Blackout Windows

Suppress all alerts during planned maintenance or holidays

Blackout windows let you temporarily suppress all alert notifications company-wide. Use them during planned maintenance, deployments, holidays, or any period when alerts would create unnecessary noise.

How Blackouts Work

• Blackouts suppress all alerts for the entire company during the window
• Unlike operating schedules (which are per-rule), blackouts are global
• Suppressed alerts are still recorded in the alert log with reason “blackout period”
• Blackouts can be one-time or yearly recurring

Creating a Blackout

1. Navigate to Blackouts

   Go to Alerts in the sidebar, then click the Blackouts tab.

2. Click New Blackout

   Click New Blackout to open the blackout form.

3. Name the Blackout

   Give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Holiday Freeze 2026” or “Database Migration Window”).

4. Set Start and End Times

   Use the datetime picker to define the window. All times are interpreted in your company’s configured timezone.

5. Choose Recurrence

   Select the recurrence type:

   • None for a one-time blackout
   • Yearly for events that repeat annually
6. Save

   Click Save to activate the blackout. It will begin suppressing alerts at the configured start time.

Recurrence Options

Type	Behavior	Use Case
None	Fires once, then expires	Deployment windows, one-off maintenance
Yearly	Repeats same dates each year	Company holidays, annual freeze periods

Yearly recurring blackouts match the month and day, adjusting for timezone. A blackout from Dec 24-26 will repeat every year on those dates.

Managing Blackouts

• Active blackouts suppress alerts immediately when the window starts
• Toggle is_active to temporarily disable a blackout without deleting it
• Past one-time blackouts remain in the list for audit purposes but have no effect

Create recurring yearly blackouts for predictable events like company holidays. Use one-time blackouts for ad-hoc maintenance windows.

Blackouts vs Operating Schedules

Feature	Operating Schedules	Blackout Windows
Scope	Per-rule	Company-wide
Timing	Recurring weekly pattern	Specific date ranges
Use case	Business hours	Maintenance, holidays
Configuration	Assigned to individual rules	Applies globally

Blackouts override operating schedules. If an event falls within both an active schedule and an active blackout, the blackout takes precedence and the alert is suppressed.

Next Steps

Alert Rules

Configure per-rule schedules and conditions

Best Practices

Reduce alert fatigue across your team