Google Chat - Rootly

Closed Beta — The Google Chat integration is currently in closed beta. Contact support@rootly.com to request access.

Rootly’s Google Chat integration automates incident communication, on-call management, and alerting. When an incident starts, Rootly creates a dedicated Google Chat space, invites responders, and posts real-time incident overview cards. Responders can manage incidents, respond to alerts, and check on-call schedules without leaving Google Chat.

Incident Spaces

Automatically create dedicated Google Chat spaces for each incident with responders invited

On-Call & Alerting

Page responders via Google Chat, respond to alerts with action buttons, and check on-call schedules

Slash Commands

Declare incidents, create alerts, check on-call, and manage shifts with /rootly commands

Emoji Reactions

React to messages to add timeline events, follow-ups, or tasks to the incident

Real-time Updates

Get notified of role assignments, action items, shift changes, and meeting recordings

Custom Workflows

Control which events trigger Google Chat notifications using workflow conditions

How It Works

Connect to Rootly

Create a service account, configure domain-wide delegation, and upload the key to Rootly (recommended). Or connect via OAuth for a quick evaluation.

Configure Workflows

Set up workflows to automatically create spaces, send messages, or post cards when incidents occur.

Set Up On-Call

Add Google Chat spaces as escalation policy targets to page responders directly in chat.

Installation

There are two ways to connect Google Chat to Rootly. The recommended path is the Google Workspace Marketplace, which handles all configuration automatically. For organizations that need domain-wide delegation, a service account can be configured as an advanced option.

Marketplace (Recommended)
Service Account (Advanced)

Google Workspace Marketplace

This is the recommended setup. Installing from the Marketplace requires no Google Cloud project, no service account, and no manual scope configuration.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

Rootly account with Admin permissions
Google Workspace admin access to install Marketplace apps

Step 1: Install from the Marketplace

Open the Marketplace listing

Go to the Rootly Google Workspace Marketplace listing and click Install.

Approve permissions

Review the requested permissions and click Allow to complete the installation for your Google Workspace domain.

Step 2: Add Rootly to a Space

Open a Google Chat space

Navigate to the Google Chat space where you want to use Rootly, or create a new one.

Add the Rootly bot

Add the Rootly bot to the space. You can do this by typing @Rootly or adding it from the space’s member list.

Step 3: Connect to Your Team

Run the slash command

In the space, type /rootly and press Enter.

Select your team

A dialog will appear. Select the Rootly team you want to connect this space to and confirm.

Google Chat is now connected to Rootly via the Marketplace. No additional configuration is needed.

Service Account + Domain-Wide Delegation

This is an advanced setup for organizations that require domain-wide delegation. A Google Cloud service account with domain-wide delegation gives Rootly access to Google Chat capabilities through a delegated user identity.

Most organizations do not need this setup. The Marketplace install provides full functionality without a service account.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

Rootly account with Admin permissions
A Google Cloud project where you can create a service account
Google Workspace admin access to configure domain-wide delegation
A delegated user email in your workspace (for example, rootly-bot@company.com) for the service account to impersonate

Step 1: Create a Service Account

Create the service account

In your Google Cloud project, go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts and click Create Service Account.Give it a descriptive name (for example, rootly-chat-bot) and click Create and Continue.

Download the JSON key

Click on the newly created service account, go to the Keys tab, and click Add Key > Create new key. Select JSON and download the key file.

Store this key file securely. You’ll upload it to Rootly in the next step and should not commit it to version control.

Step 2: Configure Domain-Wide Delegation

Domain-wide delegation allows the service account to impersonate a user in your workspace, which is required for creating spaces and managing members.

Note the Client ID

In your service account details, find the Unique ID (also called OAuth 2 Client ID). You’ll need this for the admin console.

Open Google Workspace Admin Console

Go to admin.google.com and navigate to Security > Access and data control > API Controls > Domain-wide delegation.

Add the delegation

Click Add new and enter:

Client ID: The service account’s OAuth 2 Client ID
OAuth Scopes (comma-separated):

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces.create,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships.app,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages.create,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages

The delegated user email should be a dedicated workspace user (for example, rootly-bot@company.com), not a personal account. This ensures the integration stays active if team members leave.

