Checkmk Alerting and On-Call Management with SIGNL4
Send Checkmk alerts via Push, Text and Voice Calls, automatically notify whoever is on call, and acknowledge or close incidents directly from the SIGNL4 mobile app
SIGNL4 & Checkmk
What does SIGNL4 add to Checkmk?
SIGNL4 extends Checkmk with mobile alerting and on-call management. Checkmk alerts can be delivered via push, SMS and voice to whoever is currently on call (Teams & Slack notifications, too). Automated escalations make sure critical incidents don’t get missed. Through the two-way integration, users can acknowledge, close and comment on Checkmk incidents directly from the SIGNL4 mobile app.
Why SIGNL4?
Why use SIGNL4 with Checkmk?
Never miss a critical Checkmk alert
Send persistent notifications via mobile push, SMS and voice calls, including escalation when nobody responds.
Automatically alert whoever is on call
SIGNL4 combines Checkmk monitoring with on-call schedules, availability and team responsibilities so the right person is notified automatically.
Respond from your phone
Acknowledge, close and annotate Checkmk incidents directly from the SIGNL4 mobile app.
Keep Checkmk and SIGNL4 synchronized
Updates made in SIGNL4 can be reflected in Checkmk. When Checkmk detects recovery, the corresponding SIGNL4 alert can be closed automatically.
Know who owns an incident
Teams can see whether an alert was delivered, acknowledged, escalated and who is currently working on it.
Acknowledge Checkmk alerts directly from SIGNL4
2-Way Checkmk Integration
Checkmk to SIGNL4: Checkmk detects a host or service problem
- SIGNL4 receives the alert
- identifies the person currently on call
- sends push, SMS or voice notifications (+Teams & Slack)
- escalates if nobody responds
SIGNL4 to Checkmk: The responder can:
- acknowledge the incident
- close the incident
- add a comment or annotation
directly from the SIGNL4 mobile app. The status is then synchronized back to Checkmk.
Built into Checkmk
Native Checkmk Notification Integration
SIGNL4 is available as a built-in notification method in Checkmk and supports two-way incident updates.
No custom notification script is required for standard alert delivery. Simply select:
Setup -> Events -> Notifications -> SIGNL4 Alerting
and enter your SIGNL4 Team Secret or Workflow Secret.
Mobile App, Alerts & Notifications
Push, SMS and Voice Alerts for Checkmk events
Email alone is often not sufficient for urgent infrastructure incidents, particularly outside normal business hours.
SIGNL4 turns Checkmk events into actionable mobile alerts and provides multiple notification channels:
- Mobile push notifications
- Critical push alerts and mute override
- SMS text messages
- Automated voice calls
- Email notifications
- Custom notification sounds
- Delivery tracking
- Alert acknowledgment
- Automated escalations
Combine notification channels so urgent Checkmk alerts continue to escalate until someone takes ownership.
Mobile App, Alerts & Notifications
Checkmk alerts on your smartphone
On-call engineers should not have to continuously monitor a Checkmk dashboard.
The SIGNL4 mobile app provides a central place to receive and manage Checkmk alerts from anywhere.
Responders can:
- Receive persistent alert notifications
- Review Checkmk event details
- Acknowledge alerts
- Take ownership
- Close incidents
- Add comments
- Escalate incidents
- Collaborate with other team members
- See who is currently on call
SIGNL4 apps are available for iPhone and Android.
Oncall Management
Automatically alert whoever is on call
SIGNL4 complements Checkmk with integrated scheduling and management of on-call duties.
Instead of maintaining separate contact lists or manually changing Checkmk notification rules whenever shifts change, SIGNL4 automatically determines who should receive an alert.
On-call management includes:
- Flexible duty and shift schedules
- Multiple on-call teams
- Primary and secondary responders
- Stand-ins and replacements
- Absence management
- Self-service scheduling
- Availability-based alert routing
- Visibility into who is currently on duty
This makes sure critical Checkmk alerts automatically reach the right person on call.
How to connect SIGNL4 to Checkmk
Connecting Checkmk to SIGNL4 only takes a few steps.
