Notifications

Get notified when your AI agent reaches a checkpoint — whether a task is complete or needs your attention.

Overview

MCP checkpoint notifications keep you informed about your AI agent's progress. When working with AI coding tools like Cursor, Claude Code, or Windsurf, you can tell your AI "notify me when done" and receive updates through your preferred channels.

How It Works

Instructionly uses a two-layer notification model:

Two-layer notification model

Per-request: Tell your AI "notify me when done" to enable notifications for that specific task.
Global: Configure which channels (Email, SMS, Webhook) receive notifications in Settings.

Notification Channels

Choose one or more channels to receive notifications:

Email — Notifications sent to your account email
SMS — Text messages for urgent alerts (requires verified phone number)
Webhook — Send to Slack, Discord, or custom systems

Configure notification channels →

Notification Types

Your AI sends two types of checkpoint notifications:

Completion — Task completed successfully. Your AI finished what you asked.
Attention Needed — AI needs your input. A decision, clarification, or approval is required to continue.

Pricing

Each notification channel has its own cost:

Channel	Cost
Email	0.25 credits
Webhook	0.25 credits
SMS	0.25 credits + carrier cost (varies by country)

If you enable multiple channels, each enabled channel is charged separately. For example, Email + SMS to a US number costs approximately 0.59 credits total.

SMS Pricing Details

SMS messages are delivered via Twilio. The total SMS cost is calculated as:

Formula

SMS cost = 0.25 credits + (Twilio carrier price + $0.001) × 10

The carrier price varies by destination country. You can check Twilio's pricing for your country:

United States (~$0.0079/SMS)
Brazil (~$0.0425/SMS)
United Kingdom (~$0.0420/SMS)

Example (US): 0.25 + ($0.0079 + $0.001) × 10 = 0.25 + 0.089 = ~0.34 credits

SMS requires phone verification

You must verify your phone number before SMS notifications will be sent. Add your phone number in Profile Settings and complete the verification process.

Using Notifications

Once configured, simply tell your AI to notify you:

Example prompts

"Refactor this module and notify me when done"

"Fix these bugs, let me know when you need my input"

"Run the tests and notify me of the results"

Your AI will use the notify_checkpoint tool to send notifications through your configured channels when the task completes or needs attention.