Notification Preferences

Notification preferences let each user control which channels they receive alerts through and for what types of events. Preferences are rule-based — not simple toggles — so you can route incident escalations to Slack, acknowledgment receipts to email, and routine updates to in-app only.

How Preferences Work

Each user has a set of rules that map notification types to channels, plus a default channel for anything not explicitly covered:

  Incident escalated ──► Rule: [slack, email, voice]
                                │
  Incident acknowledged ──► Rule: [in_app, email]
                                │
  Alert resolved ──► (no rule) ──► Default: [in_app]

When an event triggers a notification, Alga checks the user's preference rules for a matching notification_type. If a rule matches, the notification goes to that rule's channels. If no rule matches, it goes to the default_channel.

Available Channels

Channel	Description	Requires
In-App (in_app)	Notifications appear in the notification bell dropdown	Nothing (always available)
Email (email)	Sent via the configured SMTP server	Email integration set up
Slack (slack)	Sent to your linked Slack account via DM	Slack integration + account linked
Voice (voice)	Phone call with IVR menu to acknowledge	Twilio or Telnyx configured
Mattermost (mattermost)	Placeholder — accepted in rules but not yet delivered	Mattermost integration

Link your accounts first

The Slack channel only works if you've linked your personal Slack account. Go to Profile → Connected Accounts to link Slack before configuring that channel in your preferences.

Voice opt-out

Each user has a separate voice opt-out flag (voice_opt_out). When enabled, voice calls are suppressed for that user even if a rule or escalation level includes the voice channel — useful for cost control or personal preference. Voice calls also require a phone number on file.

Preference Structure

{
  "rules": [
    {
      "notification_type": "incident_acknowledged",
      "channels": ["in_app", "email"]
    },
    {
      "notification_type": "incident_escalated",
      "channels": ["in_app", "email", "slack", "voice"]
    },
    {
      "notification_type": "alert_triggered",
      "channels": ["in_app"]
    }
  ],
  "default_channel": "in_app"
}

Common Notification Types

These are the most commonly configured notification types. The full list is available in the UI.

Notification Type	When It Fires	Recommended Channels
incident_created	A new incident is opened	In-app, Slack
incident_escalated	Escalation moved to the next level	In-app, Slack, Email, Voice
incident_acknowledged	Someone acknowledged the incident	In-app, Email
incident_resolved	The incident is marked resolved	In-app
alert_triggered	A new alert fired	In-app
investigation_completed	An AI investigation finished	In-app

Managing Your Preferences

1. Click your profile avatar in the top-right corner
2. Select Notification Preferences
3. Add or edit rules — pick a notification type and the channels you want
4. Set your default channel (used when no rule matches)
5. Click Save Preferences
6. Use Send Test to verify in-app delivery works

Test notifications are in-app only

The Send Test button (POST /api/v1/users/me/notification-preferences/test) is idempotent and creates an in-app test notification — it does not exercise the email, Slack, or voice pipelines. To verify those channels are working, trigger a real notification (e.g., create a test incident assigned to yourself).

Best Practices

• Reserve voice for escalations — phone calls are disruptive. Only enable voice for incident_escalated at higher levels, not for every alert
• Use Slack for real-time awareness — keep your primary incident notifications in Slack so your team has shared visibility
• Keep a default channel — always set default_channel to in_app so you never miss a notification type you forgot to configure
• Different rules for different severities — route critical incidents (P1) to more channels than routine updates

API Endpoints

Method	Path	Auth	Description
GET	/api/v1/users/me/notification-preferences	Session	Get current user's preferences
PUT	/api/v1/users/me/notification-preferences	Session	Update preferences
POST	/api/v1/users/me/notification-preferences/test	Session	Send test notification (in-app only, idempotent)

See Also

• Teams — team structure and membership
• Escalation Policies — multi-tier escalation chains
• On-Call Schedules — rotating coverage
• Notifications — the notification system overview