diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index abf5d25..c1fa658 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ bot/app/__pycache__/
 # generated by configure.py on the server — never commit or scp these
 mediamtx.yml
 copyparty.conf
+observability/alertmanager.yml
 Caddyfile
 stream-token.secret
 deploy.env
diff --git a/LOGGING.md b/LOGGING.md
index a189ea9..2be1831 100644
--- a/LOGGING.md
+++ b/LOGGING.md
@@ -104,8 +104,9 @@ vmalert → Alertmanager → dumpd `/heartbeat`, and the disks. It speaks on cha
 with no webhook configured still logs and exits non-zero so `systemctl is-failed vanguard-deadman.service` is
 a signal. Nothing inside the stack can report its own death; this can.
 
-`ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL` in `.env` → `/etc/vanguard/alert-webhook` (0640 root:65534). Empty means log-only, which
-is a working configuration, not an error.
+`ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL` in `.env` → `/etc/vanguard/alert-webhook` (0640 root:65534). Empty means log-only, which is
+a working configuration, not an error: `configure.py` generates `observability/alertmanager.yml` with the
+Discord notifier omitted, so nothing is half-configured and nothing fails to load.
 
 ## Wiring sketches (the options that were weighed)
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 44c89f9..d3defdf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -439,6 +439,10 @@ alert by itself. Metric rules (`observability/alerts-metrics.yml`) cover disk, l
 loops and a missing core container; log rules (`observability/alerts-logs.yml`, LogsQL) cover sweep failures,
 publish-deny bursts, failed bot releases and certificate trouble. Both notify one Discord webhook,
 `ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL` in `.env`, written to `/etc/vanguard/alert-webhook` so it never sits in a config file.
+**Running without a webhook is a supported state**, not a half-configured one: `configure.py` generates
+`observability/alertmanager.yml` with the Discord notifier left out entirely, so alerts still evaluate, group
+and appear at `/alerts`, they are simply not delivered. The deadman behaves the same way, logging to the
+journal and exiting non-zero when it finds something it could not report. Set the variable, re-apply, done.
 
 **The deadman is the part that matters most.** `vanguard-deadman.timer` runs on the host every 5 minutes with
 nothing but curl: are all six answering, is the always-firing `Watchdog` alert still coming through the whole
diff --git a/check.sh b/check.sh
index 5a37aea..3830042 100755
--- a/check.sh
+++ b/check.sh
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ for f in configure.py bin/dumpd.py bin/vgstrip.py; do
   python3 -m py_compile "$f" && say "$f" ok || { say "$f" "PYTHON SYNTAX"; fail=1; }
 done
 rm -rf __pycache__ bin/__pycache__
-python3 -c "import yaml,sys; [yaml.safe_load(open(f)) for f in sys.argv[1:]]" docker-compose.yml mediamtx.example.yml observability/vector.yaml observability/scrape.yml observability/alerts-metrics.yml observability/alerts-logs.yml observability/alertmanager.yml && say "yaml" ok || { say "yaml" "INVALID"; fail=1; }
+python3 -c "import yaml,sys; [yaml.safe_load(open(f)) for f in sys.argv[1:]]" docker-compose.yml mediamtx.example.yml observability/vector.yaml observability/scrape.yml observability/alerts-metrics.yml observability/alerts-logs.yml observability/alertmanager.example.yml && say "yaml" ok || { say "yaml" "INVALID"; fail=1; }
 node -e "
 const fs=require('fs');
 for (const f of ['dock/index.html','dock/clock/index.html','clips/index.html','about/index.html']) { const html=fs.readFileSync(f,'utf8'); for (const m of html.matchAll(/<script(?:[^>]*)>([\s\S]*?)<\/script>/g)) if (m[1].trim()) new Function(m[1]); }
diff --git a/configure.py b/configure.py
index 9dca7cd..96538ca 100755
--- a/configure.py
+++ b/configure.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Reads  : Caddyfile (hostnames), mediamtx.yml (streamers), .env
          (editors/admins are Authentik groups now: editors, media-admins, admins — nothing local)
          (these are GENERATED on the server and gitignored; *.example.* in the repo are reference only —
           never scp them over the live ones: that is how streamers got wiped once)
-Writes : Caddyfile, mediamtx.yml, copyparty.conf, stream-token.secret -> /etc/vanguard, .env (generated secrets +
+Writes : Caddyfile, mediamtx.yml, copyparty.conf, observability/alertmanager.yml, stream-token.secret -> /etc/vanguard, .env (generated secrets +
          Discord bot token/guild), folders, restarts
 Set VG_DRY=1 to write files only (no sudo / docker / folders).
 """
@@ -500,6 +500,59 @@ paths:
   ~^[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+/[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+$: {{}}
 """)
 
