The Toast

also known as: The Snackbar, The Notification Wisp, The Transient Message

Threat Level

★★★★★

ClassNotification · Feedback Family

RarityCommon

CRCR 1

HabitatLower corners of the dungeon

"It appeared in the lower right corner, said something about my changes being saved, and was gone before I looked up. I am not certain it was ever there."

— Field observation note, expedition into the Document Editor, second hour

The Toast is the most ephemeral creature in the Codebase — a transient message that enters the dungeon, communicates a brief status update, and dissolves before the user has had time to fully register its presence. This impermanence is by design. The Toast is a non-blocking feedback mechanism: it occupies a corner of the dungeon rather than the centre, it does not require dismissal, and it vanishes after a fixed interval. Its lightness of presence is its primary virtue.

The creature's danger lies not in aggression but in insufficiency. A Toast that communicates an error — "Something went wrong" — and then disappears has told the user something bad happened without telling them what or giving them any path to resolution. Error states are not Toast material. Errors require persistent, contextual feedback near the point of failure. The Toast is for success confirmations, progress updates, and informational notices that do not require user action.

Fig. IV — The Toast at approximately 40% of its lifespan (timer bar visible, draining). Two eyes peer above the top edge; small arms wave from the sides. Ghost outlines above show prior visits. Dissolve dots below indicate the creature's impending departure.

swords Vital Statistics

STR5(−3)

DEX16(+3)

CON3(−4)

INT7(−2)

WIS9(−1)

CHA14(+2)

auto_awesome Special Abilities

Auto-Dismiss (Passive). The Toast expires after 3–5 seconds and removes itself from the dungeon without user action. This interval must be long enough for a user to read the message — WCAG recommends allowing at least twice the time a typical user would need, or a minimum of 5 seconds for short messages. A Toast that dismisses before it can be read has communicated nothing.

Non-Blocking Presence (Passive). The Toast occupies a corner of the dungeon — typically bottom-right — and does not prevent interaction with any other element. Unlike the Modal, it has no territorial claim. The dungeon continues to function normally in its presence. This is the creature's defining characteristic and the source of its appropriateness for informational, non-critical feedback.

Stack Formation (Passive). When multiple Toasts are summoned in rapid succession, they stack in an orderly column rather than overlapping. The stack has a maximum depth beyond which new Toasts replace or queue behind existing ones. Implementations without a maximum stack depth produce a column that extends beyond the viewport, which is comical but not helpful.

shield Weaknesses

Pause on hover / focus — the auto-dismiss timer must pause when the user's cursor is over the Toast or when it receives keyboard focus, giving them time to read it
Manual dismiss button — always include a visible close button; the auto-dismiss timer is a convenience, not a constraint
The Undo action — for destructive operations, a Toast with an "Undo" action for 5–10 seconds is a graceful recovery mechanism; omitting it makes the operation feel permanent
role="status" or role="alert" — success/info toasts use status (polite); error toasts use alert (assertive); the difference determines how immediately screen readers announce the message

category Known Variants

The Error Toast — a misuse of the creature. Errors require persistence and context. An error that dismisses itself has abandoned the user.
The Snackbar — Material Design's take. Often bottom-centre rather than corner. Frequently includes an action button.
The Persistent Toast — a Toast without an auto-dismiss timer. Now simply a banner. The creature has lost its defining characteristic.
The Stacked Toast — multiple Toasts in queue. Requires careful choreography of enter/exit animations to remain comprehensible.

edit_note Field Notes

Note I. — The Toast must be readable in its allotted time. A message of more than about fifteen words is too long for the format. If the message requires more than fifteen words, it is not a Toast; it is a notification that needs a more permanent home.

Note II. — Position matters: bottom-right is the conventional placement on desktop, where it avoids the primary content area. Bottom-center (the Snackbar position) works well on mobile where the thumb can reach it. Top-right is acceptable. Top-center frequently obscures navigation.

Note III. — The Toast's animation must respect prefers-reduced-motion. The slide-in and fade-out effects that make the creature charming in a standard environment become a motion accessibility concern for users who have indicated a preference for stillness.

The Component Bestiary · Vol. I · Entry IV — The Toast