Notify - Smart Notification Delivery

When to Use This Skill

Use when sending notifications to users from an AI agent. Covers channel selection, timing, formatting, and avoiding notification fatigue.

Notification Types and Routing

Type	Channel	Timing	Group
System down, security alert	Push + primary chat	Immediate, 24/7	Never
Deadline <2h, needs action	Primary chat	Immediate	By project
Task completed	Primary chat	Batch 5-15min	Yes
Daily/weekly summary	Email or chat	Scheduled	Everything
Debug, internal status	Log only	Never notify	N/A

Critical Mistakes to Avoid

Empty notifications

BAD:  "Task completed ✅"
GOOD: "✅ Deploy v2.3.1 done. Preview: dev.app.com"

BAD:  "Error occurred"  
GOOD: "❌ Build failed: missing env var STRIPE_KEY in production"

Notification spam

• Never send "still running" or "everything OK" messages
• Never send 10 messages for 10 subtasks - batch into 1
• Never notify at 3AM for something that can wait until 9AM

Wrong channel urgency

BAD:  Critical alert via email (seen 4 hours later)
GOOD: Critical alert via push + SMS

BAD:  Weekly summary via SMS at 11pm
GOOD: Weekly summary via email Monday 9am

Formatting Rules

By channel

• Telegram/Discord: No markdown tables. Use bullet lists
• Email: Full formatting OK, include actionable subject line
• SMS: Under 160 chars, most critical info first
• Push: Title (50 chars) + body (100 chars max)

Universal rules

• Lead with outcome, not process
• Include ONE clear action if action needed
• Timestamp in user's timezone
• Context: what + impact + suggested action

Timing and Batching

Quiet hours

• Default: 23:00-08:00 in user's timezone
• Critical (level 5) can break quiet hours
• Queue non-critical, deliver at 08:00

Batching logic

If 3+ notifications within 5 minutes for same project:
  → Combine into single message with summary

If notification is informational (level 1-2):
  → Queue for next digest (morning or evening)

Confirmation Format

When scheduling any notification, confirm:

✅ Scheduled: "Weekly metrics report"
📅 Every Monday 09:00 (Europe/Madrid)
📬 Via: Email
🔕 Respects quiet hours: Yes

Escalation

If user doesn't respond to critical alert:

1. Wait 2 hours
2. Send ONE reminder via same channel
3. If still no response after 4h: try secondary channel (if configured)
4. Never contact others without explicit permission
5. After 3 attempts: log and stop (don't spam forever)

User Preferences Checklist

Before sending first notification, know:

• Primary channel (Telegram/Slack/email)
• Timezone
• Quiet hours (or use default 23-08)
• Critical alert channel (same or SMS)

Anti-patterns

Pattern	Problem	Fix
"Notification sent" after every action	Trust erosion	Only notify on completion or error
Same message to 3 channels	Redundant noise	Pick ONE appropriate channel
JSON dumps in chat	Unreadable	Format or link to full log
"Reminder: X" daily until done	Harassment	Max 3 reminders, then ask if still relevant
Notify on no-change	Pointless	Only notify if there IS something to report