alerting: Signal via signal-cli-rest-api, and faster failure detection

Three changes: detection windows tightened, a Signal transport deployed, and
alerts attached to all 84 non-transport endpoints.

── Failing faster ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The heartbeat is a TICKER, not a deadline: Gatus wakes every interval and asks
"did anything arrive in the last interval", so real detection is 1-2x the
window. And a window can only ever be as tight as the push frequency - which is
why two checks moved rather than just having their numbers changed.

  liveness, cpu, ups, service-health, probes   16m -> 11m
  disk, zfs                       daily/30h -> 6-hourly/7h
  backup store + pull job         daily/30h -> 6-hourly/7h
  DNS records                           24h -> 6h
  backup dump                             30h -> 26h

backup-dump stays slow because the dump genuinely is daily. The store-side check
catches the same fault within 6h by reading the source's dump timestamp out of
the artefact filename, so 26h is a backstop rather than the primary signal.

── Thresholds differ by check type, deliberately ───────────────────────────
`failure-threshold` counts consecutive failures, but "consecutive" is a
different amount of wall-clock time per check: a push endpoint produces one
failure per heartbeat window, a pulled one per interval. The default of 3 would
mean 33 minutes on an 11m heartbeat and over a day on a 7h one.

More importantly the heartbeat window ALREADY encodes the tolerance - an 11m
window on a 5-minute push is exactly "one missed push forgiven" - so stacking a
threshold of 3 triples a tolerance that was already chosen. Hence:

  push/heartbeat endpoints   failure-threshold 1
  pulled, 5m (public)        failure-threshold 3   (= 15 minutes)
  pulled, 6h/24h (dns, domain) failure-threshold 1

── The Signal transport ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
roles/signal_api runs signal-cli-rest-api on the observability host, pinned by
digest, MODE=native.

It publishes NO PORTS. The API has no authentication of any kind - anything that
reaches it can send messages as you and read your Signal. Gatus talks to it over
a shared docker network by service name, which is also WHY the network exists:
Gatus runs in a container, so the host's loopback is unreachable from it and a
port published on 127.0.0.1 would not have worked.

MODE=native and not json-rpc because this VPS has 464MB of RAM and already runs
Gatus and Caddy. The json-rpc modes hold a resident JVM; native runs a binary
per request, and alerts are rare enough that startup cost per alert is the right
trade.

Monitored - Gatus polls /v1/health over the same network path the alerts take,
so it proves the delivery route rather than mere container liveness. Deliberately
NOT backed up: the data directory holds Signal private keys and the recovery
path is to link the device again from the phone.

Neither the signal-api endpoint nor Gatus's self-check carries a Signal alert.
If either is down, Signal is precisely what cannot deliver the alert.

── Four traps hit while linking, all now in the role README ────────────────
  * /v1/qrcodelink is BROKEN in native mode - returns "no data to encode" while
    the binary itself emits a perfectly good URI. Not worked around by switching
    MODE, which would put a JVM in the path of every alert permanently.
  * The data dir must be owned by uid 1000, not root. A root-owned 0700 dir
    cannot be traversed by the container user, so linking silently never
    completes and /v1/accounts returns "Failed to read local accounts list".
  * `docker exec` runs as ROOT while the service runs as uid 1000, so without
    --config the account is written to /root/... on the container's ephemeral
    layer. It reports success and is destroyed on the next recreate.
  * The phone reporting "network error" was IPv6: chat.signal.org resolves to
    dualstack AAAA records first, the container has no IPv6 address, and this
    host's IPv6 path is broken - the same edge that 404'd the Go tarball. Fixed
    with a mounted gai.conf that prefers IPv4.

