Configuration of Your Matrix Client¶
The New Helmholtz Matrix Service and this Documentation Are in a Ramp-up Phase
We plan to offer Helmholtz Matrix from April 2026.
- Please contact us if you encounter any errors.
- Helmholtz members are also invited to give us some structured feedback here.
- From time to time, you may see a red “Offline” notification message. This is because during ramp-up phase of the service, we may need to deploy changes to the server without prior announcement. Don’t reload, your messages will be sent with few seconds delay.
We recommend using “Element” as matrix client,
- via browser (https://matrix.helmholtz.cloud),
- via desktop app,
- via mobile app Element X (iOS, Android - Play Store, Android - F-Droid).
Browser¶
The browser app’s defaults are set up by us. This configuration is best matched to most usage scenarios in the Helmholtz Association. It also offers well-tested and very useful features from the Beta Matrix version.
Matrix Client / App¶
First Login¶
- click Sign in
- select Edit to the right of matrix.org
- do not choose Continue
- click Other homeserver and enter server name matrix.helmholtz.cloud
- finish workflow by clicking Continue twice
- browser will open to connect client with your Matrix ID
- verify your new session by either your recovery key or by another open session e. g. in your browser
Further Configuration¶
For best experience, we advice you to apply the default configuration we use for the brower’s app. Therefore, we provide optimal configurations for desktop apps. See also here for more information on how to configure the desktop app.
Please check the guidelines of your center before you install an app, especially if your center already provides a pre-configured app in-house. For self-installation, administrator rights may be required, depending on the center’s regulations.
MacOS¶
curl -o ~/Library/Application\ Support/Element/config.json https://matrix.helmholtz.cloud/config.json
Linux¶
curl -o ~/.config/Element/config.json https://matrix.helmholtz.cloud/config.json
Windows¶
(Note for HZB users: HZB will soon be offering its own client, compatible with Helmholtz Matrix.)
- Copy the following path to clipboard by clicking on the copy button appearing on the right:
%APPDATA%\Element\config.json - Right-click on the link below, and
- Select “Save link as” (“Link speichern unter …”), then
- Paste the previously copied path (Control + v) to “File Name” (“Dateiname”) and save:
- https://matrix.helmholtz.cloud/config.json
Afterwards, in all cases:¶
- Log out, restart Element App, Log in.
- You can check if the reconfiguration was successful by going to Settings >> Labs >> Scroll down: You should see multiple settings available, including “Enable ask to join”.