> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.needalert.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Send alerts

> Notify all subscribers the moment the item becomes available.

When the item becomes available, you send an alert and all of the item's subscribers are notified at the same time.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Sending alerts requires the **Dispatch events** permission. The owner can always send.

## Send now

**1. Open the item and click Send alert**

Need Alert calculates the cost on the spot and shows how many people will be notified, how many credits the dispatch uses, and your current balance.

**2. Write the alert**

* **Title (optional):** if left blank, the title is the item name.
* **Message:** up to 200 characters. Example: "A fresh batch just came out of the oven, come get it while it's warm!"

**3. Confirm**

Click **Send**. The status shows **Sending** and changes to **Sent** once everyone has been notified.

## What happens to subscriptions

* For a **one-time alert** item, the subscription of each person notified closes.
* For a **recurring alert** item, the subscription stays active, unless the person reached the number of alerts they chose.

People get a notification on their phone or computer, if they allowed notifications, and the alert also appears under **My alerts** and **Notifications** inside Need Alert. Anyone who hasn't confirmed their account email isn't counted as a recipient: they're neither notified nor charged.

## Cost

Each person notified uses **1 credit**. The charge happens at dispatch time, based on who is subscribed at that moment.

* **No subscribers:** the dispatch is recorded and costs nothing.
* **Insufficient balance:** the dispatch isn't sent. The dialog shows how much is missing and, if you have the **Manage billing** permission, a **Buy credits** link. See [Credits](https://docs.needalert.app/en/establishments/credits.md).

## When a dispatch isn't accepted

| Situation | Reason |
| - | - |
| The item is paused or archived | Only **Active** items can receive dispatches. |
| The unit is inactive or suspended | A suspended unit can't send new alerts. |
| A dispatch for this item is already in progress | Wait for the previous one to finish. |
| You just sent an alert for this item | There's a short gap of a few seconds between dispatches of the same item, to prevent double clicks. |

## If sending fails

Rarely, a technical failure stops the sending even after several retries. The dispatch shows as **Failed**, with the reason **Sending error**. The notifications already sent stay counted, and the credits already charged aren't returned automatically. This case doesn't send an email or a notification: the dispatch only changes status in **Dispatches**. Contact support: the Need Alert team can resume the sending for whoever hasn't been notified yet, at no new charge, as long as the item and the unit are still active.

## History

The **Dispatches** section lists every alert from the unit: date, item, message, status, recipients, credits used, how many notifications were delivered and how many failed, and who sent it. Each item's latest dispatches also appear on the item page.

> [!TIP]
>
> Want to notify people at a set time, like when the oven is done at 4 p.m.? [Schedule the dispatch](https://docs.needalert.app/en/establishments/schedule-alerts.md).


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