Twitter Keyword Alerts Setup
Build an X keyword query, add a plain-English filter, and route new posts to push, email, Slack, Discord, or a webhook.
By AyeWatch Team3 min read
Short answer: To set up Twitter keyword alerts, build a query with X search operators, save it in a monitor that checks the Latest results on a schedule, add a plain-English filter, and route matches to push, email, Slack, Discord, or a webhook. X itself has no keyword alert feature.
AyeWatch is an AI internet monitor for public pages and topics. For Twitter keyword alerts, it runs an X search on a schedule, filters matches against a plain-English rule, and sends new posts to push, email, Slack, Discord, or a webhook.
Why X has no built-in keyword alert
X notifications are tied to accounts you follow and to mentions of your handle. They do not watch a phrase. Search is the only native way to find a keyword, and search is a page you have to open, not an alert that finds you.
The bell on a profile covers every post from that account, not one topic inside it. That gap is why people search for a keyword alert in the first place.
Build the query before the monitor
Start with the phrase in quotes, then add the variants. A workable query is "acme cloud" (down OR outage OR broken) -giveaway lang:en. Quotes keep the name together, OR widens the variants, the minus removes a common false positive, and lang:en drops posts you cannot read.
Add from: to watch one account or filter:links when only posts with a link matter. Run it in the Latest tab first.
Add the filter that does the reading
The query finds candidates. The filter decides which candidates count. Write the filter as a sentence a colleague would understand: "people saying Acme Cloud is down or broken right now". AyeWatch reads each match against that sentence, so a post that says "our Acme Cloud demo went well" does not wake you at 2 a.m.
The filter adds 1 credit per check. It is the difference between a keyword firehose and a usable alert.
Pick the schedule and the channel
Daily suits brand mentions and slow topics. Hourly suits outages, launches, and support complaints. Pro is $9/mo with 50 topics and hourly checks; Pro+ is $19/mo with 200 topics and ASAP mode.
Push for one person who acts, Slack for a support or social team, email for a weekly digest, and webhooks when a ticket or a database write should follow. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Test with a live search
Run the query by hand in the Latest tab before you save it. If the first page is full of giveaways, fix the query. If it is full of posts that use the words but mean something else, fix the filter.
The first check sends up to five recent matches so you can see the format, then only new posts arrive. The Twitter keyword alerts guide covers more query recipes.
Set up X keyword alerts in five steps
- Run the phrase in X search on the Latest tab, not the Top tab.
- Add quotes, OR, exclusions, lang:, and from: until the first page looks relevant.
- Create an X search topic in AyeWatch and paste the same query.
- Write the Only alert me about filter in plain English.
- Pick the interval, route matches to one channel, and start the 7-day trial.
Start a monitor in under a minute
Describe a topic or paste a URL. Cancel before the trial ends and you pay nothing.
Try it free for 7 daysThe bottom line
Run your phrase in the Latest tab now. If the first page is close but noisy, tighten the query before you create the topic. Then send the alert to the channel where you already answer customers, and let the first real mention prove the setup.
FAQ
Does X have built-in keyword alerts?
No. X notifies you about accounts you follow, mentions of your handle, and posts in communities you join. A keyword search is manual. A monitor such as AyeWatch checks the search for you and sends new matches.
Do X search operators work in AyeWatch?
Yes. The query is passed to X search, so quotes, OR, minus, from:, lang:, filter:links, and min_faves work as they do on x.com. The AI filter runs after the search and does not change the query.
How often should I check for keyword mentions?
Hourly for outages and support complaints, daily for brand mentions and campaign tracking. If a reply within the hour is too late, use Pro+ with ASAP mode. Start slower and speed up only when a real event was delayed.
Can I exclude my own posts from the alert?
Yes. Add -from:yourhandle to the query. If several teammates post from brand accounts, exclude each handle or add a filter that ignores posts from your team.