Repeat Caller ready for review/testing

kierknoby · August 7, 2026, 12:33pm

Repeat Caller 1.0.1 is ready for wider testing and feedback. It promises nothing more at this stage.

It has been tested in normal use and throughout its development, but this is currently an unsigned module that hasn’t been put under heavy load, so please apply the safety features defensively (snooze, suppression, self-trigger protection, etc).

Repeat Caller repeatcaller is a new community module that turns qualifying inbound call activity into actionable incidents and alerts on FreePBX and PBXact 16 or 17. It supports two distinct modes that occur within the selected time window: Repeat and Invert. Repeat mode detects when the same caller reaches the configured threshold. Invert mode detects when there are fewer than the configured number of matching calls.

WARNING DO NOT attempt to install this on FreePBX 15 or below, please. It is versions 16 and 17 only.

This was a real, recent end user request, and they were happy for the work to be shared with the wider community under a GPLv3 licence, fully open source.

A customer needed FreePBX to detect when normal behaviour starts to look abnormal, to count the calls and raise an alert when repetition becomes an incident.

Repeat mode works with fixed windows of time and inbound routes. It looks for patterns in the CDR to see if something keeps happening:

• Why has the same person called three times in an hour?
• Why does someone keep hitting our out-of-hours voicemail without leaving a message?
• Why is the same caller trying multiple numbers?

Invert mode asks why something expected never happened at all:

• Why didn’t on-site security call in on the hour as always?
• Why hasn’t our vulnerable client called for a chat today?
• Why has a number that normally gets plenty of calls received nothing this morning?

A phone system can’t reliably answer those questions, but it can recognise when they need to be asked. The GitHub repository contains everything you need to get started:

After reading the README, one way to install the module is by running the following as root:

Install from GitHub. Git commands require the modules/repository directory context. After cloning, switch back to a neutral directory before running fwconsole commands.

FreePBX 16 / PBXact 16 (CentOS 7)

Check whether Git is installed:

rpm -q git

If Git is not installed:

yum install -y git

FreePBX 17 / PBXact 17 (Debian 12)

Check whether Git is installed:

dpkg -l git

If Git is not installed:

apt update
apt install -y git

Then run the following commands as root:

cd /var/www/html/admin/modules
git clone https://github.com/kierknoby/repeatcaller.git repeatcaller
cd ~
fwconsole ma install repeatcaller
fwconsole chown
fwconsole reload

I am keen to hear your thoughts and anything you find in wider testing. Something that seemed so niche soon became pretty interesting, and across our customer base I have seen a lot more “repeat caller” activity than initially expected. When someone needs to get hold of someone, they really do keep trying.

This was a fair bit of work and I will keep on improving it. Not just by maintaining it for our customer, who contributed financially towards its development, but by continuing to develop it for everyone. It is a relatively complex and challenging module, so I am expecting to see plenty of edge cases and patch releases in 1.0.x before developing new features. Please let me know your ideas though.

If you like the module, I would really appreciate a on GitHub, as well as any comments and messages.

Cheers,
Kieran

Demo screenshot below.

kierknoby · August 10, 2026, 4:59pm

Mixed-language Alert Call prompts outside en / en_GB

github.com/kierknoby/repeatcaller

Mixed-language Alert Call prompts outside en / en_GB

opened 04:52PM - 10 Aug 26 UTC

kierknoby

## Mixed-language Alert Call prompts outside en / en_GB Repeat Caller Alert Cal…ls can produce mixed-language audio when the FreePBX/Asterisk system language is set to a language other than `en` or `en_GB`. ### Observed behaviour Tested on FreePBX 17 / Asterisk 22 with the global Sound Languages setting changed to French. Standard FreePBX/Asterisk prompts correctly follow the configured French language, confirming that the French sound pack and global language selection are working. However, parts of the Repeat Caller Alert Call remain in English. For example, the word **"Number"** is spoken in English while the surrounding call audio is in French. We also found issues when testing in Spanish and German, and likely most others. This results in a mixed-language Alert Call. ### Expected behaviour All Repeat Caller Alert Call audio should respect the active Asterisk channel language. Where standard Asterisk sound prompts or language-aware AGI commands are available, Repeat Caller should use those rather than supplying English-specific prompts. The behaviour should work for any installed Asterisk sound language, not just `en` and `en_GB`. ### Investigation required Review the complete Alert Call audio path for: - hard-coded English text or sound files; - explicit English prompt names or paths; - channel language being overridden or lost during originate/AGI handling; - uses of `STREAM FILE`, `SAY NUMBER`, `SAY DIGITS` or related AGI commands that may not be respecting the active channel language; - any existing special handling for `en` / `en_GB` that does not generalise to other languages. The fix should avoid maintaining Repeat Caller-specific translations where equivalent standard Asterisk prompts already exist. ### Testing Add coverage confirming that: - Alert Calls preserve and respect a non-English channel language; - standard prompts are resolved using that language; - spoken numbers use the appropriate Asterisk language handling; - no Repeat Caller-owned English prompt is inserted into an otherwise non-English Alert Call; - existing `en` and `en_GB` behaviour remains unchanged.

While it all sounds rather amusing with Allison Smith cutting in as the translator, my multi-language skills still aren’t the best. As I work through this issue, if anyone can confirm what is relayed correctly in their chosen language that would be ever so helpful.

My basic grasp of French, Spanish, and German, suggests it’s a relatively straightforward fix.

