---
title: "Customize incident channel prefixes | Grafana Cloud documentation"
description: "Configure incident channel prefixes in Grafana IRM"
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# Customize incident channel prefixes

Creating dedicated incident channels helps keep communication organized during an incident and improves post-incident analysis. Channel prefixes in Grafana IRM determine the names of automatically created incident channels, making them easier to find and manage.

For example, if the channel prefix is `security`, the channel name will be formatted as `#security-date-title`.

## Why customize channel prefixes?

Using customized channel prefixes allows you to:

- Differentiate incident channels by team, service, or severity.
- Ensure consistent naming conventions for better organization and searchability.
- Improve post-incident reviews by making channels easier to locate and analyze.

> Tip
> 
> To maintain searchable and manageable incident channels, consider using different prefixes for various teams or services.

## Add a channel prefix

You can create custom channel prefixes to fit your organization’s incident management practices.

1. In the Grafana Cloud main menu, go to **IRM > Settings**.
2. Select the **Incidents** tab.
3. Scroll to the **Prefixes** section.
4. Click **Add Prefix**.
5. Provide the following information:
   
   - **Name:** The prefix you want to use (such as `security`, `ops`, or `infra`).
   - **Description:** Optionally, describe the purpose of the prefix for your team’s reference.
6. Click **Add** to create the prefix.

## Edit a channel prefix

You can update existing prefixes to better align with your organization’s naming conventions or processes.

1. In the Grafana Cloud main menu, go to **IRM > Settings**.
2. Select the **Incidents** tab.
3. Scroll to the **Prefixes** section.
4. Click the **pencil** icon next to the prefix you want to edit.
5. Modify the **Name** or **Description** as needed.
6. Click **Update** to save your changes.

## Using channel prefixes

Once your prefixes are defined, you can specify which prefix to use when declaring an incident in Grafana IRM. Prefixes help standardize incident channel names, making them easier to search and analyze later.