## TL;DR

Set data points so the condition must hold for N samples inside the evaluation window before the alert fires: with a 1-hour window and 1-minute roll-up, N=4 means roughly four minutes of badness. Higher N cuts flapping and false positives; lower N reacts faster but pages more.

## The error

```text
use failure-count data points before paging
```

## Fix

1. Set data points so the condition must hold for N samples inside the evaluation window before the alert fires: with a 1-hour window and 1-minute roll-up, N=4 means roughly four minutes of badness.
   Expected: You get the expected result; the problem is gone.
2. Re-run the original operation and confirm the error is gone.
   Expected: no error, normal output.

## When to use

- You hit this exact error with Middleware.io alerts.
- The symptom matches: use failure-count data points before paging.

## When NOT to use

- A different error message from Middleware.io alerts; the cause here is specific to this error.
- Unrelated Middleware.io alerts issues (different feature, different failure).
- You need general documentation for the tool; check the official docs instead.

## Compatibility

Reported against Middleware.io alerts. Source: https://docs.middleware.io/workflow/alerting/setup-alert.

## Variant phrasings

### use failure-count data points before paging

## Why it happens

A single data point makes noisy alerts. Require several before firing.

## Edge cases

- If your error message differs even slightly, this is probably a different issue; search the exact text.
- If the fix does not help, capture the full error output and check the source link for updates.

## Source

https://docs.middleware.io/workflow/alerting/setup-alert