Slack Network Alerts

NetClaw operates as a Slack App Agent with assistant:write, chat:write, reactions:write, and files:write scopes. This skill defines how to format and deliver network alerts through Slack.

Slack OAuth Scopes Used

Scope	Purpose
`chat:write`	Post alert messages to channels
`chat:write.customize`	Post with custom username/avatar per alert severity
`reactions:write`	Add emoji reactions to acknowledge/track alerts
`files:write`	Attach diagrams, reports, and log excerpts
`app_mentions:read`	Respond when users @mention NetClaw
`channels:join`	Join alert channels automatically

Alert Severity Formatting

Use Slack Block Kit formatting to visually distinguish severity levels.

CRITICAL Alert Format

code

:rotating_light: *CRITICAL — Device Unreachable*

*Device:* R1 (10.1.1.1)
*Detected:* 2024-02-21 14:32 UTC
*Impact:* 47 downstream routes affected, 3 OSPF adjacencies lost

*Symptoms:*
• Ping 0% success (was 100%)
• OSPF neighbor state: DOWN
• BGP peer 10.1.1.2: IDLE

*Recommended Action:*
1. Check physical connectivity / power
2. Verify interface status on upstream device
3. Check for reload reason if device recovers

_Thread for investigation updates →_

HIGH Alert Format

code

:warning: *HIGH — Interface Flapping*

*Device:* SW1 | *Interface:* Gi1/0/24
*Flap Count:* 12 in last 30 minutes
*Connected To:* R2:Gi0/0/1 (discovered via CDP)

*Action Required:* Investigate physical layer — CRC errors detected (47 in 5 min)

WARNING Alert Format

code

:large_yellow_circle: *WARNING — Memory Pressure*

*Device:* R2 | *Memory:* 82% used (2.1G / 2.6G)
*Trend:* Increased from 71% over 24h
*Top Consumer:* BGP Router (843 MB)

_Monitor — no immediate action required_

INFORMATIONAL Alert Format

code

:information_source: *INFO — Configuration Change Detected*

*Device:* R1 | *User:* admin (10.0.0.50)
*Time:* 2024-02-21 09:15 UTC
*Change:* 3 lines modified in running-config

_Captured in GAIT session abc123_

Alert Workflows

Health Check Alert Flow

After running a health check (pyats-health-check skill), post results to the designated channel:

•Run the full health check procedure
•Determine overall severity (CRITICAL > HIGH > WARNING > HEALTHY)
•Format the alert using the appropriate severity template above
•Post to the network operations channel
•If CRITICAL or HIGH, add :rotating_light: or :warning: reaction to the message
•If CRITICAL, start a thread with detailed diagnostics

Threshold-Triggered Alerts

When any health check metric exceeds thresholds:

Metric	WARNING	HIGH	CRITICAL
CPU 5min avg	> 50%	> 75%	> 90%
Memory used	> 70%	> 85%	> 95%
Interface errors	> 0 CRC	> 100/min	Resets incrementing
Packet loss	> 0%	> 5%	> 20%
NTP offset	> 100ms	> 500ms	> 1s or unsync
BGP peer	Flapping	1 peer down	Multiple peers down
OSPF adjacency	Flapping	1 adj lost	Area partition

Multi-Device Fleet Alert Summary

After a fleet-wide health check, post a single summary:

code

:bar_chart: *Fleet Health Summary — 2024-02-21 14:00 UTC*

*Devices Checked:* 8 | :red_circle: 1 CRITICAL | :warning: 2 HIGH | :large_yellow_circle: 3 WARNING | :white_check_mark: 2 HEALTHY

┌──────────┬──────────┬──────┬────────┬──────────┬─────────────┐
│ Device   │ CPU      │ Mem  │ Intf   │ NTP      │ Overall     │
├──────────┼──────────┼──────┼────────┼──────────┼─────────────┤
│ R1       │ :white_check_mark: 12%  │ :warning: 78%│ :white_check_mark:     │ :white_check_mark:      │ :warning: WARNING     │
│ R2       │ :white_check_mark: 8%   │ :white_check_mark: 45%│ :red_circle: Gi2 │ :white_check_mark:      │ :red_circle: CRITICAL    │
│ SW1      │ :warning: 67%  │ :white_check_mark: 52%│ :white_check_mark:     │ :red_circle: unsync │ :red_circle: HIGH        │
└──────────┴──────────┴──────┴────────┴──────────┴─────────────┘

_Details in thread →_

Security Alert Flow

After a security audit (pyats-security skill), post findings:

code

:shield: *Security Audit — R1*

*Findings:* 2 CRITICAL | 2 HIGH | 3 MEDIUM | 1 LOW

:red_circle: *CRITICAL:*
• [C-001] SSHv1 enabled — MITM vulnerability
• [C-002] No VTY access-class — management plane exposed

:warning: *HIGH:*
• [H-001] No OSPF authentication on Gi1
• [H-002] SNMP community 'public' with no ACL

_Full report attached as file →_

Reaction-Based Acknowledgment

Use emoji reactions to track alert status:

Reaction	Meaning
:eyes:	Alert acknowledged — someone is looking
:wrench:	Fix in progress
:white_check_mark:	Resolved
:no_entry:	False positive / suppressed
:hourglass:	Waiting on change window
:busts_in_silhouette:	Escalated to team

When a user reacts with :eyes: on an alert, NetClaw can respond in the thread:

code

Acknowledged by @engineer1 at 14:35 UTC. Tracking in thread.

File Attachments

Attach supporting data as Slack files:

•Topology diagrams — Draw.io PNG/SVG after topology discovery
•Health reports — Full text report as .txt attachment
•Config diffs — Pre/post change diffs
•Log excerpts — Relevant log sections for investigation
•Markmap mind maps — Protocol hierarchy visualizations

Channel Strategy

Channel	Purpose	Alert Types
#netclaw-alerts	Critical/High alerts only	Device down, security critical
#netclaw-reports	Scheduled reports	Health checks, audits, reconciliation
#netclaw-changes	Change notifications	Config changes, CR updates
#netclaw-general	General interaction	Ad-hoc queries, help

Message Threading

•Always thread follow-up investigation steps under the original alert
•Post the initial alert as a top-level message
•Post diagnostics, show command outputs, and resolution steps as thread replies
•Post final resolution summary as both a thread reply and a top-level message

Integration with GAIT

Every alert should reference the GAIT session:

code

:information_source: _Tracked in GAIT session `abc123` — commit `def456`_