---
key: run-escalations-and-monitors-now
title: Run escalations and monitors now
audience: staff
section: critical-alerts
routes: ["/critical-alerts/automation"]
permissions: ["critical_alerts.incidents.operate"]
features: ["critical_alerts.core"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Push due escalation steps, retries, heartbeat checks and recoveries through right now instead of waiting for the next scheduled pass.
keywords: [escalation not firing, run now, heartbeat check, force, manual run, missed check-in, canary, kick it]
related: [add-escalation-steps-to-a-rule, critical-alerts-04-sources-and-incoming-webhooks, retry-a-failed-alert-delivery]
---

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

Nova runs two background passes on a timer. This page lets you run either one immediately, which helps while you are testing or when you do not want to wait.

## Before you start

- Your admin has to give your role permission to acknowledge, resolve and trigger critical alerts.

## Steps

1. Under **Escalations**, press **Run escalations** to process every escalation step that is due and every retry that is waiting. Nova confirms "Escalations processed."
2. Under **Monitors**, press **Run monitors** to check heartbeats (sources whose **Heartbeat timeout seconds** has passed with no check-in), recoveries, and synthetic test signals. Nova confirms "Source monitors processed."

## What you see

- Two cards, each with one sentence and one button. Nothing else lives on this page.
- The results show up elsewhere: a newly due escalation appears under the incident's **Recent delivery attempts**, and a missed heartbeat opens an incident under **Incidents**.

## If something looks different

- Pressing **Run escalations** changes nothing: no step was due yet. Check the step's **Delay minutes** and the rule's **Timing anchor**.
- "Unable to process escalations." or "Unable to process monitors.": try again in a moment. If it keeps failing, tell your admin.
- The page is missing from the sidebar: it only shows there when your company's menu size is **Everything** (see [[choose-your-menu-size]]); type its address or search for **Run Now** instead. If it still will not open, your role cannot operate incidents.

[[route:/critical-alerts/automation|Open Run Now]]