Verified: provider loads (configuredProviders=[signal]), a test message was
delivered and confirmed received, 84 endpoints carry alerts, 86 UP / 0 DOWN.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
counterweight 2026-09-14 21:40:37 +02:00
parent 85040d5f67
commit 3a9e1d5851
Signed by: counterweight
GPG key ID: 883EDBAA726BD96C
20 changed files with 752 additions and 181 deletions

View file

@ -34,6 +34,23 @@
# slow apt run, a reboot - does not raise an alarm, but a check that has
# genuinely stopped does.
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Alerting thresholds, and why they differ by check type.
#
# `failure-threshold` counts CONSECUTIVE failures, but "consecutive" means a
# different amount of wall-clock time per check:
#
# push/heartbeat endpoints a failure is produced once per heartbeat window
# pulled endpoints a failure is produced once per interval
#
# So the default of 3 would mean 33 minutes on an 11m heartbeat and over a day
# on a 7h one - and the heartbeat window ALREADY encodes the tolerance. An 11m
# window on a 5-minute push is precisely "one missed push forgiven"; stacking a
# threshold of 3 on top triples a tolerance that was already chosen.
#
# Hence: push endpoints alert on the FIRST heartbeat failure. Pulled endpoints
# have no built-in tolerance, so the threshold is where it belongs for them.
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
- name: Register the host checks with Gatus
hosts: observability
become: yes
@ -47,7 +64,7 @@
'name': item,
'group': 'liveness',
'token': gatus_push_tokens[item],
'heartbeat': '16m'}] }}"
'heartbeat': '11m'}] }}"
loop: "{{ monitored }}"
- name: Build the disk endpoint list
@ -56,13 +73,20 @@
'name': item,
'group': 'disk',
'token': gatus_push_tokens[item],
'heartbeat': '30h'}] }}"
'heartbeat': '7h'}] }}"
loop: "{{ monitored }}"
- name: Register liveness endpoints
ansible.builtin.include_role:
name: gatus_endpoint
vars:
gatus_endpoint_default_alerts:
- type: signal
# 1, not 3: the heartbeat window is the tolerance. See the note above.
failure-threshold: 1
success-threshold: 2
send-on-resolved: true
minimum-reminder-interval: 6h
gatus_endpoint_name: liveness
gatus_endpoint_external: "{{ liveness_endpoints }}"
@ -70,6 +94,13 @@
ansible.builtin.include_role:
name: gatus_endpoint
vars:
gatus_endpoint_default_alerts:
- type: signal
# 1, not 3: the heartbeat window is the tolerance. See the note above.
failure-threshold: 1
success-threshold: 2
send-on-resolved: true
minimum-reminder-interval: 6h
gatus_endpoint_name: disk
gatus_endpoint_external: "{{ disk_endpoints }}"
@ -77,20 +108,27 @@
ansible.builtin.include_role:
name: gatus_endpoint
vars:
gatus_endpoint_default_alerts:
- type: signal
# 1, not 3: the heartbeat window is the tolerance. See the note above.
failure-threshold: 1
success-threshold: 2
send-on-resolved: true
minimum-reminder-interval: 6h
gatus_endpoint_name: hypervisor
gatus_endpoint_external:
- name: cpu
group: hypervisor
token: "{{ gatus_push_tokens['nodito'] }}"
heartbeat: "16m"
heartbeat: "11m"
- name: zfs
group: hypervisor
token: "{{ gatus_push_tokens['nodito'] }}"
heartbeat: "30h"
heartbeat: "7h"
- name: ups
group: hypervisor
token: "{{ gatus_push_tokens['nodito'] }}"
heartbeat: "16m"
heartbeat: "11m"
- name: Deploy host liveness and disk checks
hosts: managed
@ -120,10 +158,13 @@
healthcheck_name: disk-usage
healthcheck_description: "Disk usage for {{ inventory_hostname }}"
healthcheck_check: disk-usage
# Daily. RandomizedDelaySec spreads twelve hosts across the hour rather
# than having them all report in the same second.
healthcheck_on_calendar: "*-*-* 07:00:00"
healthcheck_randomized_delay: "3600"
# Every 6h rather than daily. Disk usage itself moves slowly, but the
# heartbeat can only be as tight as the push frequency - a daily push
# forces a >24h window, and a stuck check then hides for a day and a
# half. Six-hourly buys a 7h window. RandomizedDelaySec spreads the
# hosts so twelve boxes do not all report in the same second.
healthcheck_on_calendar: "*-*-* 00/6:00:00"
healthcheck_randomized_delay: "900"
healthcheck_boot_delay: "5min"
healthcheck_push_url: "{{ gatus_api }}/disk_{{ host_key }}/external"
healthcheck_push_token: "{{ host_token }}"
@ -157,7 +198,7 @@
healthcheck_check: zfs-health
healthcheck_packages: [curl, jq]
healthcheck_zfs_pool: "{{ zfs_pool_name }}"
healthcheck_on_calendar: "*-*-* 07:20:00"
healthcheck_on_calendar: "*-*-* 00/6:20:00"
healthcheck_boot_delay: "10min"
healthcheck_push_url: "{{ gatus_api }}/hypervisor_zfs/external"
healthcheck_push_token: "{{ host_token }}"

