Google Chat Notification Setup

Receive alerts directly in your Google Chat space when monitors go down or recover.

Prerequisites

  • A Google Workspace account with access to Google Chat
  • A Google Chat space where you want to receive alerts

Step 1: Create a Webhook in Google Chat

  1. Open Google Chat in your browser
  2. Navigate to the space where you want to receive alerts
  3. Click the space name at the top to open the dropdown menu
  4. Select Apps & integrations (or Manage webhooks in older versions)
  5. Click Add webhooks
  6. Enter a name for the webhook (e.g., “Monitoring Alerts”)
  7. Optionally, add an avatar URL for the webhook
  8. Click Save
  9. Copy the webhook URL that appears - you’ll need this in the next step

The webhook URL will look like this:

https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces/XXXXXXXXXX/messages?key=YYYYYYYYYY&token=ZZZZZZZZZZ

Step 2: Add the Webhook to Your Account

  1. Log in to your monitoring dashboard
  2. Go to Settings in the navigation menu
  3. Click the Google Chat tab
  4. Click + Add Webhook
  5. Enter a friendly name for this webhook (e.g., “Production Alerts” or “Team Space”)
  6. Paste the webhook URL you copied from Google Chat
  7. Ensure Active is checked
  8. Click Add Webhook

You can test the webhook by clicking the Test button. A test message will be sent to your Google Chat space.

Step 3: Assign the Webhook to Monitors

  1. Go to Monitors in the navigation menu
  2. Click on a monitor you want to receive alerts for
  3. Click the Notifications tab
  4. In the Google Chat Webhooks section, select your webhook from the dropdown
  5. Click Add

Repeat this for each monitor you want to receive Google Chat alerts for.

Alert Types

You’ll receive notifications for:

  • Down alerts: When a monitor fails (HTTP errors, SSL certificate issues, domain expiration warnings)
  • Recovery alerts: When a monitor recovers after being down

Each alert includes:

  • Monitor name
  • URL or domain being monitored
  • Error details (for down alerts)
  • Downtime duration (for recovery alerts)
  • Timestamp
  • Link to view the monitor in your dashboard

Managing Webhooks

Edit a Webhook

  1. Go to Settings > Google Chat
  2. Find the webhook you want to edit
  3. Click Edit
  4. Make your changes and click Save

Disable a Webhook

You can temporarily disable a webhook without deleting it:

  1. Go to Settings > Google Chat
  2. Find the webhook you want to disable
  3. Click Edit
  4. Uncheck Active
  5. Click Save

Disabled webhooks won’t receive any notifications until re-enabled.

Delete a Webhook

  1. Go to Settings > Google Chat
  2. Find the webhook you want to delete
  3. Click Delete
  4. Confirm the deletion

Deleting a webhook will remove it from all monitors it was assigned to.

Troubleshooting

Test message not arriving

  1. Verify the webhook URL is correct and complete
  2. Check that the webhook is marked as Active
  3. Ensure you have permission to post in the Google Chat space
  4. Try creating a new webhook in Google Chat and updating the URL

Alerts not being sent

  1. Check that the webhook is assigned to the monitor
  2. Verify the webhook is Active in Settings
  3. Check if you’ve exceeded your notification quota
  4. Ensure the monitor has alerting enabled

Webhook URL rejected

The webhook URL must match the Google Chat format:

https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces/[SPACE_ID]/messages?key=[KEY]&token=[TOKEN]

Make sure you copied the complete URL including all query parameters.

Multiple Spaces

You can create multiple webhooks to send alerts to different Google Chat spaces:

  • Create separate webhooks for different teams or projects
  • Assign different webhooks to different monitors
  • A single monitor can have multiple webhooks assigned

Security Notes

  • Webhook URLs contain authentication tokens - treat them as secrets
  • Don’t share webhook URLs publicly
  • If a webhook URL is compromised, delete it in Google Chat and create a new one

  • Rotate webhooks periodically as a security best practice

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