Fallback notifications

[rwjack]

I use Matrix and Email notifications for a few checks, although I realized I don't really need both at the same time. I only enabled Email since it is "more mature" than Matrix, in case something's off with my Matrix server.

The ideal solution would be to have a separate option for fallback notifications, which would be triggered/sent only if the primary notification method fails.

[cuu508]

I'd like to keep things as simple as possible and avoid a configuration UI where the user can say "deliver to channel A. If delivery fails, deliver to B."

But perhaps we could have a fixed, predetermined fallback: when we detect a delivery failure, inform the account owner via email about it.

We already do this for Signal notifications when Signal rejects our message due to rate-limiting on their end. We send a message to the account owner saying:

We could not deliver a Signal notification to <phone-number> due to
hitting a rate-limit on the Signal network, so we are sending it via email
instead:

***
<original notification's text here>
***

We could perhaps do something similar for other types of Signal failures, and for other channel types too.

[rwjack]

I'd like to keep things as simple as possible and avoid a configuration UI where the user can say "deliver to channel A. If delivery fails, deliver to B."

That makes sense.

But perhaps we could have a fixed, predetermined fallback: when we detect a delivery failure, inform the account owner via email about it.

For my use case, this would work, though having the ability to chose any notification method as the predetermined fallback seems like pure bonus cutomizability.

[rebmcr]

We could not deliver a Signal notification to due to
hitting a rate-limit on the Signal network, so we are sending it via email
instead:

@cuu508 These Signal rate-limits appear to be permanently imposed on new integrations (unchanged since at least Tuesday this week), is there any further insight into a solution beyond the blog post (which would seem to be outdated at this point)?

[cuu508]

@rebmcr since the blog post, I have not figured anything new on how to work around the Signal service's rate limits :-/

Can you please try the following:

• Click the "Test!" button next to the Signal integration in your Healthchecks account. Make sure you get a delivery failure, and a fallback email message (i.e., you can reproduce the problem).
• Then, start a chat with the Healthchecks account (+1 202-793-8823), and send a dummy "Hello!" message
• Try clicking "Test!" again

And another thing to test:

• Add the Healthchecks phone number to your phone contacts
• Try clicking "Test!" again and see if it works this time

When I view the Healthchecks account in the Signal app, I see it is marked as "Signal Connection". My guess is the being or not being a Signal Connection might influence the rate limiting logic.

[rebmcr]

Click the "Test!" button next to the Signal integration in your Healthchecks account. Make sure you get a delivery failure, and a fallback email message (i.e., you can reproduce the problem).

I can't do this, because the safety feature means I cannot create the integration at all. (But the test function seems to be as described, screenshot attached)

Then, start a chat with the Healthchecks account (+1 202-793-8823), and send a dummy "Hello!" message
Try clicking "Test!" again

I have done both of these (days ago) but to no success.

I get the exact same screenshots as you have posted, when I check the account screen on Android.

[cuu508]

@rebmcr can you please share the phone number privately with me (send it to [email protected])? I'll poke around with sending Signal notifications to it (and you may get a test notification if it works out).

[rebmcr]

@rebmcr can you please share the phone number privately with me (send it to [email protected])? I'll poke around with sending Signal notifications to it (and you may get a test notification if it works out).

Done! Thanks.