diff --git a/packages/api/src/controllers/alerts.ts b/packages/api/src/controllers/alerts.ts
index f1537fcfe..2ecc77d6c 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/controllers/alerts.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/controllers/alerts.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ export type AlertInput = {
   type: AlertType;
   threshold: number;
 
+  // Message template
+  templateTitle?: string | null;
+  templateBody?: string | null;
+
   // Log alerts
   groupBy?: string;
   logViewId?: string;
@@ -86,6 +90,14 @@ const makeAlert = (alert: AlertInput) => {
     source: alert.source,
     threshold: alert.threshold,
     type: alert.type,
+
+    // Message template
+    // If they're undefined/null, set it to null so we clear out the field
+    // due to mongoose behavior:
+    // https://mongoosejs.com/docs/migrating_to_6.html#removed-omitundefined
+    templateTitle: alert.templateTitle == null ? null : alert.templateTitle,
+    templateBody: alert.templateBody == null ? null : alert.templateBody,
+
     // Log alerts
     logView: alert.logViewId,
     groupBy: alert.groupBy,
diff --git a/packages/api/src/fixtures.ts b/packages/api/src/fixtures.ts
index 32bb9ef22..62f7658a9 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/fixtures.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/fixtures.ts
@@ -402,11 +402,15 @@ export const makeExternalAlert = ({
   chartId,
   threshold = 8,
   interval = '15m',
+  name,
+  message,
 }: {
   dashboardId: string;
   chartId: string;
   threshold?: number;
   interval?: '15m' | '1m' | '5m' | '30m' | '1h' | '6h' | '12h' | '1d';
+  name?: string;
+  message?: string;
 }): z.infer<typeof externalAlertSchema> => ({
   channel: {
     type: 'slack_webhook',
@@ -418,4 +422,6 @@ export const makeExternalAlert = ({
   source: 'chart',
   dashboardId,
   chartId,
+  name,
+  message,
 });
diff --git a/packages/api/src/models/alert.ts b/packages/api/src/models/alert.ts
index 21742b6a6..09a886f96 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/models/alert.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/models/alert.ts
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ export interface IAlert {
   type: AlertType;
 
   // Message template
-  templateTitle?: string;
-  templateBody?: string;
+  templateTitle?: string | null;
+  templateBody?: string | null;
 
