Pikud HaOref Alerts
A real-time alert service that brings Home Front Command warnings to Telegram and WhatsApp.
Pikud Haoref's own alert channels aren't easy to wire into a Telegram or WhatsApp channel, so communities and individuals lack a simple way to get real-time alerts where they already are.
Overview
A real-time alert service built around two connected parts: the alert bot and its public landing page. It polls the Home Front Command feed, formats alerts with affected areas and shelter countdowns, and delivers them to Telegram and WhatsApp.
The landing page is the best place to understand the service and join an existing channel. The bot is relevant for people who want to self-host their own instance.
The need
The official alert source exists, but isn’t something a community Telegram channel or WhatsApp group can consume directly — someone has to bridge it.
Product goals
- Get real-time alerts into channels people already watch, with minimal delay.
- Keep the wrapper library reusable on its own, independent of the Telegram/WhatsApp layer.
Constraints
- Depends on an unofficial, undocumented API — subject to change without notice.
- Solo-maintained open-source project.
The solution
A published library (Apache 2.0) with a versioned release process, Docker support, and CI/CD via GitHub Actions, plus a companion static landing page describing setup and linking to the live Telegram channel and WhatsApp group.
Product experience
Delivered as alert messages in Telegram/WhatsApp rather than a visual app; the landing page is the public-facing surface.
The process
Actively maintained since March 2026, currently at v0.5.3, with a public changelog and CI pipeline.
AI-assisted workflow
Built with AI-assisted coding for the wrapper logic and bot integration, with manual review given the real-time, public-safety nature of the alerts.
Current state
Active — running, versioned, with a live Telegram channel and WhatsApp group.
What is next
Ongoing maintenance as the underlying unofficial API changes.
Lessons learned
Wrapping an unofficial, undocumented API for a real-time public-safety use case means the integration layer needs to be defensive and versioned from day one.
Current Reality
- ·Active realtime broadcast for subscribed channels across Israel.
- ·Open-source self-hostable service with configurable notification filters.
- ·Direct push notification channel without intermediary chat platform dependency.