# 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 open its details, then choose **View Details** to open 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
* **What happened** – a plain-English explanation of the alert, usually with a "Why this matters" note and likely causes
* **Link** to the dashboard

The exact metric value and the threshold you set are not included in the email. Open the dashboard link to see them.

### 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.
* **Product & Onboarding** – The getting-started series sent after you sign up, plus occasional product guidance. Turn it off with the **Send me product and onboarding emails** switch in your **Settings**, or with the unsubscribe link in any of those emails.
* **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 account-level emails, not per-alert. Account, security, and billing emails are always sent; product and onboarding emails, the newsletter, and Weekly Domain Reports can each be turned on or off in your **Settings**.

## 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>