Thanks! K

franckdanard · August 19, 2026, 9:41am

This module can be used as patrol unit somehow?

kierknoby · August 19, 2026, 11:09am

Invert mode has received the most attention so far. When someone is expected to call in, and that doesn’t happen, an alert will be sent.

As an example: A security guard follows a set route within company premises and makes calls from specific telephones along a precise circuit to prove that he has indeed carried out his night patrol.

When those calls don’t come in to HQ within the timeframe specified, an alert will be sent. You could also use it for an excursion group that were supposed to call in once they had reached the destination along their route.

I think a monitoring business could build essential call handling services from this functionality alone.

BlazeStudios · August 19, 2026, 4:39pm

The module is great for what it does but it’s not a watchguard system. The module has no concept of routes, checkpoints, etc. There’s just an alert, no escalation, management or integration with security systems. A PBX/phone based watchguard system is a legacy or niche solution. Modern solutions don’t rely on cooperative interaction so much like picking up a phone and dialing places. RFID does a lot of the work. However, it lacks a lot of things that would make it a viable solution for this use case.

Again, this module looks to be a great reporting tool but it in no way meets the requires of being a real-time monitoring tool. Monitoring systems generally take action when an event happens not 15-20 minutes later.

At low level, low scale it can be a fine watchguard or delayed monitoring option where not all the features or options of those types of solutions are really needed.

Again, looks like it will be a great reporting tool on inbound calling trends.

kierknoby · August 19, 2026, 4:53pm

Thanks. I didn’t really think too much about the invert side of the module, the interest took me by surprise. It was originally intended as a tick box rather than a core feature. You’re right, and any sort of dependency on it should be treated with caution.

franckdanard · August 19, 2026, 6:58pm

This module and its features are a welcome addition. It can’t compete with dedicated applications indeed.

FreePBX is an IP PBX. It’s not designed for security.

Good job so.

kierknoby · August 22, 2026, 6:12pm

I’m still working on patching (translating!) the multilingual Alert Calls issue.

Repeat Caller builds its generated Alert Call from the sound files already installed on the PBX. The problem is that language packs don’t always provide the same vocabulary in a form that can be assembled as a direct translation, and I’m not even asking much of it.

A sound pack may contain plenty of call-related phrases, but not necessarily the standalone words needed to construct something as basic as “4 calls in 5 minutes” without changing the meaning or causing confusion.

Some of the nearest alternatives are tied specifically to queues and voicemail, for example. Using those would produce incorrect / incoherent audio. Rather than generate mixed-language or nonsensical alerts, I’m taking the approach that a language will only be used natively where the standard installed prompts can produce a coherent message. I am stripping it back and changing the message for each language, which takes hours before ending up in a dead end. If it doesn’t work out, the complete generated Alert Call will fall back to the English default.

I’m checking the available prompts individually before finalising the change. French is looking good so far, but Spanish and German are missing what I think are necessary sound files.

Sorry it’s taking so long for anyone waiting, it’s a very tedious and tiring process with little reward. I am trying my best. If anyone objects to the fall-back approach, please let me know. Adding new sound files is something for much later down the line.

English set example:

Repeat, known caller
“Warning. This alert has been initiated for 4 calls within 5 minutes from 02079460123, calling number 01614960999. Press 1 to accept or 2 to decline.”
Repeat, unknown caller
“Warning. This alert has been initiated for 4 calls within 5 minutes from an unknown caller, calling number 01614960999. Press 1 to accept or 2 to decline.”
Invert, caller-scoped
“Warning. This alert has been initiated for less than 3 calls within 5 minutes from 02079460123, calling number 01614960999. Press 1 to accept or 2 to decline.”
Invert, no caller scope
“Warning. This alert has been initiated for less than 3 calls within 5 minutes, calling number 01614960999. Press 1 to accept or 2 to decline.”
Accepted
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
Declined
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
Invalid response
“Sorry. Please try again.”
Then the accept/decline prompt is offered again.
No response / timeout
The call then repeats up to 2 times.
Accepted elsewhere / no longer available
“The incoming call is no longer available or was answered by someone else. Thank you. Goodbye.”

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

K

kierknoby · August 24, 2026, 10:15am

Repeat Caller repeatcaller 1.0.2 patch release, 24 August 2026

Improves Alert Call language handling for non-English Asterisk sound languages.
Adds a concise native French Alert Call profile using standard installed prompts without incorrect queue quantity or voicemail substitutions.
Uses native non-English Alert Call audio only where installed standard Asterisk and FreePBX prompts reproduce the complete established behavior.
Uses one coherent English generated-message fallback for incomplete language profiles, without module-owned translated recordings or mixed-language audio.
Prevents mixed-language generated Alert Call audio by using a coherent English fallback when prompt discovery is unavailable or a complete native prompt set is not installed.
Preserves the selected System Recording language before generated Alert Call audio begins.
Discovers prompts recursively within each exact requested locale directory while preserving nested Asterisk prompt paths; candidate fallback is explicit.
Uses the selected Alert Call language when speaking counts, durations, telephone numbers, and DIDs.
Adds an Alert Call Language table showing installed locales, available codecs, resolved playback languages, and clear original, adapted, or fallback status independently of the highlighted active FreePBX language.
Adds per-language sample playback that rotates through Repeat, Invert, and acceptance scenarios using the same prompt resolution as live Alert Calls.
Adds regression coverage for multilingual Alert Call behaviour while preserving existing en and en_GB behaviour.

It’s a solid foundation for which most languages can be brought in over time, while sensibly using a default en fallback rather than nonsensical Alert Calls. Update instructions are in the README.