1. Create or Select Your SIGNL4 Team
Choose the SIGNL4 response team that should receive Checkmk notifications.
2. Get Your SIGNL4 Team Secret
Copy the Team Secret associated with the inbound webhook for the selected SIGNL4 team.
3. Configure SIGNL4 Alerting in Checkmk
In Checkmk, go to:
Setup -> Events -> Notifications -> Parameters for Notification Methods -> SIGNL4 Alerting
Create a notification parameter and enter your SIGNL4 Team Secret.
4. Configure Your Checkmk Notification Rules
Determine which Checkmk host and service problems should trigger SIGNL4 alerts and which teams should receive them.
5. Optional: Enable Two-Way Communication
In the SIGNL4 web portal, open the Integration Gallery and add the Checkmk Back Channel integration.
Enter the URL of your Checkmk REST API together with the required Checkmk credentials.
Once configured, responders can acknowledge, close and comment on Checkmk problems directly from SIGNL4.
6. Test Your Integration
Trigger a Checkmk test notification and verify that the alert reaches the expected SIGNL4 team and on-call responder.
Why combine Checkmk with SIGNL4?
Checkmk provides powerful infrastructure and application monitoring. SIGNL4 adds the human response layer required when critical events need immediate attention.
Frequently Asked Questions About Checkmk Alerting
Can Checkmk Send SMS Alerts?
Yes. By integrating Checkmk with SIGNL4, critical Checkmk notifications can be delivered as SMS messages. SIGNL4 can also send mobile push notifications and automated voice calls.
Can Checkmk Send Push Notifications to a Mobile Phone?
Yes. SIGNL4 receives Checkmk events and sends persistent push notifications to the SIGNL4 mobile app for iPhone and Android.
Can Checkmk Call the Person Who Is On Call?
Yes. SIGNL4 can automatically determine who is currently on duty and notify that person via mobile push, SMS or automated voice call.
Does Checkmk Support On-Call Scheduling?
Checkmk provides monitoring, observability, and notification rules. SIGNL4 adds dedicated on-call scheduling, shift management, stand-ins, time-off management, and automatic alert routing based on who is currently on call.
Can I Acknowledge Checkmk Alerts from My Phone?
Yes. With the SIGNL4 two-way Checkmk integration, responders can acknowledge Checkmk problems directly from the SIGNL4 mobile app.
Can I Close Checkmk Incidents from SIGNL4?
Yes. Incidents closed in the SIGNL4 mobile app can update the corresponding host or service problem in Checkmk via the Checkmk REST API.
Can I Add Comments to Checkmk from SIGNL4?
Yes. Comments or annotations added by responders in SIGNL4 can be forwarded to Checkmk when the backchannel integration is enabled.
Does SIGNL4 Automatically Escalate Checkmk Alerts?
Yes. SIGNL4 can track whether an alert was delivered and acknowledged and automatically escalate it to additional responders if nobody responds within the configured time.
Is SIGNL4 a Native Checkmk Integration?
SIGNL4 is available as a built-in notification method in Checkmk. Standard notification delivery therefore does not require a custom Checkmk notification script.
Does SIGNL4 Automatically Close Alerts When Checkmk Recovers?
Yes. Recovery or OK events from Checkmk can automatically resolve the related alert in SIGNL4, helping both systems remain synchronized.
Can Several Checkmk Servers Send Alerts to SIGNL4?
Yes. Multiple Checkmk environments can send events to SIGNL4. Alert attributes can be used to distinguish systems, locations, customers or environments and route alerts to different teams.
Can SIGNL4 Be Used for 24/7 Checkmk Monitoring?
Yes. SIGNL4 is designed for operational teams that need to respond to Checkmk alerts outside normal business hours. On-call schedules, mobile notifications and automated escalations ensure that critical events reach an available responder.
Next Steps
Checkmk tells you when something goes wrong. SIGNL4 makes sure the right person knows about it and responds. Add mobile push, SMS and voice alerting, automated escalation, on-call scheduling and mobile incident response to Checkmk.