   // Log alerts
   groupBy?: string;
diff --git a/packages/api/src/routers/external-api/__tests__/alerts.test.ts b/packages/api/src/routers/external-api/__tests__/alerts.test.ts
index 9780ed59f..0a3971f32 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/routers/external-api/__tests__/alerts.test.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/routers/external-api/__tests__/alerts.test.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ describe('/api/v1/alerts', () => {
     // Create alerts for all charts
     const dashboard = initialDashboards.body.data[0];
     await Promise.all(
-      dashboard.charts.map(chart =>
+      dashboard.charts.map((chart, i) =>
         agent
           .post('/api/v1/alerts')
           .set('Authorization', `Bearer ${user?.accessKey}`)
@@ -51,6 +51,12 @@ describe('/api/v1/alerts', () => {
             makeExternalAlert({
               dashboardId: dashboard._id,
               chartId: chart.id,
+              ...(i % 2 == 0
+                ? {
+                    name: 'test {{hello}}',
+                    message: 'my message {{hello}}',
+                  }
+                : undefined),
             }),
           )
           .expect(200),
@@ -92,6 +98,8 @@ Array [
     },
     "chartId": "aaaaaaa",
     "interval": "15m",
+    "message": "my message {{hello}}",
+    "name": "test {{hello}}",
     "source": "chart",
     "threshold": 8,
     "threshold_type": "above",
@@ -103,6 +111,8 @@ Array [
     },
     "chartId": "bbbbbbb",
     "interval": "15m",
+    "message": null,
+    "name": null,
     "source": "chart",
     "threshold": 8,
     "threshold_type": "above",
@@ -114,6 +124,8 @@ Array [
     },
     "chartId": "ccccccc",
     "interval": "15m",
+    "message": "my message {{hello}}",
+    "name": "test {{hello}}",
     "source": "chart",
     "threshold": 8,
     "threshold_type": "above",
@@ -125,6 +137,8 @@ Array [
     },
     "chartId": "ddddddd",
     "interval": "15m",
+    "message": null,
+    "name": null,
     "source": "chart",
     "threshold": 8,
     "threshold_type": "above",
@@ -136,6 +150,8 @@ Array [
     },
     "chartId": "eeeeeee",
     "interval": "15m",
+    "message": "my message {{hello}}",
+    "name": "test {{hello}}",
     "source": "chart",
     "threshold": 8,
     "threshold_type": "above",
@@ -179,6 +195,8 @@ Object {
     "webhookId": "65ad876b6b08426ab4ba7830",
   },
   "interval": "1h",
+  "message": null,
+  "name": null,
   "source": "chart",
   "threshold": 1000,
   "threshold_type": "above",
@@ -200,6 +218,8 @@ Object {
     "webhookId": "65ad876b6b08426ab4ba7830",
   },
   "interval": "1h",
+  "message": null,
+  "name": null,
   "source": "chart",
   "threshold": 1000,
   "threshold_type": "above",
diff --git a/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts b/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts
index 9b2a132c6..5d9d38d74 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ export const buildAlertMessageTemplateTitle = ({
   template,
   view,
 }: {
-  template?: string;
+  template?: string | null;
   view: AlertMessageTemplateDefaultView;
 }) => {
   const { alert, dashboard, savedSearch, value } = view;
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ export const buildAlertMessageTemplateBody = async ({
   template,
   view,
 }: {
-  template?: string;
+  template?: string | null;
   view: AlertMessageTemplateDefaultView;
 }) => {
   const {
diff --git a/packages/api/src/utils/zod.ts b/packages/api/src/utils/zod.ts
index 7c10af480..43239a492 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/utils/zod.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/utils/zod.ts
@@ -215,6 +215,8 @@ export const alertSchema = z
     threshold: z.number().min(0),
     type: z.enum(['presence', 'absence']),
     source: z.enum(['LOG', 'CHART']).default('LOG'),
+    templateTitle: z.string().min(1).max(512).nullish(),
+    templateBody: z.string().min(1).max(4096).nullish(),
   })
   .and(zLogAlert.or(zChartAlert));
 
@@ -231,7 +233,6 @@ export const externalSearchAlertSchema = z.object({
   source: z.literal('search'),
   groupBy: z.string().optional(),
   savedSearchId: objectIdSchema,
-  message: z.string().optional(),
 });
 
 export const externalChartAlertSchema = z.object({
@@ -247,6 +248,8 @@ export const externalAlertSchema = z
     threshold: z.number().min(0),
     threshold_type: z.enum(['above', 'below']),
     source: z.enum(['search', 'chart']).default('search'),
+    name: z.string().min(1).max(512).nullish(),
+    message: z.string().min(1).max(4096).nullish(),
   })
   .and(externalSearchAlertSchema.or(externalChartAlertSchema));
 
@@ -268,6 +271,8 @@ export const translateExternalAlertToInternalAlert = (
       ...alertInput.channel,
       type: 'webhook',
     },
+    templateTitle: alertInput.name,
+    templateBody: alertInput.message,
     ...(alertInput.source === 'search' && alertInput.savedSearchId
       ? { source: 'LOG', logViewId: alertInput.savedSearchId }
       : alertInput.source === 'chart' && alertInput.dashboardId
@@ -293,6 +298,8 @@ export const translateAlertDocumentToExternalAlert = (
       ...alertDoc.channel,
       type: 'slack_webhook',
     },
+    name: alertDoc.templateTitle,
+    message: alertDoc.templateBody,
     ...(alertDoc.source === 'LOG' && alertDoc.logView
       ? { source: 'search', savedSearchId: alertDoc.logView.toString() }
       : alertDoc.source === 'CHART' && alertDoc.dashboardId