Step 3: Connect in Rootly

Open Integrations

In Rootly, go to Configuration > Integrations and search for Google Chat.

Upload service account key

Click Setup on the Google Chat integration. Upload the JSON key file you downloaded earlier.

Enter delegated user email

Enter the email of the workspace user the service account will impersonate (for example, rootly-bot@company.com).

Connect

Click Connect. Rootly will verify the credentials and establish the connection.

Google Chat is now connected to Rootly with domain-wide delegation.

Required Scopes

View all delegation scopes

Scope	Purpose
`chat.spaces.create`	Create dedicated incident spaces
`chat.spaces`	Read and manage space settings
`chat.memberships`	Manage space members
`chat.memberships.app`	Add the bot to spaces
`chat.messages.create`	Send messages to spaces
`chat.messages`	Read and manage messages

After Connecting

Once connected (via either method), Rootly automatically creates default workflows:

Auto Create Incident Google Chat Space — Creates a dedicated space when an incident starts (enabled by default)
Default Announcement Space — Posts to a shared announcement space (disabled until you configure a target space)

You can customize these workflows or create new ones from Workflows in the Rootly dashboard.

Configure Settings

Go to Configuration > Integrations > Google Chat > Settings to configure:

Incident space — Toggle auto-creation of incident spaces and announcements
Emoji shortcuts — Customize which emoji reactions trigger timeline events, follow-ups, or tasks
Interactions — Enable or disable slash command responses and link previews

Remove Service Account Credentials

If you previously configured a service account and no longer need it (for example, after switching to the Marketplace install), you can remove the service account credentials from Configuration > Integrations > Google Chat > Edit.

Authentication Model

Google Chat uses a hybrid authentication model where different operations require different identities:

Operation	Auth Method	Notes
Create/delete spaces	Marketplace app or Delegated user (SA)	Marketplace handles this automatically
Add bot to space	Marketplace app or Delegated user (SA)	Uses `chat.memberships.app` scope with SA
Send Cards v2	Bot identity	Google requires bot identity for rich cards
Send text messages	Marketplace app or Delegated user (SA)	Both methods work
Manage members	Marketplace app or Delegated user (SA)	SA requires delegation scopes
Webhook responses	Bot identity	Synchronous responses to Google

Workflows

Smart Defaults

Auto-create Google Chat spaces at incident start using built-in settings

Custom Workflows

Build workflows with triggers, conditions, and multiple Google Chat actions

Available Actions

Action	What It Does
Create Google Chat Space	Creates a dedicated space for the incident, adds the bot, and posts an overview card
Send Google Chat Message	Sends a text message to one or more spaces (with optional threading)
Send Google Chat Attachments	Sends Cards v2 to spaces (requires service account)
Invite to Google Chat Space	Invites users to an incident space by email
Rename Google Chat Space	Changes the display name of a space
Update Google Chat Space Description	Updates the description of a space
Change Google Chat Space Privacy	Switches a space between private and discoverable
Archive Google Chat Spaces	Deletes incident spaces when they’re no longer needed

Create a Workflow

Open Workflows

Go to Rootly > Workflows > Create Workflow.

Choose workflow type

Select the workflow type that matches your use case (for example, Incident, Retrospective, or Pulse).

Configure triggers

Triggers define when this workflow runs.

Trigger	When It Fires
Incident Created	New incident opens
Incident Updated	Severity, status, or fields change
Incident Status Changed	Incident moves to a specific status
Incident Commander Assigned	Someone takes ownership
Incident Resolved	Incident is resolved
Google Chat Space Created	The incident’s Google Chat space is ready
Manual Trigger	Run on demand from the UI

Add conditions (optional)

Conditions filter when the workflow should run after it’s been triggered — keeping notifications focused on the incidents that matter.Examples:

Only for SEV-1 or SEV-2 incidents
Only for specific teams or services
Only for production environments

Add a Google Chat action

Click Add Action and search for Google Chat to see all available actions.

