Alert delivery
Where VitalSentinel sends an alert, the in-app bell, email, Slack and webhooks, what each message contains, and what happens when a channel breaks.
When an alert rule fires, VitalSentinel sends the alert to the channels of that rule. This page explains the channels, how to choose them in a rule, and what each alert message contains.
Before you start
- You choose the channels of an alert rule under Delivery, when you create or edit the rule. See Alerts.
- Only workspace owners and admins can change alert rules and connect Slack or add webhooks.
- Slack and webhooks show the chip On Lite and higher plans on lower plans. See Billing.
Alert channels
| Channel | How it works |
|---|---|
| In-app notification | Always on. Every alert goes to the notification bell in the app. |
| Email notification | On or off for each rule. The alert goes to your email address. |
| Slack | The alert goes to one or more Slack channels that the workspace connected. |
| Webhooks | The alert goes to your own endpoint as a signed JSON request. |
A rule goes to the person who created it. If the rule is shared, it goes to every member of the workspace. See Share a rule with the workspace.
Choose the channels of a rule
The Delivery part of the alert panel has a card for each channel.
- Open the rule, or click Create alert on the Alerts page.
- Under Delivery, select Email notification if you want an email.
- Select each Slack channel and webhook that must also get the alert.
- Click Save alert.
The Templates tab uses the same Delivery cards. There, Email notification is on by default. See Alert templates.
Slack and webhook cards in the rule panel
| Card | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Slack – #channel | A connected Slack channel. The card also shows the name of the Slack workspace. |
| Webhook – name | A webhook of the workspace. The card also shows the host of the endpoint. |
| Needs reconnecting | The Slack channel stopped working. You cannot add it to a rule until you reconnect it. |
| Turned off | The webhook is off. You cannot add it to a rule until you turn it on. |
If the cards cannot load, the panel shows Alert channels could not be loaded. Click Try again.
Connect Slack or add a webhook from a rule
If the workspace has no Slack channel yet, the Delivery part of the rule panel shows a Slack card. The card says "Send this alert to a Slack channel." and shows Connect Slack. Click it to open Slack in a new tab. After you select a channel in Slack, the channel shows in the rule panel.
If the workspace has no webhook yet, the rule panel shows a Webhooks card. The card says "Send this alert to your own endpoint." Click Set up a webhook to open the workspace Integrations page.
For the full steps, test messages, signing secrets and fixes, see Slack and webhooks.
What an alert message contains
The bell, the alert email and the Slack message show the same parts, in the same order:
- A status: the severity (Critical, Warning or Info), or Resolved.
- A headline, for example "Site is down".
- The facts: what happened, where, since when, and the impact.
- A button that opens the related page in the app. In Slack, the button is Open the alert.
- What to do: up to three steps to fix the problem.
- A muted line with the alert rule name and the module.
Slack messages
The preview of a Slack message starts with a tag, then the headline and the domain. For example: "ACTION NEEDED: Site is down – example.com". The tags are ACTION NEEDED for critical alerts, WARNING for warnings, Info for info alerts and RESOLVED when a problem stops.
Webhook requests
A webhook gets each alert as a signed JSON request. The type field is fired, resolved or test. For the headers, the fields and examples that check the signature, see Slack and webhooks.
When a problem stops (RESOLVED)
VitalSentinel closes an alert automatically when the problem stops. What you get then depends on the channel:
- Bell: VitalSentinel does not add a new notification. The first notification shows "Fixed itself on" and the date.
- Slack and webhooks: each channel of the rule gets one RESOLVED message.
- Email: you get a RESOLVED email only if the alert was critical and you got the first alert by email.
To stop the RESOLVED emails, turn off Email me when a critical alert fixes itself in your notification settings. See Notifications.
Your personal email settings
Your personal settings also decide which alert emails reach you:
- Alert emails: one switch for each module. If you turn a module off, its alerts show only in the bell.
- Email me when a critical alert fixes itself: the RESOLVED emails.
These settings apply only to you. They are on the Notifications page of your account, with your inbox.
When a channel stops working
If Slack refuses the messages for a channel, VitalSentinel pauses alerts to that channel. In the rule panel, the channel card shows Needs reconnecting. If a webhook fails 10 deliveries in a row, VitalSentinel turns it off. The webhook card then shows Turned off.
In both cases, the person who connected the channel gets one notice in the app. Fix the channel on the workspace Integrations page. See Slack and webhooks.
Troubleshooting
Why do I not get alert emails?
If Email notification is off in the rule, turn it on. If the module is off in Alert emails in your notification settings, turn it on. Also look in your spam folder. If the rule is not shared and you did not create it, ask an owner or admin to share it.
Why can I not select Slack or webhooks in a rule?
If the card shows On Lite and higher plans, the workspace plan does not include them. See Billing. If the card shows Needs reconnecting or Turned off, fix the channel on the Integrations page first.
Why did Slack stop posting my alerts?
The channel was removed or archived, or the app was removed from it. Open the workspace Integrations page and click Reconnect on the channel. See Slack and webhooks.
Why did I get a RESOLVED email?
A critical alert that you got by email stopped. To stop these emails, turn off Email me when a critical alert fixes itself in your notification settings.
Related
- Alerts - create rules and choose their channels
- Slack and webhooks - connect Slack, add webhooks and fix delivery problems
- Integrations - the workspace page with the Slack and webhook cards
- Notifications - your inbox and personal email settings
