---
title: About Alerts
description: What alerts are, why they exist, and how they help you stay on top of important information automatically.
---

# About Alerts

Alerts let you automatically monitor sources of information and receive a notification the moment something relevant happens — without having to check manually. You define the rules; the system does the watching.

Navigate to [Alerts]({APP_HOST}/alerts) from the main menu to get started.

## What Is an Alert?

An **Alert** is a notification generated automatically when an **Alert Rule** detects a match. Every alert appears in the [Alerts]({APP_HOST}/alerts) feed and, depending on how you configured the rule, may also be delivered by e-mail, SMS, phone call, Microsoft Teams message, or Slack message.

## What Is an Alert Rule?

An **Alert Rule** defines:

- **What to monitor** — a data source, a website, a dashboard, or a survey campaign. See [Types of Monitorings](types-of-monitorings) for the full list.
- **How often to check** — the frequency at which the system polls for new events.
- **How to notify you** — one or more notification methods (sinks) attached to the rule. See [Notifications](notifications) for details.

## What Can You Monitor?

The Alerts module covers a wide range of monitoring scenarios:

| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Documents & News | Fresh content in data sources, keyword search, semantic (AI) search |
| Web pages | AI-powered topic monitoring, change detection |
| Dashboards | Periodic AI summary and audio briefing |
| Surveys | Incoming survey attempts |
| Time Series | Value thresholds *(coming soon)* |

For a full description of each type see [Types of Monitorings](types-of-monitorings).

## How to Get Started

1. Go to [Alerts]({APP_HOST}/alerts) and click **New rule**.
2. Choose the type of monitoring that matches your use case.
3. Fill in the required details (data source, URL, keyword, etc.).
4. Set a **frequency** — how often the rule should run.
5. Add at least one **notification method** so you receive the alerts where it suits you best.
6. Click **Create**.

Once the rule is active it will run automatically in the background. Every match is added to your [Alerts]({APP_HOST}/alerts) feed and delivered to all configured notification methods.

For detailed instructions on managing rules see [Handling Alerts](handling-alerts).