> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.swarmia.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.swarmia.com/features/signals.md). # Signals Spot meaningful movements in your engineering metrics. Signals highlight notable changes across PRs, issues, and team health, so you can see what needs attention, analyze it with AI, discuss it, and act. Signals is available to all Swarmia users on [Signals](https://app.swarmia.com/signals) and on your Swarmia [homepage](https://app.swarmia.com/). The feature is currently in beta and actively being expanded. ## Overview Signals answer one question: *Has something meaningfully changed?* A signal opens when a metric crosses an absolute or trend threshold, and stays open while it persists. When the condition clears, it closes. ## What signals track Signals cover the metrics that matter most to engineering teams, at both leadership and team level. The supported set is limited today and will keep expanding in the coming months. ### Effort/Investment * **FTE changes**: Sudden staffing shifts (org or team level) * **Category trends**: Investment categories trending up or down ### Delivery * **PR cycle time**: Slow merge-to-close cycles or outlier teams * **PR merge time**: Time from open to merge taking longer than usual * **PR review rate**: Reviews slowing down or backlogs building up * **Batch size**: Reviews getting backed up with oversized changes * **Time to first review**: First review taking too long to arrive * **Unlinked PRs**: Merges without linked issues * **Issue cycle time**: Issues taking longer than normal to resolve * **Team signal trends**: Notable changes in metrics across child teams within the organization ![Signal in app](/files/RTWdfjo1w3COeA2EfgSA) ## Using Signals in Swarmia ### For each signal, you can: * **View details** – See what triggered it, which PRs, issues or teams are involved, plus a link to a view to dig into the data * **Analyze with Swarmia AI** – Get a natural-language explanation of what changed and why, streaming in real time, then chat to dig into root causes and suggested actions, or save it as an annotation. * **Annotate** – Add a note or discuss the data with your team. * **Resolve** – Mark it handled until it fires again. You can unresolve it if needed. * **Snooze** – Mute the signal for a set time if you already know about it and don't need reminders ## AI-Powered Insights The analysis opens with the signal already in context: what it detected and why it matters, the recent trend, likely root causes and solutions, and surrounding context (for example, "This spike started after the infrastructure push"). Use it to get up to speed on an unfamiliar metric, correlate a signal with what your team was doing at the time, or find less obvious explanations, such as review latency that points to process rather than staffing. ## Viewing History & Trends Each signal shows how the trend changed over time. Look for: * **Steady escalation** – The problem got worse over time and likely needs intervention * **Spikes** – Ups and downs; this can signal outliers or competing deadlines * **Slow decay** – A good sign that the fix is working To learn from a past change, use the signal details and AI analysis to see what shifted, what likely caused it, and what action helped. ## Weekly digest Stay on top of your metrics with a weekly digest of your signals. Configure them for [yourself](https://app.swarmia.com/notifications) or [your team](https://app.swarmia.com/settings/team/notifications) to receive a weekly notification in Slack or MS Teams channels. ![Weekly signals digest](/files/uvuvfSjhnZdddWqKel2e) ## FAQ ### "I don't see any signals" * Signals are available to all Swarmia users, but if nothing is active, there may be nothing to show yet. * If you're experiencing issues accessing Signals, reach out to for support. ### "I see a signal. Now what?" 1. Open the signal to see the details: which PRs are stale, what changed in the metric, and when the signal opened 2. Click "Analyze with Swarmia AI" for a summary 3. Take action (for example, split large changes or dig into root causes) 4. Snooze or resolve the signal to keep your view clean ### "This signal is a false alarm, or won't go away" * **Signals refresh daily**, not in real time. If the data has changed, the signal will likely clear tomorrow. * **Snooze** it to fade it from your view for the time you set (typically 1 week), or **Resolve** it to clean up your view while the metric catches up. If the condition returns, it will reopen. * Leave a note explaining why (for example, "Team is on sprint planning week"), or click **Analyze with Swarmia AI** to confirm why it is still open. ### "I keep getting the same signal" * If it has been active more than half of the past 90 days, it's likely structural—not a one-off spike. * Look for a process, tooling, or staffing change that would address the root cause --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.swarmia.com/features/signals.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.