Generate production incident runbook
AI writes complete incident response runbook/SOP for your service.
Generate production incident runbook
River's Runbook Generator creates complete incident response documentation for production services. You provide the service name and common issues, and the AI writes comprehensive runbooks including incident detection, triage steps, common problems with solutions, escalation procedures, and recovery verification. Whether you're documenting critical services, standardizing on-call procedures, or improving incident response, you get professional runbooks that reduce resolution time and prevent panic during outages.
Unlike vague troubleshooting guides, we create actionable procedures. The AI understands runbook best practices (clear steps, decision trees, rollback procedures, escalation paths), structures information for stressed on-call engineers, and balances detail with usability. You get runbooks that work under pressure when seconds matter.
This tool is perfect for DevOps engineers documenting services, SREs improving incident response, engineering managers standardizing procedures, and teams reducing MTTR (mean time to recovery). If you have services without runbooks, or if your documentation fails during incidents, this tool helps. Use it to prepare for inevitable production issues with clear, tested procedures that guide rapid resolution.
What Makes Runbooks Effective
Runbooks succeed when they help stressed engineers resolve incidents quickly. Effective runbooks start with how to detect the issue (alerts, symptoms, metrics), provide clear triage steps (is it actually down?, scope of impact?), list common problems with solutions (ordered by likelihood), include exact commands to run (copy-pasteable, with safe-by-default options), show how to verify fixes (what success looks like), document rollback procedures (when fix doesn't work), and specify escalation paths (who to call when). Weak runbooks are vague or assume too much knowledge. Strong runbooks assume tired engineer at 3am needs cookbook, not theory.
The best runbooks are decision trees, not essays. Start with symptoms (what's happening?). Branch to diagnosis (check X, if Y then go to section Z). Provide solution steps numbered clearly. Show verification (how to confirm it's fixed). Include common gotchas (watch out for X). Document recent incidents (this happened last month, here's what worked). Update after every incident (what we learned). Test runbooks during non-incidents (do steps actually work?). This structure helps engineers move methodically from detection to resolution without missing steps or wasting time.
To improve runbooks, involve on-call engineers (they use these under pressure). Make commands copy-pasteable (no placeholders requiring thinking). Use checklists (checkboxes reduce errors). Include recent incident examples (pattern recognition helps). Document what NOT to do (prevent common mistakes). Add diagrams (architecture context helps troubleshooting). Link to dashboards (direct links to monitoring). Specify safe defaults (when in doubt, do this). Update immediately after incidents (don't wait). Test during game days (practice using runbooks). Remember: runbooks are insurance policy. You hope to never need them. When you do, they save the business. Invest in quality.
What You Get
Complete incident response runbook
Detection and triage procedures
Common problems with step-by-step solutions
Rollback and escalation procedures
Verification and monitoring steps
Ready-to-use production incident guide
How It Works
- 1Specify service and incident typesProvide service name and common issues
- 2AI writes complete runbookOur AI creates incident response procedures in 4 to 6 minutes
- 3Review and customizeAdd specific commands, links to dashboards, team contacts
- 4Test and maintainPractice using runbook, update after each incident
Frequently Asked Questions
Should runbooks include actual commands or just descriptions?
Include actual commands. Copy-pasteable commands save time and prevent typos during incidents. Use safe defaults and include warnings about dangerous commands. Example: (kubectl get pods -n production) not (check the pods). Stressed engineers need exact commands, not descriptions requiring translation to syntax.
How detailed should runbooks be?
Detailed enough that someone unfamiliar with the service can follow them. Assume on-call engineer might not know this service well or is woken at 3am. Every step explicit. No assumed knowledge. If verification needed, specify exact metric to check. If decision required, provide clear criteria. Over-document rather than under-document.
Who should be able to follow the runbook?
Any engineer on your team, regardless of familiarity with specific service. Runbooks democratize incident response. They shouldn't require the one expert who wrote the service. Document so knowledge is shared. This reduces bus factor and speeds resolution when expert is unavailable.
How often should runbooks be updated?
After every significant incident. Each incident teaches lessons about what works, what's confusing, what's missing. Update runbook while incident is fresh. Schedule quarterly review even without incidents. Update when service architecture changes. Stale runbooks are dangerous. They waste time or cause incorrect actions. Keep current or clearly mark as outdated.
Should runbooks cover every possible issue?
Cover common issues (80% of incidents) thoroughly. For rare issues, document escalation path to experts. Trying to document every edge case creates unusable document. Focus on high-frequency problems first. Add to runbook as new patterns emerge. Balance comprehensiveness with usability.
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