Question 1

What is a Dead Man's Switch and how does TaskPulse use it?

Accepted Answer

A Dead Man's Switch is a mechanism that triggers when expected activity stops. TaskPulse monitors your scheduled tasks by expecting regular 'heartbeat' pings. If your task fails to ping within the expected interval plus a tolerance period, TaskPulse immediately alerts you via Email or Telegram. This way, you're notified when something stops working, not just when it reports an error.

Question 2

What's the difference between Heartbeat and Signal monitors?

Accepted Answer

Heartbeat monitors are for scheduled tasks that should run at regular intervals (like cron jobs). They expect a ping within a set timeframe and alert you if it's missed. Signal monitors are for tracking arbitrary events in your application. They accept JSON payloads and automatically extract severity levels, making them perfect for logging business events, errors, or any metrics you want to track.

Question 3

How do I integrate TaskPulse with my cron job or scheduled task?

Accepted Answer

It's simple! Just add an HTTP POST request at the end of your task: curl -X POST https://api.taskpulse.co/ping/YOUR_MONITOR_UUID. Check out the Integration Guide for code snippets in Node.js, Python, Go, PHP, Ruby, and guides for n8n, Make, Zapier, and more.

Question 4

Can I use TaskPulse with n8n, Make, or Zapier?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! TaskPulse works perfectly with low-code and no-code automation tools. Simply add an HTTP Request action at the end of your workflow pointing to your monitor URL. This way, you'll know immediately if your automation stops running or fails silently. We have detailed guides for n8n, Make (Integromat), Zapier, and Power Automate.

Question 5

What happens if my task fails? Should I still send a ping?

Accepted Answer

No! Only send a ping when your task completes successfully. If your task fails, don't send a ping. TaskPulse will notice that the expected ping wasn't received and alert you automatically. This is the core principle of Dead Man's Switch monitoring.

Question 6

How fast are the notifications?

Accepted Answer

TaskPulse checks monitors in real-time using WebSocket connections. When a monitor misses its expected ping, notifications are sent immediately. Email notifications typically arrive within seconds, and Telegram notifications are nearly instant. You can configure both channels independently for each monitor.

Question 7

What's the minimum interval I can set?

Accepted Answer

The minimum interval depends on your plan: Free plan has 5 minutes minimum, Pro ($9/mo) has 1 minute minimum, and Business ($29/mo) has 10 seconds minimum.

Question 8

Can I pause a monitor temporarily?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can pause any monitor from the dashboard or monitor details page. While paused, the monitor won't trigger alerts even if pings are missed. This is useful during maintenance windows or when you know a task will be temporarily offline. Resume it anytime with a single click.

Question 9

Is there a free plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our free plan includes 5 heartbeat monitors, 5 signal monitors, 100 monthly events, and full access to Email and Telegram notifications. It's perfect for side projects and getting started. No credit card required.

Question 10

How do I connect Telegram for notifications?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings in your dashboard and click 'Connect Telegram'. This will open our Telegram bot where you just need to click 'Start'. That's it! Your account will be linked and you can enable Telegram notifications for any monitor.