Transition to Matrix

The Helmholtz AI community is moving to Matrix

Mattermost is being discontinued across the Helmholtz Association. Matrix is the new standard chat platform, hosted and maintained by HIFIS (Helmholtz Federated IT Services). This page walks you through everything you need to get set up and find us there.

If you have an existing account, skip to Step 4.

Before you start: which account should you use?

Your Matrix ID depends on where you work. Do not mix private accounts with institutional use.

  • KIT, CISPA, FZJ, GFZ members – you likely already have an institutional Matrix account. Use that one (see your centre's IT page).
  • DLR members – your centre's own Matrix server is still being set up. Please follow your internal DLR communications for the timeline.
  • All other Helmholtz members – create your account via the central HIFIS instance at matrix.helmholtz.cloud using your Helmholtz ID.
  • External partners and guests – you can use a public Matrix provider such as Academic Cloud Chat (recommended for German academic users) or matrix.org. Ask your Helmholtz AI contact to invite you to the space once you have an account.

     
To the Matrix Helmholtz Cloud

Step 1: Create or access your account

Go to matrix.helmholtz.cloud and log in via your Helmholtz ID. You can also use the Element desktop or mobile app (Linux, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) — see the HIFIS guide on configuring Element if you go that route.

Step 2: Save your recovery key immediately

This is the most important step. Matrix uses end-to-end encryption by default, which means if you lose your recovery key, nobody (not even HIFIS) can restore your chat history.

Right after your first login:

  1. Click on your profile icon (top left) and go to All Settings → Encryption.
  2. Generate and save your recovery key somewhere safe — a password manager is ideal.
  3. Verify your session when prompted, either with the recovery key or from another open session.

Step 3: Don't log out; close the tab

Matrix keeps your session active as long as you don't explicitly log out. Just close the browser tab or app window when you're done. This ensures you can receive encrypted messages even when you're offline. Sessions inactive for more than 120 days are closed automatically.

If you regularly clear cookies or browser storage, make matrix.helmholtz.cloud an exception so your settings and key store are preserved between sessions.

Step 4: Join the Helmholtz AI Space

Once your account is set up and your recovery key is saved, join our community here:

→ Join the Helmholtz AI Matrix Space

Inside the space you'll find two main rooms:

→ Town Square
→ Off-topic

Currently, other community-based rooms such as the “Agentic AI Interest Group” and the “ig-uncertainty-quantification” are being set up.

Coming from Mattermost?

HIFIS has a dedicated guide on how to handle the move from Mattermost to Matrix, including how to export or archive your Mattermost content. Note that Mattermost message history will not be automatically transferred to Matrix. If there are important conversations or files you want to keep, make sure to save them from Mattermost before the service is discontinued.

How to move from Mattermost to Matrix

HIFIS Open Hour: every Friday at 10:00 AM — drop in with questions (Zoom link, Meeting ID: 620 6808 2608, Code: 030485)

For questions regarding the Helmholtz AI space and rooms, reach out to us at contacts@helmholtz.ai.