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HostTracker Docs

Set up web push alerts

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Web push delivers a native browser notification to whichever device and browser you registered it from. There’s no address to type - the contact is the browser’s own push subscription.

Settings reference

Section titled “Settings reference”
Setting (UI label) API field (v2) Type / allowed values Default Plan limits What it does for you
Contact Type type "webPush" - -
Push subscription pushSubscription (create only) {endpoint, p256dh, auth} - the exact three values the browser’s Push API returns - (required on create) - The registration result the browser hands over; there is no typed address at all

pushSubscription can only be set on create - it names a specific browser, so re-pointing an existing contact at a different browser isn’t supported (create a new contact instead). It’s also never read back on a GET - the values are the endpoint’s encryption secrets, not something any read on this API has ever published.

Set it up in the app

Section titled “Set it up in the app”
  1. Sign in to the HostTracker web app in the browser you want alerts on.
  2. When prompted (or from Contacts → Add contact → Web push), allow notifications for the site.
  3. That browser is registered as a confirmed contact automatically - HostTracker completes the subscription exchange with your browser’s push service and creates the contact in one step.

What the message looks like

Section titled “What the message looks like”

A native OS/browser notification: the monitor’s name and what happened, clickable to open the relevant page in HostTracker.

Do it with the API or MCP

Section titled “Do it with the API or MCP”

Web push is the one channel whose “address” only a browser can produce - a script can’t type one in. The create call exists for completeness (it’s what the app’s own browser code calls), but in practice you register from the browser, not from a script:

POST /contact
{ "type": "webPush", "name": "My laptop",
  "pushSubscription": { "endpoint": "https://...", "p256dh": "...", "auth": "..." } }

MCP: create_contact(type="webPush", ...) is listed as accepted, but supplying a real pushSubscription from outside a browser isn’t a realistic agent task - this one is best left to the in-app prompt.

What happens next

Section titled “What happens next”

The contact is created and confirmed in the same step - there’s no separate confirmation code, since the browser’s own subscription handshake already proves the endpoint is real.

Limits and gotchas

Section titled “Limits and gotchas”
  • The contact is tied to that browser on that device - registering from a second browser or device creates a separate contact.
  • Clearing site data, uninstalling the browser, or revoking the notification permission breaks the contact silently; send a test alert periodically if you rely on it.
  • Notifications only arrive while the browser is running (and, depending on the OS, may need it to be open in the background).
  • Web push cannot receive scheduled reports.
Section titled “Related”