📢 Notification Channels

Configure where you want to receive alert notifications. TraceKit supports Slack and Telegram integrations.

💬 Slack Integration

Receive alerts directly in your Slack workspace using incoming webhooks.

1

Create a Slack App

Go to api.slack.com/apps and click "Create New App"

  • Choose "From scratch"
  • Name it "TraceKit Alerts" (or any name you prefer)
  • Select your workspace
2

Enable Incoming Webhooks

In your app settings, navigate to "Incoming Webhooks"

  • Toggle "Activate Incoming Webhooks" to On
  • Click "Add New Webhook to Workspace"
  • Select the channel where you want alerts (e.g., #alerts)
3

Copy the Webhook URL

You'll see a webhook URL that looks like this:

https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00000000/B00000000/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Copy this entire URL - you'll need it for TraceKit

4

Add to TraceKit

In TraceKit, go to Notification Channels and click "Add Channel"

  • Channel Name: "Engineering Slack" (or any name)
  • Type: Select "Slack"
  • Webhook URL: Paste the URL from step 3
5

Test the Connection

Click the "Test" button to send a test notification to Slack

✅ You should see a test message appear in your Slack channel!

What Alerts Look Like in Slack:

🔴

Critical: High Error Rate on Auth Service

Rule: High Error Rate on Auth Service
Service: auth-service
Current: 12.5%
Threshold: > 5.0%

✈️ Telegram Integration

Get instant notifications on your phone or desktop via Telegram.

1

Create a Telegram Bot

Open Telegram and search for BotFather

  • Start a chat with BotFather
  • Send the command: /newbot
  • Follow the prompts to name your bot (e.g., "ContextIO Alerts Bot")
  • Choose a username ending in "bot" (e.g., "contextio_alerts_bot")
2

Get Your Bot Token

BotFather will send you a token that looks like this:

1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

⚠️ Keep this token secret! Anyone with it can control your bot.

3

Get Your Chat ID

You need your Chat ID to receive messages. There are two ways:

Method 1: Using userinfobot (Easiest)

  • Search for userinfobot in Telegram
  • Send any message to it
  • It will reply with your Chat ID (a number like 870378477)

Method 2: Using Your Bot

  • Find your bot in Telegram and send it any message
  • Open this URL in your browser (replace YOUR_BOT_TOKEN):
https://api.telegram.org/botYOUR_BOT_TOKEN/getUpdates
  • Look for the "chat" object with an "id" field in the JSON response
4

Add to TraceKit

In TraceKit, go to Notification Channels and click "Add Channel"

  • Channel Name: "My Telegram" (or any name)
  • Type: Select "Telegram"
  • Bot Token: Paste your bot token from step 2
  • Chat ID: Paste your chat ID from step 3
5

Test the Connection

Click the "Test" button to send a test notification

✅ You should receive a test message from your bot on Telegram!

What Alerts Look Like in Telegram:

🔴 Critical: High Error Rate on Auth Service

Rule: High Error Rate on Auth Service

Service: auth-service

Current: 12.5% (threshold: > 5.0%)

Duration: 5 minutes

📊 Dashboard

🔍 Traces

Triggered at: 2025-11-03 20:15:00 UTC

💡 Tips & Best Practices

📱 Use Multiple Channels

Set up both Slack (for teams) and Telegram (for personal) to ensure critical alerts reach you anywhere.

🎯 Separate Channels by Severity

Create different channels for critical vs warning alerts to avoid notification fatigue.

Test Before Going Live

Always use the "Test" button to verify your channels work correctly before creating alert rules.

🔒 Keep Tokens Secure

Webhook URLs and bot tokens are sensitive. Don't share them publicly or commit them to version control.

Next Steps

Ready to create your notification channels?