Zero Confusion
Under Pressure

Runbooks give your team clear, reusable guides during incidents—so nothing gets missed.

Codify what works

Upstat makes it easy to turn tribal knowledge into reusable response guides. With a Markdown-powered editor, you can document every step of your team's workflows—from SEV-1 escalations to account recovery protocols.


When something breaks, there's no need to guess. Link the right runbook to the right incident so responders have clear, actionable instructions—without switching tools.

  • Markdown Editor

    Write and format runbooks with headers, checklists, links, and rich content.

  • Reusable Procedures

    Store and maintain step-by-step guides for recurring incidents or tasks.

  • Link to Incidents

    Attach the most relevant runbook to an incident so responders can act fast.

  • No Extra Tools

    Everything lives inside Upstat—no need for external wikis, PDFs, or permissions.

Find the right playbook fast

Upstat makes it easy to organize and browse all your team's runbooks in one place. Whether you're preparing for an incident or responding in the moment, your library is always one click away.


From high-level response plans to niche technical procedures, every guide is searchable, filterable, and ready to link when it's needed most.

  • Runbook Library

    View all your documented procedures in a single, searchable interface.

  • Search and Filter

    Find what you need instantly—by title, keyword, or tag.

  • Easy Linking

    Drop runbooks into incident workflows with a click—no hunting through folders or external tools.

Empower every responder

When the pressure’s on, clear guidance matters. Upstat runbooks help every team member—from seasoned responders to new on-call engineers—follow the right steps without guesswork.


By linking runbooks directly into incidents, you create a shared playbook for response—so anyone can step in, stay on track, and escalate when needed.

  • Guidance When It Counts

    Give teammates a step-by-step plan during critical moments—not after.

  • Faster Onboarding

    Help new responders ramp up quickly with repeatable, proven playbooks.

  • Team-Wide Consistency

    Ensure everyone follows the same process, every time—no matter who’s on call.

Refine as you go

Runbooks aren’t static docs—they evolve with every incident. Upstat makes it easy to update procedures as your systems, tools, or team roles change.


After-action reviews often surface better steps or missing context. With a few clicks, you can revise your documentation so next time, the team’s even more prepared.

  • Edit Anytime

    Quickly update runbooks to reflect new systems, tooling, or team practices.

  • Postmortem Friendly

    Use learnings from incidents to improve your documented response for next time.

  • Zero Overhead

    No approval queues or versioning steps—just open, edit, and save.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about runbook management and execution tracking.

What are runbooks in Upstat?

Runbooks are documented procedures with step-by-step instructions for common operational tasks. Unlike automated workflows, runbooks track manual execution by team members, capturing decisions, outcomes, and completion status for each step.

Do runbooks support branching logic?

Yes. Runbooks include decision-driven branching where the next step depends on outcomes or conditions. This handles procedures that require human judgment or different paths based on system responses.

Can runbooks be linked to incidents?

Yes. Runbooks can be attached to incidents for guided response procedures. As team members execute runbook steps during incident response, progress is tracked in the incident timeline for postmortem analysis.

What content can runbooks include?

Runbooks support rich content documentation including formatted instructions, code snippets, links to external resources, diagrams, and decision trees. The Markdown-based editor provides clear formatting for operational procedures.

Repeatable actions. Reliable results.

Upstat Runbooks provide structured, step-by-step instructions your team can follow during incidents, operational tasks, or escalations—so nothing falls through the cracks.