---
title: ntfy push notifications
description: Not every team wants a paging vendor just to get a buzz on their phone. Alerts can now push straight to your phone or desktop via ntfy, the free, open-source…
canonical: https://watchfor.io/changelog/2026-07-31-ntfy-notifications
---

[All updates](/changelog/page/7#2026-07-31-ntfy-notifications) ✨ New New channel Jul 31, 2026 · v 5.0.6

# ntfy push notifications

Not every team wants a paging vendor just to get a buzz on their phone. Alerts can now push straight to your phone or desktop via ntfy, the free, open-source notification service with no account required: subscribe to a topic in the ntfy app, paste the topic name, done. Critical incidents arrive at max priority (they can bypass Do Not Disturb), recoveries at normal, and tapping opens the incident. Self-hosted ntfy servers and access tokens are supported.

Enter the topic you subscribed to in the ntfy app.

## Set it up in a minute

- Install the ntfy app on your phone, or open the web app at ntfy.sh. No sign-up.

- Subscribe to a topic with a long, random name, for example acme-alerts-x7k2q . Anyone who knows the name can read the alerts, so don't use my-alerts .

- In WatchFor, go to Alerting → Channels & contacts → New channel → ntfy , enter the same topic and attach the contact groups it should serve.

- Click Send test in the channel's menu. The test push arrives within seconds.

## How alerts arrive

Incident ntfy priority

Critical Max: can bypass Do Not Disturb if you allow it

Warning High

Resolved Normal

The title says what is down, the body has the diagnosis, expected and detected values and confirming locations, and tapping it opens the incident.

## Example

You run a small SaaS on your own. At 02:30 the database host stops answering. The critical push on your phone gets through Do Not Disturb, you see DOWN: API (prod) with the reason in the text, and you tap straight into the incident.

## Self-hosted

Running your own ntfy server? Set the Server URL , and add an access token if the topic needs one. The server has to be reachable from the internet.

Docs: [ntfy](/docs/notifications/ntfy).

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Canonical page: https://watchfor.io/changelog/2026-07-31-ntfy-notifications · Site guide: https://watchfor.io/llms.txt