> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ilert.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ilert.com/chatops/slack/create-alerts-in-slack.md).

# Create alerts in Slack

Let people raise an ilert alert from a Slack channel with the /il-alert slash command — with or without an ilert account.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Connect your Slack workspace first**

An **Admin** or **Account owner** connects the workspace once, as described in the [Slack integration guide](/chatops/slack.md).
{% endhint %}

`/il-alert` raises an ilert alert from the channel it is typed in. There are two ways to set it up:

|                | Who can raise an alert                     | What you configure                                                                         |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Restricted** | Slack users who also have an ilert account | Nothing beyond connecting the workspace                                                    |
| **Open**       | Anyone in the workspace                    | A Slack alert source, which fixes the channels and the escalation policies they can choose |

Both can be in use at once: in a channel covered by a Slack alert source, people with an ilert account still get their own alert sources through **Advanced settings**.

## Option 1: Restrict to Slack users with an ilert account

Once the workspace is connected, anyone whose ilert username or email address matches their Slack email address can type `/il-alert` in any channel.

Text after the command becomes the summary, so `/il-alert checkout is timing out` opens the dialog with the summary already filled in.

The dialog, **Alert on-call team**, asks for:

| Field                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Alert source**                                                      | Required. Searches the alert sources this user may read, and shows the first 50 matches — there is no second page                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **Escalation policy**                                                 | Required. Searches the escalation policies this user may read, again the first 50 matches                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **Alert summary**                                                     | Required. Anything past 250 characters is cut off when the alert is saved                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **Alert details**                                                     | Optional                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| **I want to create a dedicated public Slack channel for this alert.** | Optional. Creates a public Slack channel for the alert and links the two. For coordinating a bigger problem, [declare an incident](/incidents-and-status-pages/incidents/declare-an-incident.md) and open an [incident channel](/incidents-and-status-pages/incidents/incident-channels.md) instead |

Because the search covers only what the person is allowed to read in ilert, their permissions carry over from ilert into Slack.

Finding an alert source is not the same as being allowed to raise an alert on it. ilert also checks that the person may create, assign, escalate and add responders to alerts. A **Viewer** can read every alert source, so the search offers them, and the submission is then refused. A **Responder**, **User**, **Admin** or **Account owner** passes.

Nobody without an ilert account is permission-checked at all. Open the command up with [Option 2](#option-2-let-anyone-in-the-workspace-raise-an-alert) and a colleague with no ilert account can raise alerts that a **Viewer** with an account cannot.

## Option 2: Let anyone in the workspace raise an alert

Colleagues without an ilert account can raise alerts too, from channels you nominate. This needs a dedicated **Slack alert source**: it decides which channels the command works in, which escalation policies people can pick, and which priority and alert actions the resulting alerts get.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

## Create a Slack alert source

In the sidebar, go to **Alerting** → **Alert sources** and click **Create new alert source**. Pick the **Slack** tile and click **Next**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Name it and choose who is notified

Give it a name such as *Slack alerts from #support*, assign teams if you use them, and choose the escalation policy that handles alerts from this source. Click **Continue setup**. Leave grouping alone: it has no effect on alerts raised from chat.

ilert saves the alert source and opens its **Slack settings** directly — there is no **Create** button in this wizard.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Choose the channels and the escalation policies

On **Slack settings**, fill in:

| Field                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Slack channels**                               | The channels where `/il-alert` works for people without an ilert account. A channel can belong to only one Slack alert source; picking one that is taken shows an error and blocks saving                           |
| **Escalation policies**                          | What people can choose in the dialog. Leave it empty and the source's own escalation policy is used. Keep it to 10: ilert asks for at most 10 but does not stop you, and Slack refuses to render a dialog with more |
| **Custom label for escalation policy selection** | The question above the choices. The default is "Please select the team you'd like to alert"                                                                                                                         |
| *Display names*                                  | Optional, once policies are chosen: a shorter name per policy to show in Slack, at most 24 characters                                                                                                               |

**Dialog preview** shows what the dialog will look like while you edit.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Finish the setup

Click **Continue setup**, then **Finish setup** on the general settings page.

For an existing alert source, the same fields live under the **Slack settings** tab of its edit page.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

Anyone in the workspace can now type `/il-alert` in those channels. They see your question, the escalation policies you chose as radio buttons, and the summary and details fields.

## What happens when someone submits

* The alert belongs to the alert source that was chosen, or to the Slack alert source of the channel. It takes that source's **priority** and its alert actions — nobody picks a priority in Slack. Grouping does not apply, so every submission creates a new alert.
* The channel name is appended to the alert details, so you can see where the report came from.
* ilert confirms in the channel, visible to everyone: "An alert has been created successfully by *@name*", with a card linking to the alert.
* An alert raised by someone with an ilert account is created as that user. An alert raised by anyone else has no creator in ilert; the confirmation in Slack names them.

{% hint style="info" %}
`/ilert alert` does the same as `/il-alert`, and `/il-help` lists the commands the bot knows.
{% endhint %}

## FAQ

### "There is no Slack alert source configured for this channel in ilert…"

The full message reads: "There is no Slack alert source configured for this channel in ilert, which is required to enable alert creation for Slack users without an ilert account."

The channel is not listed in any Slack alert source, and the person typing has no ilert account that matches their Slack email address. Either add the channel to a Slack alert source ([Option 2](#option-2-let-anyone-in-the-workspace-raise-an-alert)), or check that their Slack email address matches their ilert username or email address.

### "Your Slack bot has no permission. Please reauthorize the bot."

ilert could not read the Slack profile of the person who typed the command, or the request was refused. Open **Settings** → **Connectors**, and on the **Slack** card use **Update** if it is offered, or **⋯** → **Re-connect**.

### Which escalation policies can people choose?

Someone with an ilert account can search every escalation policy they may read. Everyone else is limited to the policies listed in the channel's Slack alert source — or, if none are listed there, to that source's own escalation policy.

### Can people pick the priority?

No. The alert source decides, exactly as it does for alerts from a monitoring tool. To have different priorities, create more than one Slack alert source and give each its own channels.


---

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