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Copy an existing monitor

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When you need the same check for another site - same type, interval, locations, validation rules and contacts - copy an existing monitor instead of building it again. One copy request can create up to 100 monitors, one per address.

What a copy carries over

Section titled “What a copy carries over”
Part Copied?
Type, all type settings (including stored passwords and keys), timeout, validation rules Yes
Interval or cron schedule Yes
Tags, locations (including excluded checkpoints), recheck strategy, fallback Yes
Attached sub-checks, Full Log, Open Stats, SLA target Yes
Alert subscriptions (same contacts, same events) Yes, unless you switch Alerts off (includeAlerts: false)
Report subscriptions (same contacts, same frequencies) Yes, unless you switch Reports off (includeReports: false)
Maintenance windows covering the source (with the same suppression) Yes, unless you switch Maintenance off (includeMaintenance: false)
Name The name you give each copy, else the source’s name
Results, incidents, statistics No - every copy starts with an empty history

Settings reference (copy request)

Section titled “Settings reference (copy request)”
Setting (app label) API field (v2) Type / allowed values Default What it does for you
Target URLs urls 1-100 entries; each a string or { "url": "...", "name": "..." }. In the app: one per line, url, name - (required) One new monitor per address.
- name Text The source’s name Name for every copy that does not set its own.
Alerts includeAlerts true / false true Copy the alert subscriptions.
Reports includeReports true / false true Copy the report subscriptions.
Maintenance includeMaintenance true / false true Add the copies to the source’s maintenance windows.
- overrides interval, cronSchedule, enabled, fullLog, openStat, tags, slaTarget, locations, recheck, settings, attached None Changes applied to every copy; settings merges onto the source’s settings.
- onOverlimit fail, disable fail What happens when your plan has no room: refuse the whole request, or create the copies that do not fit disabled.

Running or paused?

Section titled “Running or paused?”
  • In the app, a copy of a paused monitor is created paused, and a copy of a running monitor runs.
  • Through the API and MCP, copies always start running, even from a paused source. Send "overrides": { "enabled": false } to stage them paused. The MCP copy_monitor tool has no overrides, so its copies of a paused monitor start running - use api_request if you need them paused.

Either way, review the copies’ alert subscriptions before relying on them: they alert the same contacts as the source.

Set it up in the app

Section titled “Set it up in the app”
  1. On Sites, open the monitor’s row menu and choose Copy.
  2. HostTracker first tries a one-click duplicate named “… (copy)” at the same address. Normally two monitors of the same type cannot watch the same address on one account, so this usually stops with an “already exists” message and opens the Copy Monitor panel (“The copy could not be created at the same URL. Enter the URL(s) for the new monitor(s) below.”).
  3. In Target URLs, enter one address per line; to name a copy, add the name after a comma (https://shop2.example.com, Shop 2).
  4. Under Include Settings, switch Alerts, Reports and Maintenance on or off.
  5. Click Copy Monitor. Lines that cannot be copied are listed under These URLs were not copied with the reason; Remove failed URLs keeps only the valid lines so you can try again.

Do it with the API or MCP

Section titled “Do it with the API or MCP”
Terminal window
# Two copies, checked every 5 minutes, without report subscriptions (scope monitor:write)
curl -X POST "https://api2.host-tracker.com/monitor/$MONITOR_ID/copy" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HT_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: copy-shop-1" \
  -d '{
    "urls": [ "https://shop2.example.com/", { "url": "https://shop3.example.com/", "name": "Shop 3" } ],
    "includeReports": false,
    "overrides": { "interval": 300 }
  }'
  • Up to 10 addresses answer 201 with the created monitors (each in the shape GET /monitor/{id} returns) and what was copied with them.
  • 11 to 100 addresses answer 202 with a job id; poll GET /job/{id} (see Bulk operations). An Idempotency-Key is required above 10 addresses and recommended always.
  • More than 100 addresses: create them with POST /monitor/bulk instead.
  • MCP: copy_monitor (id, urls comma-separated, includeAlerts, includeReports, includeMaintenance, name); longer lists return a job id for get_job / wait_for_job.

What happens next

Section titled “What happens next”

Every address is validated - format, duplicates, locations and your plan’s remaining room - before the first copy is written, so a refused request leaves your account unchanged. The copies are picked up by the scheduler within about a minute and start with empty history.

Limits and gotchas

Section titled “Limits and gotchas”
  • An address that already has a monitor of the same type is refused (409 duplicate_monitor, pointing at /urls/{i}), including the source’s own address.
  • Copies count against your plan’s monitor limit like any new monitor; with onOverlimit: "disable" the ones that do not fit are created disabled.
  • overrides cannot change the type, the address or the name (use urls and name), and cannot carry tag deltas or subscriptions.
  • Copying the source’s credentials means a copy authenticates exactly like the source; change them per copy if the new sites use different accounts.
Section titled “Related”