Provider Matrix

Choose a service you already use, or a self-hosted destination you can maintain. You can enable more than one provider.

Set up delivery

Open Settings > Notifications and select Global.
Enable a provider and enter its credentials using the matching guide below.
Save. In Settings > Alerts, choose the alert types you want.
Check Settings > Routing for any DVR-specific delivery choices.
When you are ready to send a real message, follow the v1.6.0 notification test guidance, then check the receiving app and Delivery Log.

ChannelWatch Notification Providers card showing Global and Living Room DVR tabs and the enabled Pushover provider with a masked URL field — **Choose and configure a notification provider**Provider credentials belong in Notifications; alert switches and DVR routing are configured separately. Sample credentials are masked. Captured from ChannelWatch v1.6.0 with safe demo data.View full-size screenshot

New installations use Important Only. Live-TV and VOD notifications remain off until you enable them. Upgrades keep saved preferences.

Route alerts per DVR

Use Settings > Routing to choose which configured providers receive each DVR’s alerts. See Per-DVR Notification Routing for the override and pause controls.

ChannelWatch notification routing matrix showing per-DVR switches for channel, VOD, recording, disk, and DVR Health alert destinations — **Per-DVR provider routing**The routing matrix controls which destinations receive each alert type for each DVR. Captured from ChannelWatch v1.6.0 with safe demo data.View full-size screenshot

How delivery works

Most built-in providers use Apprise. Each configured destination is delivered and recorded separately.

Discord is the one exception: ChannelWatch sends Discord webhooks directly over HTTP for standard discord.com/api/webhooks/ URLs. For non-standard Discord URL formats, the Custom (Apprise) provider handles the fallback.

Custom (Apprise) accepts one complete URL for a service supported by the bundled Apprise version. Native signed webhooks and Python provider plugins are separate delivery options.

Provider comparison

Provider	What you enter	Useful when
Pushover	User Key and application API Token	You want alerts in the Pushover app
Discord	Channel webhook URL	Several people share a Discord channel
Telegram	Bot token and chat ID	You want bot messages in a chat or group
Slack	Three webhook token segments	Your household or team uses Slack
Email	SMTP connection and recipient	You want an inbox copy
Gotify	Server and application token	You run a Gotify server
Matrix	Homeserver credentials and room	You use a Matrix room
Custom Apprise	One complete Apprise URL	Your service has no dedicated provider slot
Webhooks	Endpoint URL and signing secret	Your own service accepts signed JSON requests
Provider Plugins	A trusted local Python module	You need custom delivery logic

Images and self-hosting

Artwork depends on the alert settings, available DVR metadata, the destination’s rendering, and ChannelWatch’s URL safety checks. Text can arrive without an image. See the Pushover attachment rules and Discord image guidance.

Gotify and Matrix can use infrastructure you host. A public Matrix homeserver or federated room can still involve other operators. Choose the server and room accordingly.

Delivery log support

All providers feed the shared Delivery Log. A successful send means the destination accepted the request; it does not prove that a phone displayed it or that someone read it.