Alerts
Alerts notify you when a metric crosses a threshold or shows anomalous behavior. They come in two pieces:
- Channels — where notifications are delivered (email, Slack, generic webhook).
- Subscriptions — what triggers a notification (an anomaly on event X, or a threshold on metric Y).
Open Alerts in the sidebar (/alerts). The page has two tabs: Channels and Subscriptions.
Setting up a channel
Click New channel
Pick a kind:
| Kind | Target you provide |
|---|---|
| A recipient address (verification email is sent automatically) | |
| Slack | A Slack incoming webhook URL |
| Webhook | Any HTTPS endpoint that accepts POST with JSON |
Verify (email only)
Email channels require a click on the verification link before they will send. The list view shows a Verification column with Verified / Pending badges and a Resend verify action.
Save
Slack and webhook channels are considered live as soon as the URL is saved — the first alert delivery will confirm reachability.
Creating a subscription
Click New subscription
Choose a kind:
- Anomaly — fires when a metric deviates from its expected band (p-value gated). Best for “something looks off” alerts.
- Threshold — fires when a metric value crosses a numeric bound. Best for SLO-style alerts (“error rate > 1%”).
Configure the rule
For threshold subscriptions, pick an operator (>, >=, <, <=, ==) and a value. The source is the saved query or insight you want to watch.
Attach channels
Pick one or more channels. A single subscription can fan-out to multiple channels (e.g. email + Slack).
Save
The subscription enters the list active by default.
Managing subscriptions
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pause | Stops new notifications without deleting the rule. |
| Resume | Re-enables a paused subscription. |
| Delete | Removes the subscription. Channel and log history are preserved. |
The Subscriptions list shows the kind, source, rule, attached channel count, and current status.
Subscriptions are evaluated by a background worker, not on the dashboard. Expect notifications within a minute of the threshold crossing, not instantly.
Limits & gotchas
- One unverified email per workspace can sit pending at a time — re-send the verification or delete the channel to add another.
- Webhook channels receive
POSTwith a signedX-TrackCrumb-SignatureHMAC header (same secret format as the events API). Validate it before acting on the payload. - Anomaly alerts require at least 14 days of historical data on the metric to stabilise the baseline; expect quiet alerts in the first two weeks.
Related
- Annotations — record the cause once an alert fires
- Saved queries — most subscriptions are attached to a saved query