View file

@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
---
# Is each systemd-deployed service actually running?
#
# Every 5 minutes, with a 16-minute Gatus heartbeat - three missed runs before
# Every 5 minutes, with an 11-minute Gatus heartbeat - one missed run before
# it alarms, so a reboot or a slow check does not page anyone, but a host that
# stops reporting does.
#
@ -28,6 +28,23 @@
# Register one endpoint per unit. Runs first: Gatus reloads within 30s, and the
# host play above takes minutes, so every endpoint exists before its first push.
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Alerting thresholds, and why they differ by check type.
#
# `failure-threshold` counts CONSECUTIVE failures, but "consecutive" means a
# different amount of wall-clock time per check:
#
# push/heartbeat endpoints a failure is produced once per heartbeat window
# pulled endpoints a failure is produced once per interval
#
# So the default of 3 would mean 33 minutes on an 11m heartbeat and over a day
# on a 7h one - and the heartbeat window ALREADY encodes the tolerance. An 11m
# window on a 5-minute push is precisely "one missed push forgiven"; stacking a
# threshold of 3 on top triples a tolerance that was already chosen.
#
# Hence: push endpoints alert on the FIRST heartbeat failure. Pulled endpoints
# have no built-in tolerance, so the threshold is where it belongs for them.
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
- name: Register the service checks with Gatus
hosts: observability
become: yes
@ -47,13 +64,20 @@
'name': (item.0.host | lower | regex_replace('[/_.,# +&]', '-')) ~ '/' ~ item.1,
'group': 'services',
'token': gatus_push_tokens[item.0.host],
'heartbeat': '16m'}] }}"
'heartbeat': '11m'}] }}"
loop: "{{ host_units | subelements('units') }}"
- name: Register the service endpoints
ansible.builtin.include_role:
name: gatus_endpoint
vars:
gatus_endpoint_default_alerts:
- type: signal
# 1, not 3: the heartbeat window is the tolerance. See the note above.
failure-threshold: 1
success-threshold: 2
send-on-resolved: true
minimum-reminder-interval: 6h
gatus_endpoint_name: services
gatus_endpoint_external: "{{ service_endpoints }}"

