# Notification Channels



VitalSentinel notifies you through multiple channels when alerts trigger.

## In-App Notifications [#in-app-notifications]

All alerts automatically generate in-app notifications. These are always enabled for every alert rule.

To access notifications:

1. Click the bell icon in the top navigation bar
2. View recent alerts and their status
3. Click any notification to jump to the affected domain

For the full inbox UI (tabs, grouping, mark as read, delete), see [Notifications & Email Preferences](/workspace/notifications).

## Email Notifications [#email-notifications]

Email notifications are configured per-alert. When creating or editing an alert rule, toggle **Email notification** to receive emails when that specific alert triggers.

### How It Works [#how-it-works]

When an alert triggers:

1. VitalSentinel detects that the condition is met
2. An in-app notification is always created
3. If email is enabled for that alert, an email is sent

### Email Contents [#email-contents]

Alert emails include:

* **Alert name** and severity
* **Domain** affected
* **Metric** and current value
* **Threshold** that was crossed
* **Time** the alert triggered
* **Link** to the dashboard

### Default Email Settings [#default-email-settings]

When using **Create essential alerts with one click**, alerts are pre-configured with sensible email defaults:

| Alert Type                                | Email                  |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Site down/up                              | Enabled                |
| SSL/Domain expiry                         | Enabled                |
| Robots.txt errors                         | Enabled                |
| Performance alerts (RUM, CrUX, Synthetic) | Disabled (in-app only) |

You can modify email settings for any alert by editing the rule.

## Other Email Categories [#other-email-categories]

VitalSentinel also sends emails outside of alerts:

* **Weekly Domain Reports** – see [Notifications & Email Preferences](/workspace/notifications#weekly-domain-reports) to toggle these per domain.
* **Billing** – Payments, invoices, subscription and plan changes
* **Monitoring Status** – Domain added, verification pending, extended downtime and recovery
* **Team & Workspace** – Member joined/removed, role changes
* **Support Tickets** – Ticket updates and responses (off by default)
* **Security** – Failed login attempts, 2FA changes, API key changes

These are configured in your account **Settings**, not per-alert.

## Notification Best Practices [#notification-best-practices]

### Route by Importance [#route-by-importance]

* **Critical issues** (downtime, SSL) → Enable email
* **Performance warnings** → In-app only to avoid fatigue
* **Informational** → In-app only

### Avoid Alert Fatigue [#avoid-alert-fatigue]

Too many email notifications will train you to ignore them:

* Only enable email for actionable alerts
* Use the quick setup defaults as a starting point
* Review and adjust based on your needs

### Test Your Notifications [#test-your-notifications]

Verify your setup works:

1. Create a test alert with a low threshold
2. Enable email notification
3. Confirm notification is received
4. Delete the test alert

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

### Not Receiving Emails [#not-receiving-emails]

1. Check spam/junk folder
2. Verify email is enabled for the specific alert
3. Confirm your account email is verified
4. Check if alerts are triggering (view in dashboard)

### Not Receiving In-App Notifications [#not-receiving-in-app-notifications]

1. Verify the alert is enabled (toggle is on)
2. Check if the condition is being met
3. Refresh the page to load latest notifications

## Related [#related]

<Cards>
  <Card title="Setting Up Alerts" href="/alerts/setting-up-alerts">
    Create alert rules
  </Card>

  <Card title="Alert Types" href="/alerts/alert-types">
    All available alert types
  </Card>
</Cards>