> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.siftstack.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get alerted when a limit is breached

> Set up a webhook to receive notifications in an external system when a Rule is violated or resolved during live data ingestion.

Stay informed when something important happens in your data without having to watch it in real time. By configuring a webhook on a Rule, Sift automatically sends a notification to any system that accepts HTTP requests (such as Slack, PagerDuty, or Jira) the moment a limit is breached or resolved.

## Before you begin

* You have an **Admin** or **Editor** role.
* You are familiar with how [Sift organizes data into Assets, Channels, and Runs](/documentation/get-started/data-model).
* You have at least one Rule configured for the Asset you want to monitor.
* You have a destination URL from the external system you want to notify.

## How webhook alerts work

A webhook is an HTTP POST request Sift sends to an external system when a Rule is violated or resolved during live data ingestion. You do not need to be watching data in Sift. Sift detects the condition and sends the notification automatically to the system of your choice.

To set up an alert, create a webhook in the Manage workspace and attach it to the Rule you want to monitor. Once the Rule is published, the webhook fires automatically.

## Create a webhook

1. Click your profile icon.
2. Select **Manage**.
3. In the **Manage** navigation menu, click **Webhooks**.
4. Click **Create webhook**.
5. In the **Webhook name** box, enter a name for the webhook.
6. In the **Trigger event type** list, select **Rule Violation**.
7. In the **Destination URL** box, enter the URL of the external system that will receive the notification.
8. Click **Next**.
9. Optional: In the **Custom HTTP headers** section, add any headers required by the destination system.
   1. Click **+ Add header**.
   2. In the **Key** list, select an HTTP header.
   3. In the **Value** box, enter the corresponding value.
10. In the **Payload config template** list, select a template.
    * Select a predefined template for services like Slack, OpsGenie, Jira, or PagerDuty.
    * Select **No template** to define a custom payload.
11. In the **Payload body** box, customize the payload.
    * You can use built-in variables such as `{{.RuleName}}`, `{{.Status}}`, and `{{.AssetName}}` to include dynamic data in the notification. For a full list of available variables, see [Webhooks settings](/documentation/reference/manage/webhooks-settings#built-in-variables).
12. Optional: Click **Test webhook** to send a test request to the destination URL and confirm it is received correctly.
13. Click **Save**.

## Attach the webhook to a Rule

Once the webhook is created, attach it to the Rule you want to monitor.

1. In **Sift's** homepage, click the <Icon icon="code-simple" /> **Rules** tab.
2. In the **Rules** table, click the Rule you want to configure the webhook for.
3. Click **Edit**.
4. In the **Webhook** section, click **Configure webhook**.
5. In the **Webhooks** table, click the name of the webhook you created.
6. Click **Select**.
7. Click **Save**.
8. Click **Publish**.

## Verify the webhook

Once live data is flowing, confirm the webhook is firing as expected.

1. Click your profile icon.
2. Select **Manage**.
3. In the **Manage** navigation menu, click **Webhooks**.
4. In the **Webhooks** table, click the webhook you want to verify.
5. Click the **Logs** tab.
6. Review the log entries to confirm the webhook fired and the destination system received the notification.
   * If a webhook failed to fire, the log entry includes the reason for the failure.

## Reference

* [Webhooks settings](/documentation/reference/manage/webhooks-settings)