managing-xmatters

name	managing-xmatters
description	Use when working with Xmatters — xMatters communication workflow management covering on-call scheduling, group management, communication plan design, flow designer automation, event targeting, and notification analytics. Use when configuring xMatters communication workflows, managing on-call rotations, building flow designer integrations, or analyzing notification delivery and response patterns.
connection_type	xmatters
preload	false

xMatters Management Skill

Manage xMatters communication workflows, on-call schedules, flow designer automations, and notification analytics.

API Conventions

Authentication

All API calls use Basic Authentication or Bearer token — injected automatically. Never hardcode credentials.

Base URL

https://INSTANCE.xmatters.com/api/xm/1

Core Helper Function

#!/bin/bash

xm_api() {
    local method="$1"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"

    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $XMATTERS_TOKEN" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "https://${XMATTERS_INSTANCE}.xmatters.com/api/xm/1${endpoint}" \
            -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $XMATTERS_TOKEN" \
            "https://${XMATTERS_INSTANCE}.xmatters.com/api/xm/1${endpoint}"
    fi
}

Output Rules

• TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Extract only needed fields with jq
• Target ≤50 lines per script output

On-Call Management

Get Current On-Call Members for a Group

xm_api GET "/on-call?groups=GROUP_ID&membersPerShift=5" | jq '[.data[] | {
  group: .group.targetName,
  shift: .shift.name,
  members: [.members[] | {name: .member.targetName, position: .position}]
}]'

List Groups

xm_api GET "/groups?offset=0&limit=100" | jq '[.data[] | {id, targetName, recipientType, status, observedByAll}]'

Communication Plans

List Communication Plans

xm_api GET "/plans?offset=0&limit=100" | jq '[.data[] | {id, name, planType, enabled, creator: .creator.targetName}]'

Get Plan Forms

xm_api GET "/plans/PLAN_ID/forms" | jq '[.data[] | {id, name, description, senderOverrides}]'

Flow Designer

List Flows for a Plan

xm_api GET "/plans/PLAN_ID/flows" | jq '[.data[] | {id, name, description, enabled}]'

Events and Notifications

Get Recent Events

xm_api GET "/events?status=ACTIVE&offset=0&limit=25" | jq '[.data[] | {
  id, name, status, priority,
  created, terminated,
  submitter: .submitter.targetName,
  recipients: .properties.recipients
}]'

Get Event Notification Deliveries

xm_api GET "/events/EVENT_ID/deliveries" | jq '[.data[] | {
  person: .person.targetName,
  device: .device.name,
  deliveryStatus,
  respondedAt
}]'

Common Tasks

1. Audit on-call coverage — verify all groups have active shifts with members assigned
2. Review communication plans — ensure incident notification templates are current
3. Monitor notification delivery — check delivery success rates and response times
4. Configure flow designer — build automated enrichment and escalation flows
5. Manage group membership — verify team structures match organizational changes

Output Format

Present results as a structured report:

Managing Xmatters Report
════════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative