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Prerequisites

  • Pidgeon CLI installed (dotnet tool install -g pidgeon)
  • Access to Mirth Connect’s file writer output directories
  • A vendor profile for your message patterns (optional but recommended)

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Step 1: Identify Mirth output directories

Mirth Connect file writer destinations typically save to a configured directory. Common paths: 
/var/mirth/outbound/er-adt/
/var/mirth/outbound/lab-results/
/var/mirth/outbound/pharmacy/
Check your Mirth channel configuration for the exact paths.

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Step 2: Create a vendor profile

If you have sample messages from each interface, create a profile so Loft knows what “correct” looks like: 
pidgeon config analyze --samples /var/mirth/outbound/er-adt/ --save mirth_er_adt
pidgeon config analyze --samples /var/mirth/outbound/lab-results/ --save mirth_lab

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Step 3: Start monitoring via CLI

Watch a single interface: 
pidgeon loft watch \
  --directory /var/mirth/outbound/er-adt/ \
  --profile mirth_er_adt \
  --file-pattern "*.hl7"
Loft monitors the directory, validates each new message as it arrives, and alerts on failures.

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Step 4: Create interfaces via API

For production setups, create interfaces through the Bridge API so they persist and appear in the Console dashboard: 
# Create ER ADT interface
curl -X POST https://api.pidgeon.health/api/loft/interfaces \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Mirth ER ADT",
    "directoryPath": "/var/mirth/outbound/er-adt/",
    "profileName": "mirth_er_adt",
    "filePattern": "*.hl7"
  }'

# Create Lab Results interface
curl -X POST https://api.pidgeon.health/api/loft/interfaces \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Mirth Lab Results",
    "directoryPath": "/var/mirth/outbound/lab-results/",
    "profileName": "mirth_lab",
    "filePattern": "*.hl7"
  }'

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Step 5: Configure alerting

Set up alerts in the Console or via the API. Loft supports:
ChannelWatchInsightCommand
Console outputYesYesYes
File logYesYesYes
WebhookYesYesYes
Email—YesYes
Slack—YesYes
PagerDuty—YesYes

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Step 6: Monitor metrics

Check interface health through the API: 
# Get metrics for the last 24 hours
curl https://api.pidgeon.health/api/loft/interfaces/{id}/metrics?sinceHours=24
Or view the dashboard in the Console at app.pidgeon.health.

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Step 7: Trace patient journeys

Track a specific patient’s messages across interfaces: 
curl "https://api.pidgeon.health/api/loft/traces?patient_id=MRN12345&since=2026-02-01"
This returns every message processed for that patient across all monitored interfaces, with timestamps and validation results.

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Real-time updates

Subscribe to live updates via SignalR for real-time dashboard integration: 
const connection = new HubConnectionBuilder()
  .withUrl("https://api.pidgeon.health/hubs/loft", {
    accessTokenFactory: () => token
  })
  .build();

connection.on("AlertReceived", (alert) => {
  console.log("Alert:", alert.severity, alert.message);
});

await connection.start();
await connection.invoke("SubscribeToAll");

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Next steps