Action Reference

Create Google Chat Space

Creates a dedicated Google Chat space for the incident. The bot is automatically added to the space and posts an incident overview card showing title, status, severity, start time, summary, and a “See in Rootly” button.This is typically the first action in an incident workflow — it gives responders a central place to coordinate.

string

The space name. Supports Liquid syntax (for example, {{ incident.title }}). Automatically formatted to meet Google Chat’s display name requirements.

string

An optional description for the space. Supports Liquid syntax.

string

Controls space discoverability:

Empty (default) — Space is private, only invited members can see it
audiences/default — Space is discoverable by everyone in your Google Workspace organization

Discoverable spaces cannot be created for private incidents.

If the incident already has a Google Chat space, this action skips creation to avoid duplicates.

The overview card requires the service account connection. It is sent using bot identity automatically after space creation.

Send Google Chat Message

Sends a text message to one or more Google Chat spaces. Use Liquid variables to include dynamic incident details.

select

The space(s) to post to. Supports Liquid syntax.

string

The message content. Supports Liquid variables.

*Incident Update*

*Title:* {{ incident.title }}
*Severity:* {{ incident.severity }}
*Status:* {{ incident.status }}
*Commander:* {{ incident.commander.name | default: "Unassigned" }}

{{ incident.summary }}

string

An optional thread key to group messages into a thread within the space. Messages with the same thread key appear as replies in the same thread. Supports Liquid syntax.

If the message text is empty, the action will be skipped.

Common triggers: Incident Created, Incident Updated, Status Changed

Send Google Chat Attachments

Sends Cards v2 to one or more Google Chat spaces. Use this to send richly formatted, interactive content such as structured incident summaries with action buttons.

select

The space(s) to send the cards to. Supports Liquid syntax.

string

A JSON payload defining the Cards v2 content. Supports Liquid syntax. Follows the Google Chat Cards v2 schema.

Cards v2 require the service account connection. OAuth connections cannot send cards — Google restricts card messages to bot identity.

Invite to Google Chat Space

Invites users to the incident’s Google Chat space by email. Use this to automatically add on-call responders when they’re assigned a role.

select

The space to invite users to. Supports Liquid syntax.

string

Comma-separated list of email addresses to invite. Supports Liquid syntax.

Common triggers: Incident Created, Incident Commander Assigned

Rename Google Chat Space

Renames an existing Google Chat space. Use this to reflect status changes — for example, prefixing resolved incidents with [RESOLVED].

select

The space to rename. Supports Liquid syntax.

string

The new display name. Supports Liquid syntax.

[RESOLVED] {{ incident.title }}

Common trigger: Incident Resolved

Update Google Chat Space Description

Updates the description of a Google Chat space. Use this to keep the space description in sync with the incident summary as it evolves.

select

The space to update. Supports Liquid syntax.

string

The new description. Supports Liquid syntax.

Common trigger: Incident Updated

Change Google Chat Space Privacy

Switches a space between private and discoverable. Use this to open up a space to the broader organization during a major incident, or lock it down afterward.

select

The space to update. Supports Liquid syntax.

string

Empty — Makes the space private (invited members only)
audiences/default — Makes the space discoverable organization-wide

Setting a space to discoverable will also update the incident’s private flag. You cannot make a private incident’s space discoverable — change the incident visibility first.

Archive Google Chat Spaces

Deletes the incident’s Google Chat space when it’s no longer needed. Keeps your workspace clean after incidents are resolved.

select

The space(s) to delete. Supports Liquid syntax.

Google Chat does not support archiving spaces — this action permanently deletes the space. Ensure your retention requirements are met before using this action.

Common trigger: Incident Status Changed to “Closed”

Slash Commands

When the Rootly bot is added to a Google Chat space, team members can use slash commands to manage incidents, alerts, and on-call directly from chat.

