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How can my coding agent add an alert channel in Rius?

Your coding agent adds an alert channel in Rius by calling the create_alert_channel tool on the Rius MCP server. You ask in plain words, such as “Send my alerts to this webhook”, and the client fills in the arguments. The channel can be a webhook, an email list or Slack, and the connection needs the channels:manage capability.

How it works

The Rius MCP server exposes create_alert_channel, one of eight tools that change something. Your client picks it when you describe where alerts should go. The tool takes these arguments:

  • name (required): a label for the channel, 1 to 120 characters.
  • channel_type (required): webhook, email or slack.
  • url: for a webhook, the https URL to POST to.
  • recipients: for email, 1 to 20 addresses.
  • slack_channel_id: for Slack, a channel id from the connected Slack workspace. Connect Slack in the console first.
  • workspace: a workspace name or ID. It defaults to your default workspace. Pass org/workspace if the same name exists in two of your organizations.
  • enabled: whether the channel starts receiving deliveries. It defaults to true.

The tool replies in Markdown, which your client renders as a summary. If your connection is not allowed to create channels, the tool replies with a message explaining why and changes nothing.

Who can use it depends on how you connect:

  • OAuth session: the tool works for admins, with your role, as in the console.
  • API key: the key must have been minted with Manage notification channels (channels:manage). An admin mints it in the Connect an agent dialog on the console’s MCP page. The Create API key dialog in Settings does not offer this scope, and create_api_key cannot mint it.

Once a rule points at a channel, alert content leaves Rius for the destination you named. For a webhook that is an HTTP POST with the alert title, its labels, counts and a sample of trace ids. The title is a span’s error message, so it can contain model output.

Set it up

  1. Connect your coding agent to the Rius MCP server. In Claude Code, run this in your terminal. The OAuth sign-in opens the first time a session uses the server:

    claude mcp add --transport http rius https://mcp.eu.console.rius-glassflow.com/mcp

    Using the Rius plugin? It already registers an OAuth server named rius, so skip this. For other clients and for headless agents that authenticate with a key, see MCP. A key-based server you add yourself next to the plugin needs its own name, such as rius-key.

  2. Check your access. As an admin on an OAuth session, you can go straight to step 3. For a headless agent, mint a key with Manage notification channels in the Connect an agent dialog and send it as the Authorization bearer header.

  3. Ask in plain words. For a webhook:

    Send my alerts to this webhook.

    Give the agent the https URL and a name. The client sends a call like this:

    { "name": "create_alert_channel", "arguments": {
    "name": "ops webhook", "channel_type": "webhook",
    "url": "https://hooks.example.com/rius"
} }

  4. For email, tell the agent the addresses, up to 20, and the client sets channel_type to email with recipients. For Slack, connect Slack in the console first, then give the agent the Slack channel id so it sets slack_channel_id.

  5. Point a rule at the channel. Ask for list_alert_channels to find the channel id, then use create_alert_rule or update_alert_rule with channel_ids. list_alert_channels also needs channels:manage, because it shows the real destination. Supplying channel_ids needs that capability too. A rule created without channel_ids has no destination: firings show in the console but nobody is notified.

The tool reference lists every argument for each alert tool.

What you get

  • A webhook, email or Slack destination created from your coding agent, without opening the console.
  • A channel that is on from the start, or created switched off if you pass enabled as false.
  • Follow-up control from the same conversation. update_alert_channel renames a channel, re-points it or turns delivery on or off. A channel that fails to deliver several times in a row is disabled automatically, and you bring it back with enabled set to true once it is fixed.
  • A safe way to remove a channel. delete_alert_channel is irreversible and takes two calls: one to preview, one with the confirmation phrase. Setting enabled to false is the reversible alternative.
  • Alerts that reach people. Rules from the pre-defined detectors or your own custom rules can deliver to the channel. For the wider picture of what to watch, see Monitor AI agents in production.

When something else fits

  • If you want to connect Slack or review channels visually, use the Rius console. Slack must be connected there before the tool can use a Slack channel id.
  • If your agent runs headless without a key that has channels:manage, the tool is listed but refuses the call. Ask an admin to mint the key in the Connect an agent dialog, or create the channel in the console.
  • Acknowledging a firing stays a person’s action. An API key never does it.

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