Create Ably channels for GitHub branches
Start a real-time coordination space alongside new work.
Trigger
New Branch Created
Triggers when a new branch is created in a GitHub repository. Detects newly created branches. Deleted branches do not fire events.
Action
Create Ably Channel
Creates a new channel or retrieves an existing channel in ably. this tool allows you to programmatically create and initialize channels for real-time messaging. since ably creates channels implicitly when first used, this action publishes an empty initialization message to create/activate the channel.
Why this helps
Feature work often starts before there is a clear place to coordinate its live updates.
- Prepare coordination space early
- Reduce repetitive setup
- Keep feature context contained
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect GitHub and Ably to Notis once.
- 2Create a new portal automation.
- 3Ask Notis to create or activate an Ably channel whenever a new GitHub branch is created.
- 4Choose the new-branch trigger and a run-report channel, then test by creating a branch.
Questions about this workflow
Can this be used for feature branches?
Yes. Select the appropriate GitHub branch trigger configuration for your repository.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link GitHub to Ably. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
GitHub triggers
Ably actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Query Batch Presence
This tool enables querying the presence states of multiple channels in a single api request. the api retrieves the member presence details of the specified channels in parallel.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Query Batch Presence History
This tool enables querying presence history for multiple channels in a single api request. it uses the get endpoint at https://rest.ably.io/presence to retrieve the member presence history details of the specified channels in parallel.
New Workflow Artifact Created
Triggers when a new workflow artifact is created in a GitHub repository. Monitors for newly created GitHub Actions workflow artifacts. Optionally filters by artifact name to restrict monitoring to specific artifacts.
Create Ably Channel
Creates a new channel or retrieves an existing channel in ably. this tool allows you to programmatically create and initialize channels for real-time messaging. since ably creates channels implicitly when first used, this action publishes an empty initialization message to create/activate the channel.
Branch Changed
Triggers when a GitHub branch changes. Monitors a specific branch for: - New commits pushed (head commit SHA changes) - Protection status toggled (branch becomes protected or unprotected) - Protection settings changed, including: required status checks and their enforcement level, admin enforcement, required pull request reviews (dismiss stale reviews, code owner reviews, approving review count, last push approval), required linear history, force push allowance, deletion allowance, conversation resolution, branch locking, and fork syncing.
Delete Channel Subscription
This tool allows you to unsubscribe devices or clients from push notifications for specific channels. the operation is asynchronous, so immediate requests after deletion may briefly still return the subscription.
New Branch Created
Triggers when a new branch is created in a GitHub repository. Detects newly created branches. Deleted branches do not fire events.
Get Channel Details
This tool retrieves metadata and details for a specific channel in ably. it returns a channeldetails object containing information about the channel's status, occupancy, and other metadata. the endpoint provides visibility into channel activity, including metrics such as connections, presence, publishers, and subscribers, and requires appropriate permissions.
Check Run Status / Conclusion Changed
Triggers when a specific GitHub check run changes its status or conclusion. Monitors a single check run for changes to: status (queued, in_progress, completed, etc.), conclusion (success, failure, neutral, cancelled, skipped, timed_out, action_required), started_at, and completed_at.
Get Channel History
This tool retrieves the message history for a specified ably channel. it uses the get /channels/{channelid}/messages endpoint to return a paginated list of messages in chronological order, subject to parameters such as 'channelid', 'limit', 'direction', 'start', and 'end'. the tool is useful for auditing, recovering missed messages, analyzing channel activity, and debugging message flows. authentication is required via basic or token authentication.
Check Suite Status / Conclusion Changed
Triggers when a GitHub check suite changes its status or conclusion for a given ref. Monitors all check suites associated with a git reference (branch, tag, or commit SHA) for changes to status (queued, in_progress, completed, etc.) and conclusion (success, failure, neutral, cancelled, skipped, timed_out, action_required, startup_failure, stale). Optionally filters by GitHub App ID.
Get Channel Presence History
This tool retrieves the history of presence messages for a specified channel in ably. it allows you to query presence events on a channel within a given time period.
New Code Scanning Alert Created
Triggers when a new code scanning alert is created in a repository. Fires an event for each newly created code scanning alert detected in the configured repository. Alerts can be filtered by Git reference, scanning tool, state, and severity. The payload includes the alert number, rule details, tool information, state, severity, and the location of the most recent instance.
Get Ably Service Time
This tool retrieves the current server time from ably's service in milliseconds since the epoch. it is particularly useful for time synchronization and generating valid tokenrequest timestamps to prevent replay attacks. the endpoint supports multiple content types, handles http errors, network issues, and is a fundamental tool for ensuring accurate timing in ably applications.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
GitHub and Ably, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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