Incident Commands

Command	Description
`/rootly declare`	Declare a new incident (opens a form dialog)
`/rootly update`	Update incident details
`/rootly status`	View current incident status
`/rootly resolve`	Resolve the incident
`/rootly mitigate`	Mark incident as mitigated
`/rootly cancel`	Cancel the incident
`/rootly ack`	Acknowledge the incident
`/rootly note <message>`	Add a timeline event
`/rootly summary <text>`	Update incident summary
`/rootly severity <name>`	Set incident severity
`/rootly list`	List active incidents

On-Call & Alerting Commands

Command	Description
`/rootly alert`	Create a new alert and page responders (opens a form dialog)
`/rootly oncall`	Show who’s currently on-call across your schedules
`/rootly escalate`	Escalate — create an alert and page the escalation policy
`/rootly override`	Create a shift override (opens a form dialog)

Utility Commands

Command	Description
`/rootly help`	Show all available commands

Slash commands work with both /rootly and /incident prefixes.

The declare, update, alert, escalate, and override commands open dynamic form dialogs with the same configurable fields available in Slack and the web UI, including custom fields.

Emoji Reactions

Rootly can convert emoji reactions on messages in incident spaces into timeline events, follow-ups, or tasks. This lets responders quickly capture important information without leaving the conversation.

Default Emoji	Action
Pin or star emoji	Adds the message as a timeline event
Clipboard emoji	Creates a follow-up action item
Checkmark emoji	Creates a task action item

Rootly responds with a confirmation emoji (for example, ✅) when it processes a reaction.

Customize which emojis trigger each action in Configuration > Integrations > Google Chat > Settings.

On-Call & Alerting

Google Chat spaces can be used as escalation policy targets, making Google Chat a first-class on-call surface alongside Slack.

Escalation Policy Targets

Add Google Chat spaces as notification targets on escalation policy levels. When an alert fires, Rootly posts an alert card to the configured space with action buttons. To configure:

Go to On-Call > Escalation Policies
Edit or create a policy level
Select a Google Chat space as a notification target

Alert Cards

When an alert is sent to a Google Chat space, Rootly posts an interactive card with action buttons that change based on alert status:

Button	Action
Acknowledge	Acknowledge the alert
Resolve	Resolve the alert
Escalate	Escalate to the next policy level
Mark as Noise	Mark the alert as noise
Snooze	Snooze the alert temporarily

Cards update automatically as the alert status changes — buttons reflect the current available actions.

Shift Notifications

When configured, Rootly sends notifications to Google Chat spaces for on-call events:

Shift start — Notifies when an on-call shift begins
Shift override — Notifies when someone takes over or creates an override
Coverage request — Posts a card with a “Take the Shift” button when someone requests coverage

Enable shift notifications in On-Call > Schedules > Edit > Notifications.

Additional Alert Spaces

Configure extra Google Chat spaces to receive alert broadcasts in Configuration > Integrations > Google Chat > Settings. This lets you send alerts to shared spaces in addition to the escalation policy targets.

Lifecycle Notifications

When connected via service account, Rootly automatically posts notifications to incident spaces for key events:

Role assigned — When a responder is assigned a role on the incident
Action item added — When a follow-up or task is created
Meeting recording — When a recording session starts or completes (includes duration and transcript link)
Retrospective published — When the post-incident review is published

Each notification includes a “View in Rootly” button for quick access.

Liquid Variables

Use the Liquid Variable Explorer to test variables with real incident data.

Incident Variables

Variable	Description
`{{ incident.title }}`	Incident title
`{{ incident.summary }}`	Incident summary
`{{ incident.severity }}`	Severity level (for example, “SEV1”)
`{{ incident.status }}`	Current status
`{{ incident.started_at }}`	When the incident started
`{{ incident.commander.name }}`	Incident commander name
`{{ incident.commander.email }}`	Incident commander email
`{{ incident.url }}`	Link to the incident in Rootly

Google Chat Variables

Variable	Description
`{{ incident.google_chat_space_id }}`	ID of the incident’s Google Chat space
`{{ incident.google_chat_space_name }}`	Full resource name of the space (for example, `spaces/AAAA...`)
`{{ incident.google_chat_space_url }}`	URL to the Google Chat space
`{{ incident.google_chat_space_short_url }}`	Shortened URL to the space
`{{ incident.google_chat_space_archived }}`	Whether the space has been deleted (Google Chat does not support archiving — this flag indicates the space was removed via the Archive action)
`{{ incident.google_chat_space_domain_id }}`	Google Workspace domain ID of the space