+def write_alertmanager():
+    """Alertmanager config. Generated, because the Discord receiver must be ABSENT when no webhook is set:
+    a receiver with no notifiers is valid and simply drops notifications, whereas pointing discord_configs at
+    an empty webhook_url_file may stop Alertmanager from loading at all. The URL itself stays out of this file
+    and in /etc/vanguard/alert-webhook (0640 root:65534), which is what webhook_url_file reads."""
+    webhook = read_env().get("ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL", "").strip()
+    discord = """    discord_configs:
+      - webhook_url_file: /etc/vanguard/alert-webhook
+        title: '{{ if eq .Status "firing" }}🔴{{ else }}✅{{ end }} {{ .CommonLabels.alertname }}'
+        message: |
+          {{ range .Alerts }}{{ .Annotations.summary }}
+          {{ if .Annotations.detail }}{{ .Annotations.detail }}
+          {{ end }}{{ end }}
+""" if webhook.startswith("https://") else """    # No ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL in .env, so this receiver sends nowhere: alerts still group and still show at
+    # https://DIAG_HOST/alerts, they just are not delivered. Set the variable and re-apply to turn it on.
+"""
+    Path("observability/alertmanager.yml").write_text(f"""# Alertmanager — GENERATED by configure.py from ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL. Reference copy: alertmanager.example.yml
+# The heartbeat route is half of the deadman: the Watchdog alert always fires, so Alertmanager posts to dumpd
+# every minute and bin/vanguard-deadman.sh treats a STALE heartbeat as the alarm.
+global:
+  resolve_timeout: 5m
+
+route:
+  receiver: discord
+  group_by: [alertname, service]
+  group_wait: 30s
+  group_interval: 5m
+  repeat_interval: 12h
+  routes:
+    - matchers: [severity="none"]
+      receiver: heartbeat
+      group_wait: 0s
+      group_interval: 1m
+      repeat_interval: 1m
+    - matchers: [severity="critical"]
+      receiver: discord
+      group_wait: 10s
+      repeat_interval: 1h
+
+inhibit_rules:
+  - source_matchers: [alertname="MediaDiskCritical"]
+    target_matchers: [alertname="MediaDiskFilling"]
+  - source_matchers: [alertname="ContainerGone"]
+    target_matchers: [alertname="ContainerRestartLoop"]
+
+receivers:
+  - name: discord
+{discord}  - name: heartbeat
+    webhook_configs:
+      - url: http://host.docker.internal:8081/heartbeat
+        send_resolved: false
+""")
+
 def write_copyparty():
     """copyparty behind Caddy + Authentik: identity and groups arrive as headers; permissions are per group."""
     key = read_env().get("COPYPARTY_IDP_KEY", "key")
@@ -560,7 +613,7 @@ def apply(domain, admin_pw, streamers, editors, auth_host="", watch_host="", dis
         if not yes("   continue anyway?", False): print("aborted; add streamers first ([s] in the menu)"); sys.exit(1)
     print("\n== writing configs")
     write_env(watch_host, discord_token, discord_guild, git_host, bot_host, live_host, domain, live_webhook, files_host, sync_host, clips_host, diag_host)
-    write_caddy(domain, auth_host, watch_host, git_host, bot_host, live_host, files_host, sync_host, clips_host, diag_host); write_mediamtx(domain); write_copyparty()
+    write_caddy(domain, auth_host, watch_host, git_host, bot_host, live_host, files_host, sync_host, clips_host, diag_host); write_mediamtx(domain); write_copyparty(); write_alertmanager()
     Path("stream-token.secret").write_text(read_env()["STREAM_TOKEN_SECRET"] + "\n"); os.chmod("stream-token.secret", 0o600)
     run(["sudo", "install", "-d", "-o", os.environ.get("SUDO_USER") or os.environ.get("USER") or "debian", "/srv/live"])
     print("== app data folders")
diff --git a/observability/alertmanager.yml b/observability/alertmanager.example.yml
similarity index 86%
rename from observability/alertmanager.yml
rename to observability/alertmanager.example.yml
index 504ec34..a0f1e44 100644
--- a/observability/alertmanager.yml
+++ b/observability/alertmanager.example.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+# REFERENCE COPY ONLY — configure.py generates observability/alertmanager.yml from ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL and that
+# generated file is what runs (it omits the Discord receiver's notifier entirely when no webhook is set, so
+# the config stays valid and alerts simply are not delivered). Never scp this over the generated one.
+#
 # Alertmanager: groups what vmalert fires and posts it to Discord. The webhook URL is NOT in here — it is a
 # secret, so configure.py writes it to /etc/vanguard/alert-webhook with mode 0600 and this reads it from there.
 #