View file

@ -75,23 +75,36 @@
'group': 'domain',
'url': 'https://' ~ item,
'interval': '24h',
'conditions': ['[DOMAIN_EXPIRATION] > 336h']}] }}"
'conditions': ['[DOMAIN_EXPIRATION] > 336h'],
'alerts': [{'type': 'signal', 'failure-threshold': 1,
'success-threshold': 1, 'send-on-resolved': true,
'minimum-reminder-interval': '168h'}]}] }}"
loop: "{{ monitored_domains }}"
# ── DNS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# 6h, not daily: a DNS query is cheap and a wrong record is an outage. The
# domain check stays at 24h because it does a WHOIS/RDAP lookup against a
# free service. Alert on the first failure - at a 6h interval, waiting for
# three would be nearly a day.
- name: Build the DNS endpoints
ansible.builtin.set_fact:
dns_endpoints: "{{ dns_endpoints | default([]) + [{
'name': item.sub ~ '.' ~ root_domain,
'group': 'dns',
'url': dns_resolver,
'interval': '24h',
'interval': '6h',
'dns': {'query-type': 'A', 'query-name': item.sub ~ '.' ~ root_domain},
'conditions': ['[DNS_RCODE] == NOERROR',
'[BODY] == ' ~ hostvars[item.host].ansible_host]}] }}"
'[BODY] == ' ~ hostvars[item.host].ansible_host],
'alerts': [{'type': 'signal', 'failure-threshold': 1,
'success-threshold': 1, 'send-on-resolved': true,
'minimum-reminder-interval': '24h'}]}] }}"
loop: "{{ dns_records }}"
# ── Public HTTP ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# failure-threshold 3 at a 5m interval = 15 minutes. A pulled endpoint has
# no heartbeat window, so unlike the push checks the tolerance has to live
# in the threshold - and one failed poll of a public site is usually a blip.
- name: Build the public HTTP endpoints
ansible.builtin.set_fact:
http_endpoints: "{{ http_endpoints | default([]) + [{
@ -100,7 +113,10 @@
'url': 'https://' ~ item.sub ~ '.' ~ root_domain ~ item.path,
'interval': '5m',
'conditions': ['[STATUS] == ' ~ item.status,
'[CERTIFICATE_EXPIRATION] > 168h']}] }}"
'[CERTIFICATE_EXPIRATION] > 168h'],
'alerts': [{'type': 'signal', 'failure-threshold': 3,
'success-threshold': 2, 'send-on-resolved': true,
'minimum-reminder-interval': '6h'}]}] }}"
loop: "{{ public_sites }}"
# ── Public TCP ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@ -111,7 +127,10 @@
'group': 'public',
'url': 'tcp://' ~ hostvars[item.host].ansible_host ~ ':' ~ item.port,
'interval': '5m',
'conditions': ['[CONNECTED] == true']}] }}"
'conditions': ['[CONNECTED] == true'],
'alerts': [{'type': 'signal', 'failure-threshold': 3,
'success-threshold': 2, 'send-on-resolved': true,
'minimum-reminder-interval': '6h'}]}] }}"
loop: "{{ public_tcp }}"
- name: Register the public-facing endpoints

View file

@ -14,6 +14,23 @@
# They used to push to Uptime Kuma. The scripts now POST with a bearer token
# instead of GETting ?status=up, and each host uses its own token.
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Alerting thresholds, and why they differ by check type.
#
# `failure-threshold` counts CONSECUTIVE failures, but "consecutive" means a
# different amount of wall-clock time per check:
#
# push/heartbeat endpoints a failure is produced once per heartbeat window
# pulled endpoints a failure is produced once per interval
#
# So the default of 3 would mean 33 minutes on an 11m heartbeat and over a day
# on a 7h one - and the heartbeat window ALREADY encodes the tolerance. An 11m
# window on a 5-minute push is precisely "one missed push forgiven"; stacking a
# threshold of 3 on top triples a tolerance that was already chosen.
#
# Hence: push endpoints alert on the FIRST heartbeat failure. Pulled endpoints
# have no built-in tolerance, so the threshold is where it belongs for them.
# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
- name: Register the per-service probes with Gatus
hosts: observability
become: yes
@ -36,12 +53,19 @@
'name': item.name,
'group': 'probe',
'token': gatus_push_tokens[item.host],
'heartbeat': '16m'}] }}"
'heartbeat': '11m'}] }}"
loop: "{{ probes }}"
- name: Register the probe endpoints
ansible.builtin.include_role:
name: gatus_endpoint
vars:
gatus_endpoint_default_alerts:
- type: signal
# 1, not 3: the heartbeat window is the tolerance. See the note above.
failure-threshold: 1
success-threshold: 2
send-on-resolved: true
minimum-reminder-interval: 6h
gatus_endpoint_name: probes
gatus_endpoint_external: "{{ probe_endpoints }}"