Send Error Email Alert: Copy-Paste Apps Script Pattern

What this script does

Prerequisites

Walkthrough

Edge cases

How to test

Hardening for production

Variations

Full code: sendErrorEmailAlert_()

Set ALERT_TO, attach a time-driven trigger to runNightlySync, and authorize MailApp once.

/**
 * Email an alert when a guarded operation fails.
 */
const ALERT_TO = "ops@example.com";

function runNightlySync() {
  try {
    syncPartnerApi_();
  } catch (err) {
    sendErrorEmailAlert_("runNightlySync", err);
    throw err;
  }
}

function sendErrorEmailAlert_(fnName, err) {
  const subject = "[Apps Script ALERT] " + fnName + " failed";
  const body =
    "Function: " + fnName + "\n" +
    "When: " + new Date().toISOString() + "\n" +
    "Effective user: " + Session.getEffectiveUser().getEmail() + "\n" +
    "Message: " + (err && err.message ? err.message : err) + "\n\n" +
    "Stack:\n" + (err && err.stack ? err.stack : "(none)") + "\n";

  MailApp.sendEmail({
    to: ALERT_TO,
    subject: subject,
    body: body,
  });
}

function syncPartnerApi_() {
  const resp = UrlFetchApp.fetch("https://api.example.com/health", { muteHttpExceptions: true });
  if (resp.getResponseCode() !== 200) {
    throw new Error("Partner health check HTTP " + resp.getResponseCode());
  }
}

1. Line 4: Ops inbox or group that should wake up.
2. Line 10: Builds subject/body and sends mail.
3. Line 20: Shows which account the trigger runs as.
4. Line 24: Sends the plain-text alert.
5. Line 8: Sample dependency that can fail.
6. Line 11: Preserves failed execution status.