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Get phone alerts for GitHub CI failures and deploys

Hugin Alerts sends you a push notification within seconds of a GitHub build failure, new issue, or deployment. No more checking your inbox — your phone buzzes the moment something needs your attention.

Last updated:

What you can monitor with GitHub

Deployment succeeded or failed
CI/CD pipeline failures
New issues and bug reports
Pull request reviews and approvals
Release published
Security vulnerability alerts

Setup guide

Get started in minutes

1

Understand how GitHub webhooks work

GitHub lets you configure webhooks on any repository. When a selected event happens (a push, a failed check, a new issue), GitHub sends an HTTP POST request to a URL you specify. This is how external services get notified in real time.

2

Get a webhook URL from Hugin Alerts

Hugin Alerts is a lightweight service that receives webhooks and forwards them as push notifications to your phone. Install the app and tap "Get started" — you get a unique ingest key immediately, no account or email required. Your webhook URL is the Hugin API endpoint with your key in the Authorization header.

3

Add the webhook in GitHub

Go to your repository Settings → Webhooks → Add webhook. Set the Payload URL to the Hugin API endpoint and add your key as an Authorization header.

bash 
# Payload URL to use in GitHub webhook settings:
https://api.huginalerts.com/v1/events

# Add a custom header in the webhook config:
# Name: Authorization
# Value: Bearer YOUR_INGEST_KEY
4

Or use GitHub Actions for more control

If you want to customize the notification message or only trigger on specific outcomes, add a step to your GitHub Actions workflow instead.

yaml 
# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Deploy
        run: ./deploy.sh

      - name: Notify on success
        if: success()
        run: |
          curl -X POST https://api.huginalerts.com/v1/events \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ secrets.HUGIN_KEY }}" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            -d '{
              "system": "github",
              "event": "deploy_success",
              "description": "Deployed ${{ github.sha }} to production"
            }'

      - name: Notify on failure
        if: failure()
        run: |
          curl -X POST https://api.huginalerts.com/v1/events \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ secrets.HUGIN_KEY }}" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            -d '{
              "system": "github",
              "event": "deploy_failed",
              "description": "Deploy failed for ${{ github.sha }} on ${{ github.ref }}"
            }'

Examples

Ready-to-use examples

CI failure notification

Send a push notification when your test suite or build fails.

bash 
curl -X POST https://api.huginalerts.com/v1/events \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INGEST_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "system": "github",
    "event": "ci_failed",
    "description": "Tests failed on main — commit abc1234 by @octocat"
  }'

New issue notification

Get alerted on your phone when someone opens an issue.

bash 
curl -X POST https://api.huginalerts.com/v1/events \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INGEST_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "system": "github",
    "event": "new_issue",
    "description": "New issue #42: Login page returns 500 error"
  }'

Release published notification

Know the moment a new version of your project is released.

bash 
curl -X POST https://api.huginalerts.com/v1/events \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INGEST_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "system": "github",
    "event": "release",
    "description": "v2.3.0 released — includes new auth module"
  }'

Frequently asked questions

How do I get push notifications from GitHub on my phone?
Use Hugin Alerts. Add a step to your GitHub Actions workflow that sends an HTTP POST to the Hugin API with your ingest key. When the workflow runs, you get an instant push notification on your iPhone or Android device. Setup takes under 60 seconds — no account required.
Can I point GitHub's native webhooks directly at Hugin Alerts?
GitHub webhooks send a specific JSON payload format. You can either use a lightweight proxy to transform the payload, or use the GitHub Actions approach shown above for more control over the notification message.
How do I store the Hugin key in GitHub Actions?
Go to your repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret. Name it HUGIN_KEY and paste your ingest key as the value. This keeps your key out of your codebase and available to all workflows in the repository.
Can I filter which events trigger a notification?
With GitHub Actions, you have full control — use workflow triggers and conditionals to decide exactly when to send a notification. For native webhooks, you select specific events when creating the webhook in your repository settings.
How do I get notified when a GitHub Actions workflow fails?
Add a notification step with 'if: failure()' to your workflow. This step runs only when a previous step fails, sending a curl request to the Hugin API with details about the failure. You'll get a push notification on your phone within seconds of the failure.
Does this work with private repositories?
Yes. GitHub Actions workflows run inside your repository regardless of visibility. The notification step simply makes an outgoing HTTP request to the Hugin API — no inbound access to your repository is needed.
What is Hugin Alerts?
Hugin Alerts is a push notification service for developers. Send one HTTP request from any system — GitHub Actions, CI/CD, cron jobs, scripts — and get an instant push notification on your phone. No sign-up, no email, no credit card. Free during early access.

Start getting GitHub alerts now

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