---
title: "Create your first alert rule | Grafana Labs"
description: "Build a complete Grafana alert rule from scratch — write a query, set a condition, add labels, configure evaluation and notifications, and save."
---

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

# Create your first alert rule

Welcome to the hands-on learning path that walks you through building a complete Grafana alert rule from scratch, one piece at a time.

In this path, you open and name a rule, build a Prometheus query, set the condition, organize the rule with a folder and labels, configure evaluation behavior, choose how it handles missing data, select a contact point, and save the rule.

## Here’s what to expect

When you complete this path, you’ll be able to:

- Open the new alert rule page and give your rule a clear name
- Build a Prometheus query using the visual query builder
- Set a comparison operator and threshold for the alert condition
- Select a folder and add labels that control routing
- Configure the evaluation interval and pending period
- Configure no-data and error handling
- Select a contact point
- Add a summary and description to your notification
- Save and activate your alert rule

## Before you begin

Before you build your alert rule, ensure you have:

- A Grafana Cloud account. To create one, refer to [Grafana Cloud](/signup/cloud/connect-account).
- Permission to create and manage alert rules.

The path installs the QuickPizza tutorial data sources for you in the next milestone. This path uses `grafanacloud-play-prom`, and querying it does not count toward your Grafana Cloud usage.

## Troubleshooting

If you get stuck, we’ve got your back! Where appropriate, troubleshooting information is just a click away.

## More to explore

After you save your first rule, explore silences to suppress notifications during planned maintenance, and learn how to configure contact points and notification policies in depth.