---
title: Configuring check-ins
description: Configure Check-Ins for PHP and Laravel applications.
url: https://docs.honeybadger.io/lib/php/guides/configuring-checkins/
---

Note

For Laravel specific integration information, see the [Laravel](https://docs.honeybadger.io/lib/php/integration/laravel/#check-ins) page. For Lumen specific information, see the [Lumen](https://docs.honeybadger.io/lib/php/integration/lumen/) page.

Honeybadger’s PHP and Laravel packages allow configuring [Check-Ins](https://www.honeybadger.io/check-ins) via the `checkins` configuration key. Create, update or even remove check-ins for your project(s) by defining them in your configuration file. If you are using Laravel or Lumen, this should be in your `config/honeybadger.php` file.

```php
  'api_key' => env('HONEYBADGER_API_KEY'),
  'personal_auth_token' => env('HONEYBADGER_PERSONAL_AUTH_TOKEN'),
  'checkins' => [
    [
      'schedule_type' => 'simple',
      'name' => 'Hourly clean up',
      'slug' => 'hourly-clean-up',
      'grace_period' => '5 minutes',
      'report_period' => '1 hour'
    ],
    [
      'schedule_type' => 'cron',
      'name' => 'Hourly check',
      'slug' => 'hourly-check',
      'cron_schedule' => '30 * * * *',
      'cron_timezone' => 'UTC'
    ]
  ]
```

## Prerequisites

Note

Check-ins are project specific, so you need to set the `api_key` of the project you want to create check-ins for. A `personal_auth_token` is required to create, update or remove check-ins. You can find this token under the [authentication tab in your User Settings page](https://app.honeybadger.io/users/edit#authentication).

## Check-in options

| Field name      | Required                                                   |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `name`          | No.                                                        |
| `slug`          | Yes. This is the identifier used to synchronize check-ins. |
| `schedule_type` | Yes.                                                       |
| `report_period` | Only when `'schedule_type' => 'simple'`.                   |
| `cron_schedule` | Only when `'schedule_type' => 'cron'`.                     |
| `cron_timezone` | Only when `'schedule_type' => 'cron'`.                     |
| `grace_period`  | No.                                                        |

You can find more details in the [Checkins API](https://docs.honeybadger.io/api/check-ins/) page.

## Synchronization

Once you have configured your check-ins, they need to be synchronized with Honeybadger. Usually you would do this as part of your deployment pipeline.

If you are on Laravel or Lumen, you can do this by adding the `honeybadger:checkins:sync` command as an additional step to your deployment. Otherwise, you can manually create a script and run it:

```php
<?php


require __DIR__.'/vendor/autoload.php';


$configString = file_get_contents(__DIR__.'/config/honeybadger.php');
$config = json_decode($configString, true);


(new \Honeybadger\CheckinsManager($config))->sync($config['checkins']);
```

The output of the command will print out created, updated or removed check-ins:

```shell
$ php artisan honeybadger:checkins:sync
Checkins were synchronized with Honeybadger.


+--------+---------------------------------------+---------------+--------------+-----------------+
| Id     | Name                                  | Schedule Type | Grace Period | Status          |
+--------+---------------------------------------+---------------+--------------+-----------------+
| yaI6Pr | Weekly Exports                        | simple        | 5 minutes    | ✅ Synchronized |
| b3Ip54 | Hourly Notifications                  | simple        | 5 minutes    | ✅ Synchronized |
| l2Ie8Q | Hourly SMS Notifications (deprecated) | simple        | 5 minutes    | ❌ Removed      |
+--------+---------------------------------------+---------------+--------------+-----------------+
```

### Validation

The synchronization process will validate the check-ins before sending them to Honeybadger. If any of the check-ins are invalid, the synchronization will fail and most probably the deployment pipeline will fail. If you want to avoid this behavior, you can ignore the result of the artisan command:

```bash
php artisan honeybadger:checkins:sync || true
```

## Troubleshooting

If you are receiving invalid API key errors, make sure you have set both `api_key` and `personal_auth_token` in your configuration file. If you are still receiving invalid API key errors, it is possible that you have reached your check-in limit or you are trying to create a check-in that is not supported by your plan.

---

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