---
key: create-a-critical-alert-recipe
title: Create a recipe
audience: staff
section: critical-alerts
routes: ["/critical-alerts/recipes", "/critical-alerts/recipes/new"]
permissions: ["critical_alerts.recipes.manage"]
features: ["critical_alerts.core"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Save a starting pattern that prefills the source, destination, template, rule and test signal, so the guided setup builds the same kind of alert every time.
keywords: [preset, starting pattern, alert kit, reuse setup, standard alert, guided setup pattern, blueprint]
related: [create-a-critical-alert-with-guided-setup, critical-alerts-guide]
---

In the sidebar, open **Critical Alerts**, then **Setup**, then **Recipes**. The page address is `/critical-alerts/recipes`.

A recipe is what the guided setup starts from. It carries the defaults and the written guidance for one kind of alert, such as "freezer high temperature" or "missed heartbeat". Nova ships with some; add your own for the systems your company installs.

## Before you start

- Your admin has to give your role permission to manage critical alert recipes.

## Steps

1. Press **New recipe**. The **Create recipe** drawer opens.
2. Type a **Name**. The **Key** fills in from it and cannot change later.
3. Leave **Status** as active. Archive a recipe you want to keep but stop offering; archived recipes disappear from the guided setup.
4. Choose the **Source type**, **Destination channel** and **Template channel** this kind of alert uses.
5. Type a **Description** (when to use it), **Matcher guidance** (what the rule should match on) and **Setup steps**, one per line. All three show on the guided setup.
6. Under **Starter defaults**, choose or type the **Source**, **Destination**, **Template** and **Rule** that new alerts start from, plus the **Event name**, **Signal type**, **Severity**, **Title**, **Summary** and **Template body** used for the test signal.
7. Press **Create recipe**.

## What you see

- Each row shows the source type and destination channel, the description, the number of setup steps, and the recipe's sort position.
- **Use** on a row opens the guided setup with that recipe already chosen. **Edit** reopens the drawer.
- **Manage order** opens a drag list, **Manage recipe order**, that sets the order recipes appear in on the guided setup. Archived recipes always sit at the end.
- The **Filters** button narrows by **Status** and **Source type**.

## If something looks different

- The recipe is not on the guided setup: its **Status** is archived, or it does not match what you typed in **Search recipes**.
- **Manage order** is greyed out: there are fewer than two recipes to arrange.
- **Advanced metadata** at the bottom of the drawer holds a **Metadata JSON** field for notes. Leave it empty unless you have been asked to fill it.

[[route:/critical-alerts/recipes|Open Recipes]]