Ziflow notifications are event-driven and controlled at multiple levels. What each reviewer receives depends on:

Reviewer notification settings: organization level, group level, profile level, and proof level
The type of event (for example, new proof, comment, decision)
Their role in the workflow
Whether a reviewer is part of an active stage

The following are always delivered regardless of notification settings

Invitation emails (unless disabled at proof creation)
@mention notifications
Manual reminders sent by the proof creator
Automatic deadline reminders (if configured by an admin in Enterprise)

Notification settings hierarchy

Notification settings are applied in layers.

Each layer can override the one above it. From highest level (broadest) to lowest level (most specific):

Default email settings (admin)
Organization-wide starting point for notifications.
Default profile settings (licensed users)
Personal defaults applied to new proofs.
Workflow template settings (proof creators)
Setting applied when a template is used.
This setting is a snapshot and does not update automatically.
Group settings (proof creators)
Setting applied when a group is used.
This setting is a snapshot and does not update automatically.
If a member of the group is already in the proof stage, their profile notification setting overrides the group setting.
Proof settings (proof creators)
Setting applied when configuring a proof.
Proof Viewer settings (reviewers)
Per-proof changes made by reviewers during the review.

Example

A reviewer sets their user profile to receive All comments and decisions.

A workflow template sets notifications to Decisions - this overrides the user profile

The proof creator changes it to None during proof setup - this overrides the template

The reviewer changes it to Daily digest in the Proof Viewer - this overrides everything else

Final result: the reviewer receives a daily digest for that stage for that proof only.

Notification types

There are three notification types.

Invitation notifications (new review/version)

Invitation notifications notify reviewers that something is ready to review.

Sent when:

A new proof is created
A new version is ready

Controlled by:

Proof creation setup (Send standard invitation message)
Group
Workflow templates

Invitation notifications can be disabled during proof creation setup.

Activity notifications (during review)

Activity notifications notify reviewers about what’s happening during the proof review and provide summaries.

Sent when these activities happen:

Comments and replies
Reactions
Decisions and final decisions
@mentions

For the activities listed above, reviewers can configure notifications on individual proof stages in the Proof Viewer:

All comments and decisions
Replies to my comments
Decisions
Final decision
Hourly digest
Daily digest
None

Even if set to None, reviewers still receive:

Invitation emails (unless disabled)
@mentions
Reminder emails

System notifications (reminders)

System notifications help move the review forward.

Manual reminders
Automatic deadline reminders (Enterprise)

Controlled by:

Proof creator manual actions (reminders)
Admin settings (automatic deadline reminders)

Who controls notifications

Different roles control different parts of the notification system.

Role	Can do	Cannot do
Admin	Administrators define the system-level defaults and rules. Set organization-wide notification preferences for new reviewers Configure automatic deadline reminders (Enterprise) Configure email sender display names Manage email settings for the organization	Cannot control notifications on individual proofs (unless they are also proof creators).
Proof creators	Proof creators (or proof managers) control how notifications behave for a each stage of a specific proof. Set reviewer notification preferences Add groups with notification preferences Enable or disable new proof or new version invitation emails Define workflow stages (which affects who receives notifications)
Licensed users (reviewers)	Licensed users control their personal notification experience. Set default notification preferences in their profile Change notification preferences for a specific stage of a proof in the Proof Viewer Choose to receive decision confirmation emails Resubscribe if they previously unsubscribed to emails	Reviewers cannot control: New proof or version emails (unless disabled at proof creation) @mentions Manual reminders Deadline reminders (if applicable)
Guests (reviewers)	Guests can change notification preferences for a specific stage of a proof in the Proof Viewer Note: To change their default behavior across proofs, they must contact a Ziflow administrator.	Set global (profile-level) notification defaults Manage system or admin-level settings

Where notification behavior is defined

Notification behavior is configured in multiple places:

User profile – default notification preferences
Proof setup – invitation emails and per-proof overrides
Group creation - saved reviewer settings (snapshot at time of creation)
Workflow templates – saved reviewer settings (snapshot at time of creation)
Admin settings – defaults, reminders, and sender configuration

Setting notification preferences in one place does not change them in existing proofs or templates.

Verify and troubleshoot notifications

When notifications don’t behave as expected, check:

Was the notification type enabled (invitation vs activity)?
Is the reviewer in an active proof stage?
Are their notification preferences set correctly?
Was the invitation email disabled during setup?
Is the reviewer unsubscribed or filtered by email systems?

Use the Emails log to confirm whether a notification was sent.

If it appears in the log: delivery issue (spam, filtering, suppression)
If it does not: configuration issue

Understand proof notifications