blocks

​Basic Blocks

​Incident Data Blocks

​Timeline Block

​To insert a Timeline block:

​Timeline block features:

​Follow-ups Block

​To insert a Follow-ups block:

​Follow-ups block features:

​How Data Blocks Render on Export

​Using Templates

​Inserting a Template

​What Templates Can Include

​Liquid Variables

​Inserting Liquid Variables

​Common Variables

​Liquid Blocks

​Liquid Block vs Liquid Variable

​Inserting a Liquid Block

​Example Use Cases

​Collaboration

​What You’ll See

​Comments

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

How the Editor Works

Getting Started with the Editor

Where to Find the Editor

Quick Start

Rich Text Formatting

Text Formatting

Headings

Lists

Other Blocks

Slash Commands

Incident Data Blocks

Basic Blocks

Incident Data Blocks

Timeline Block

To insert a Timeline block:

Timeline block features:

Follow-ups Block

To insert a Follow-ups block:

Follow-ups block features:

How Data Blocks Render on Export

Using Templates

Inserting a Template

What Templates Can Include

Liquid Variables

Inserting Liquid Variables

Common Variables

Liquid Blocks

Liquid Block vs Liquid Variable

Inserting a Liquid Block

Example Use Cases

Collaboration

What You’ll See

Comments

Best Practices

Troubleshooting