Set up Getwello with Amazon Alexa

This guide gets your Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show or Echo Studio announcing “Mum has just checked in” the moment it happens. Two routes depending on how much setup you want to do.

Pick your route

Route	Setup time	What it can do
(A) Bridge service via Voice Monkey or IFTTT	10 minutes	One-way announcements. Easy.
(B) Custom Alexa skill	2 hours	Voice queries, screen cards, two-way. Powerful.

Most families do route (A) first, then go to (B) if they want voice queries (“Alexa, ask Getwello if Mum's checked in”).

Route A: Bridge service

Step 1: Pick a bridge

• Voice Monkey (recommended) , £3/month, designed for exactly this, reliable.
• IFTTT Webhook → Alexa Routine , free, works, slower.
• Notify Me , free, simpler, less flexible.

Step 2: Get a webhook URL from the bridge

Each service gives you a URL like https://api.voicemonkey.io/trigger/... or https://maker.ifttt.com/trigger/getwello/with/key/.... Copy it.

Step 3: Create the Getwello webhook subscription

Open Settings → Developer API, scroll to Webhooks, create a subscription with the bridge URL. Pick check_in.created for the basic announcement.

Step 4: Wire up the Alexa routine

In the Alexa app on your phone, create a new routine:

1. Trigger: “When” → Voice Monkey routine name (or IFTTT trigger).
2. Action: “Alexa says...” → “Mum has just checked in.”
3. Device: pick which Echo speaks (or pick All).
4. Save.

Step 5: Test

Click Test on the Getwello webhook. The Echo should speak within a few seconds. Adjust volume in the Alexa app under Devices.

Route B: Custom Alexa skill

If you want voice queries (“Alexa, ask Getwello…”) or screen cards on an Echo Show, you need a custom skill. The skill calls the Getwello REST API directly. Outline:

1. Create an account at the Alexa Developer Console.
2. Create a new skill (Custom, your account language, Alexa-hosted Node.js).
3. Define intents: GetCheckInIntent, PostFamilyRoomIntent, GetUpcomingVisitsIntent.
4. In the Lambda handler, call https://getwello.co.uk/api/v1/circles with your API key.
5. Test in the simulator, then publish privately to just your Amazon account.

This is non-trivial work. We may publish a starter Lambda template later. For now, route A covers 90% of the value.

Quiet hours

Inside the Alexa routine, add “If” conditions on time. Block the announcement between 23:00 and 06:30 so an early-bird check-in does not wake the household.

Troubleshooting

Echo does not speak: open the Alexa app, go to Activity, find the most recent routine trigger. If you do not see the routine firing, the bridge is not relaying. Check the bridge's logs.

Echo speaks but at full volume: in Alexa Devices, set a default volume for the speaker. Routines respect device volume by default.

Voice query route is fiddly: the custom skill route is genuinely complex. Email us if you get stuck; we can share what we have learned about the Alexa Developer Console quirks.