---
title: Alerts: Arming Symbols, Thresholds, and Why an Alert Fires
description: How Helious alerts work: arm the symbols you care about, let the server-side move detector watch with regime-aware thresholds, and see why each one fired.
source: Helious
canonical: https://helious.io/help/alerts
---

# Alerts: Arming Symbols, Thresholds, and Why an Alert Fires

Arm symbols, let the server-side move detector watch with regime-aware thresholds, and know exactly why an alert fires.

Alerts tell you when a symbol actually moves, not when it ticks. Helious runs a server-side move detector with regime-aware thresholds, so a 3bp lurch in a dead tape fires while the same 3bp in a screaming payrolls session doesn't spam you. This page covers arming symbols, how the thresholds adapt, and why a given alert fired.

## Arming symbols

Alerts are per-symbol and opt-in: you arm exactly what you care about and the rest stays quiet. Arm the instruments you're watching from the desk, and the detector begins tracking each one independently. Because arming is granular, you can watch a single tenor around an [auction](https://helious.io/auctions) or a data release without lighting up your whole board.

## Regime-aware thresholds

A fixed threshold is either too loose in a fast market or too tight in a quiet one. The Helious move detector is regime-aware: it calibrates what counts as a move to current conditions, so the bar rises when volatility rises and drops when the tape goes still. A move worth a 1.5bp flag on a quiet afternoon needs a wider swing to clear the bar mid-data-storm. That's by design, so the alert means a real move relative to the regime, not a raw tick count.

## Why an alert fires

An alert fires when an armed symbol clears its regime-adjusted threshold: a move large enough to matter given how the tape is currently behaving. Because the detection runs server-side, it doesn't depend on your tab being focused or your machine keeping up; the watch continues regardless. That also means alerts are consistent across sessions rather than tied to a flaky client-side check.

## Using alerts with the desk

When an alert fires, the cause is usually one click away: a print on the [feed](https://helious.io/), a [Fed](https://helious.io/fed) headline, or a shift on the [rates](https://helious.io/rates) board. Arm the symbols that matter around known catalysts on the [calendar](https://helious.io/calendar), then let the detector handle the watch so you're not glued to a single quote. The point is to be pulled back to the screen only when something genuinely happened.

## Questions

### Do I get alerts on everything by default?

No. Alerts are opt-in and per-symbol: you arm exactly the instruments you care about, and everything else stays silent, so your board doesn't light up with noise.

### What does 'regime-aware threshold' mean?

The move detector calibrates what counts as a move to current volatility. The bar to fire rises in fast markets and falls in quiet ones, so an alert always reflects a real move relative to the regime rather than a fixed tick count.

### Why did an alert fire on a small move?

Because in a quiet regime a small move is a real move. The detector adjusts the threshold down when the tape is still, so a swing that would be nothing mid-data-storm is meaningful on a dead afternoon.

### Do alerts keep working if my tab isn't focused?

Yes. Detection runs server-side, so the watch continues regardless of whether your tab is focused or your machine keeps up, and firing is consistent across sessions.