Merge or link related conversations in open-source helpdesks without losing context
Self-hosted helpdesks like Chatwoot have no first-class way to merge, link, or group conversations that belong to the same customer issue, so a customer emailing from two addresses, a reply that spawns a new thread, or an issue spanning mailboxes each becomes an isolated conversation that breaks context, SLA tracking, and reporting. Users broadly ask for conversation merge; one later proposal argues a non-destructive parent Case container may preserve history better. Maintainers concede interest but have no agreed data model.
The evidence supports a context-continuity problem first, not a settled Case-first spec. Start by preserving every original conversation and making related threads visible together; then test whether users prefer direct merge, linked siblings, or a parent Case object for reporting and workflow.
landscape (3 existing solutions)
Closed helpdesk SaaS has merge and linking; open-source helpdesks don't, so cross-address and cross-mailbox conversations break context, SLA, and reporting. The unresolved product question is whether to ship direct merge, linked conversations, or a parent Case model without corrupting history and reporting.