Troubleshooting

Spaces not being created

Workflows run successfully but no Google Chat spaces appear.Solutions:

Confirm the Rootly bot has been added to the space
If using a service account, verify domain-wide delegation is configured with the correct Client ID and all required scopes
If using a service account, confirm the delegated user email exists as an active user in your Google Workspace
Check workflow run logs for errors: Workflows > Your Workflow > … > View Runs

Cards not rendering (plain text only)

Messages appear as plain text instead of rich Cards v2.Solutions:

Confirm the Rootly bot has been added to the target space
Check workflow run logs for specific error messages

Marketplace app not appearing

After installing from the Marketplace, the Rootly bot is not available in Google Chat.Solutions:

Verify the Marketplace app was approved by a Google Workspace admin
It may take a few minutes for the app to propagate across your workspace
Try refreshing Google Chat or signing out and back in
Check your Google Workspace admin console under Apps > Google Workspace Marketplace apps to confirm the installation

Slash commands not responding

Typing /rootly or /incident in Google Chat does nothing.Solutions:

Confirm the Rootly bot has been added to the space where you’re running commands
Verify the integration is active in Configuration > Integrations > Google Chat
If using a service account, check that domain-wide delegation is correctly configured

Domain-wide delegation not working

Service account operations fail with permission errors.Solutions:

Double-check the Client ID in the admin console matches the service account’s OAuth 2 Client ID (not the service account email)
Ensure all six scopes are entered exactly as shown, comma-separated with no spaces
Domain-wide delegation changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate — wait and retry
Verify the delegated user email is a valid, active user in the same Google Workspace domain

Uninstall

To remove the Google Chat integration from Rootly:

Go to Configuration > Integrations and find Google Chat
Click Connected to reveal the disconnect option
Click Disconnect

Click Connected to reveal the Disconnect option

If you used the service account setup, disconnecting from Rootly does not remove the service account or domain-wide delegation from your Google Cloud project. To fully uninstall, revoke the domain-wide delegation in the Google Workspace admin console and delete the service account if no longer needed.

Incident Spaces

On-Call & Alerting

Slash Commands

Emoji Reactions

Real-time Updates

Custom Workflows

​How It Works

​Installation

​Google Workspace Marketplace

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Install from the Marketplace

​Step 2: Add Rootly to a Space

​Step 3: Connect to Your Team

​Service Account + Domain-Wide Delegation

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Create a Service Account

​Step 2: Configure Domain-Wide Delegation

​Step 3: Connect in Rootly

​Required Scopes

​After Connecting

​Configure Settings

​Remove Service Account Credentials

​Authentication Model

​Workflows

Smart Defaults

Custom Workflows

​Available Actions

​Create a Workflow

​Action Reference

​Slash Commands

​Incident Commands

​On-Call & Alerting Commands

​Utility Commands

​Emoji Reactions

​On-Call & Alerting

​Escalation Policy Targets

​Alert Cards

​Shift Notifications

​Additional Alert Spaces

​Lifecycle Notifications

​Liquid Variables

​Incident Variables

​Google Chat Variables

​Troubleshooting

​Uninstall

How It Works

Installation

Google Workspace Marketplace

Prerequisites

Step 1: Install from the Marketplace

Step 2: Add Rootly to a Space

Step 3: Connect to Your Team

Service Account + Domain-Wide Delegation

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a Service Account

Step 2: Configure Domain-Wide Delegation

Step 3: Connect in Rootly

Required Scopes

After Connecting

Configure Settings

Remove Service Account Credentials

Authentication Model

Workflows

Available Actions

Create a Workflow

Action Reference

Slash Commands

Incident Commands

On-Call & Alerting Commands

Utility Commands

Emoji Reactions

On-Call & Alerting

Escalation Policy Targets

Alert Cards

Shift Notifications

Additional Alert Spaces

Lifecycle Notifications

Liquid Variables

Incident Variables

Google Chat Variables

Troubleshooting

Uninstall