Alerts
The Alerts page provides a centralized view for managing integrity issues detected during scans.
Alert Types
fsPulse generates three types of alerts:
Access Denied
Triggered when fsPulse is unable to access an item or folder. These alerts can occur during either the scan phase or the analysis phase:
During Scan Phase:
- Unable to retrieve item metadata (type, size, or modification date)
- Unable to enumerate folder contents (typically due to permission restrictions)
During Analysis Phase:
- Unable to read a file for hashing or validation
Notes:
- If fsPulse cannot determine an item’s type from metadata, the item is recorded as an instance of the “Unknown” type
- Items with failed metadata retrieval, whether “Unknown” or otherwise, are not examined during the analysis phase
Suspect Hash Changes
Triggered when:
- A file’s hash changes between scans
- The file’s modification time has NOT changed
This pattern indicates potential:
- Bit rot (silent data corruption)
- Tampering or malicious modification
- Filesystem anomalies
Invalid Items
Triggered when format validation fails:
- FLAC audio files with invalid structure
- JPEG/PNG images that fail format checks
- PDF files with corruption
- Other validated file types with detected issues
See Validators for details on supported file types.
Alert Status
Each alert can be in one of three states:
- Open: New alert requiring attention
- Flagged: Marked for follow-up or further investigation
- Dismissed: Reviewed and determined to be non-critical
Managing Alerts
Filtering
Filter alerts by:
- Status (Open/Flagged/Dismissed)
- Alert type (Access denied/Hash change/Validation failure)
- Root
- Time range
- Path search
Tip: If you select a root on the Browse or Trends page before navigating to Alerts, the same root will be pre-selected automatically via the shared root context.
Status Actions
- Flag: Mark alert for follow-up
- Dismiss: Acknowledge and close the alert
- Reopen: Change dismissed alert back to open
Batch Operations
Select multiple alerts to update status in bulk.
Alert Details
Click an alert to view:
- Item path and metadata
- Alert timestamp
- Access error details (for access denied alerts)
- Hash change details: previous and new hash values (for suspect hash alerts)
- Validation error message (for invalid items)
- Link to item in Browse view
Integration with Browse
Alerts are also displayed in the Browse page’s item detail panel, providing context when investigating specific files. You can change alert status directly from the Browse detail panel without navigating to the Alerts page.