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Last reviewed: April 20, 2026

Configure alert escalation and routing in Grafana IRM

Grafana IRM’s escalation and routing features control which incoming alerts reach which responders, how alerts are grouped, and how they escalate over time. By configuring routes, grouping, escalation chains, labels, and alert templates per integration, you can minimize alert fatigue and make sure critical issues reach the right people quickly.

For a conceptual walkthrough, refer to Introduction to routing and escalation in Grafana IRM. For implementation recommendations, refer to IRM best practices.

Key escalation and routing capabilities

  • Routing: Direct alerts to the correct escalation chain based on payload content or labels.
  • Alert grouping: Combine related alerts into a single alert group to reduce noise.
  • Escalation chains: Define the sequence of notifications and actions when an alert group is created.
  • Labels: Tag and organize alerts for filtering, routing, and incident workflows.
  • Alert templates: Control how alert content is formatted across channels and how alerts are grouped, resolved, and acknowledged.

How escalation and routing work together

When an alert payload arrives at an integration, IRM evaluates the integration’s routes top to bottom and selects the first match. The matched route determines which escalation chain handles the alert, and IRM evaluates the integration’s grouping configuration to decide whether the alert joins an existing alert group or creates a new one. The escalation chain then runs its steps until someone acknowledges or resolves the alert group.

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