Channels
A channel is how a notification reaches someone. Each rule delivery picks one or more.
Manage them under Security → Alerts → Channels. The tab has two halves: which channels this deployment can use at all, and the reusable destinations — Slack channels, Teams channels, webhook endpoints — that rules point at.
The six channels
| Channel | Reaches | Needs setup? |
|---|---|---|
| Willow Admin | The person's Willow inbox and header bell | No |
| The person's email address | Server-side email provider | |
| Browser | Desktop push, even when Willow is closed | Server-side VAPID keys, plus a per-person opt-in |
| Slack | DMs each person, and any Slack channels you add | One-time workspace install |
| Microsoft Teams | Teams channels you add | A workflow per channel, created in Teams |
| Webhook | Your own HTTP endpoint | The endpoint URL |
Willow Admin, Webhook, and Teams work on every deployment with no server configuration. Email and Browser depend on how your Willow server is configured — on the hosted service, contact Willow to turn them on; if you self-host, the Channels tab names the environment variables to set. Slack needs a workspace install.
A channel shown as Not configured can't be selected on a rule.
People vs destinations
The distinction matters when you're deciding what a rule should look like:
Person channels — Willow Admin, Email, Browser, Slack — resolve the delivery's audience to actual people and reach each one individually. Slack additionally posts to any Slack channels you selected.
Destination channels — Webhook, Microsoft Teams — ignore the audience completely and post to the endpoints you selected. A Teams delivery aimed at "All admins" posts once into the channel; Teams has no DM support in Willow.
Only destination channels need anything configured under Destinations. Email, Browser, and Willow Admin go to people, so they don't need one.
Destinations
A destination is configured once and referenced by any number of rule deliveries — add your SIEM webhook or your #security-alerts Teams channel once, then select it wherever you need it.
Each destination row has:
- Test — sends a sample alert immediately, bypassing the rate limit.
- Edit — change the name, URL, or channel IDs. The type can't be changed after creation.
- Delete — any rule delivery pointing at it stops using it.
- An enable toggle.
Deleting or disabling a destination that a rule still points at doesn't break the rule, but that delivery will record a failure explaining there are no destinations left. Fix it by picking another destination or turning the channel off on the delivery.
Personal preferences
The bottom of the Channels tab controls whether people may mute their own notifications. See personal preferences.