Mention one Slack handle, like @primary-on-call, to tag whoever is on call right now. Better Stack keeps a Slack user group's members in sync with your on-call schedule, so handovers, overrides and holidays are picked up automatically.

Set up your Slack workspace first

Connect Slack to your team if you haven't yet. Slack offers user groups on its paid plans only. By default, Slack also lets only workspace admins manage user groups. Ask your Slack admin to allow members to create, edit and deactivate user groups

Tag your on-call schedule in Slack

1. Go to Who's on-call, open ⋯ on your schedule and click Configure.
2. Expand Advanced settings to find Tag this on-call schedule in Slack.
3. Enter a handle into On-call schedule Slack handle. Handles use lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores.
4. Click Save changes.

We'll create the Slack user group and keep its members matched to whoever escalation would notify: the current responders, or your whole team when a gap or holiday leaves nobody on duty. Anyone on holiday is left out.

Outside the schedule's working hours, or while your whole team is on holiday, we disable the group, so mentioning it tags no one.

The group is named after the schedule and its handle, like Payments on-call (payments-pager), so it's easy to recognize when someone types the handle in Slack. Its description names the team and the schedule.

To rename the group, rename the schedule with Rename in its ⋯ menu. We keep the group's name and description in sync with the schedule and team, so a name changed in Slack is set back the next time we update the group, such as when you save the schedule.

Connected Slack before user groups were available?

Workspaces connected earlier haven't given Better Stack access to user groups yet. Click Re-install the Slack integration on the schedule form to re-authorize the workspace.

Use a Slack group you already have

Pick Use an existing group and select the group in Slack user group. We'll add and remove only the on-call responders. Everyone else in the group stays.

We never rename or disable a group you already have. If you rename its handle in Slack, your schedule follows the new handle automatically.

Combine several schedules into one group

Enter the same handle on several schedules in one team to build a follow-the-sun rotation. The group then tags everyone currently on call across those schedules, and each schedule's form lists who shares it. A shared group is named after its handle, and its description names the team. See Complex on-call schedules to set up the rotation itself.

Stop tagging a schedule

Clear the handle, or the selected group, and click Save changes. A group Better Stack created is disabled. A group you already had keeps all its other members.