diff --git a/.github/workflows/canary_ota.yml b/.github/workflows/canary_ota.yml
index 606b6577a..f6e62c9ff 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/canary_ota.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/canary_ota.yml
@@ -6,11 +6,8 @@ on:
       otaTag:
         description: 'OtaService Config Version tag'
         required: true
-        type: choice
-        default: 'latest'
-        options:
-            - latest
-            - v0.4.0 # earlier versions do not support OTA
+        type: string
+        default: "testing"
 
 env:
   ESP32_CANARY_ROBOT: ${{ secrets.ESP32_CANARY_ROBOT }}
diff --git a/canary/canary_ota.py b/canary/canary_ota.py
index 0d4b87ec6..be66ebd5e 100644
--- a/canary/canary_ota.py
+++ b/canary/canary_ota.py
@@ -1,45 +1,47 @@
 import asyncio
 import time
+import datetime
 import copy
 import os
 
+import slack_sdk
+import slack_sdk.errors
+from dateutil import tz
+
 from viam.robot.client import DialOptions
 from viam.app.viam_client import ViamClient
 
-async def connect(robot_address: str, api_key: str, api_key_id: str) -> ViamClient:
-    dial_options = DialOptions.with_api_key(api_key_id=api_key_id,api_key=api_key)
-    return await ViamClient.create_from_dial_options(dial_options)
 
-async def main():
+async def connect(api_key: str, api_key_id: str, num_attempts: int) -> ViamClient:
+    for i in range(num_attempts):
+        try:
+            dial_options = DialOptions.with_api_key(api_key_id=api_key_id, api_key=api_key)
+            viam_client = await ViamClient.create_from_dial_options(dial_options)
+            return viam_client
+        except Exception as e:
+            if i == num_attempts-1:
+                raise e
+            print(e)
+        time.sleep(0.5)
 
-    robot_address = os.environ["ESP32_CANARY_ROBOT"]
+async def main():
     api_key = os.environ["ESP32_CANARY_API_KEY"]
     api_key_id = os.environ["ESP32_CANARY_API_KEY_ID"]
     part_id = os.environ["ESP32_CANARY_ROBOT_PART_ID"]
     tag_name = os.environ["ESP32_CANARY_OTA_VERSION_TAG"]
-
-    bin_name = "micro-rdk-server-esp32-ota.bin"
-    url_base = "https://github.com/viamrobotics/micro-rdk/releases"
+    bucket_url = os.environ["GCP_BUCKET_URL"]
+    bucket_name = os.environ["GCP_BUCKET_NAME"]
+    bin_name = os.environ["ESP32_OTA_BINARY_NAME"]
     
-    if tag_name == "latest":
-        url_target = f"{url_base}/latest/download/{bin_name}"
-    else:
-        url_target = f"{url_base}/download/{tag_name}/{bin_name}"
+    url = f"{bucket_url}/{bucket_name}/{tag_name}/{bin_name}"
         
-    print(f"connecting to robot at {robot_address} ...")
-
-    for i in range(5):
-        try:
-            viam_client = await connect(robot_address, api_key, api_key_id)
-            break
-        except Exception as e:
-            if i == 4:
-                raise e
-            print(e)
-        time.sleep(0.5)
+    print(f"connecting ViamClient ...")
+    
+    viam_client = await connect(api_key, api_key_id, 5)
 
     cloud = viam_client.app_client
 
+    print(f"getting robot part...")
     robot_part = await cloud.get_robot_part(robot_part_id=part_id)
 
     service_updated = False
@@ -47,31 +49,53 @@ async def main():
     for service in updated_config["services"]:
         # assumes only one such service exists
         if service["model"] == "ota_service":
-            service["attributes"]["url"] = url_target
+            service["attributes"]["url"] = url
             service["attributes"]["version"] = tag_name            
             service_updated = True
-            print(f"updating OtaServiceConfig to `{service}`")
+            print(f"updating OtaServiceConfig version to `{tag_name}`")
             break
 
     if not service_updated:
         viam_client.close()
-        raise Exception("failed to find or update ota service config")
+        msg = f"failed to find or update ota service config to `{tag_name}`"
+        post_to_slack(msg, True)
+        raise Exception(msg)
 
+    print("updating robot part config...")
     await cloud.update_robot_part(
         robot_part_id=robot_part.id,
         name=robot_part.name,
         robot_config=updated_config
     )
 
-    # retrieve new config to verify
+    print("verifying config change...")
     robot_part = await cloud.get_robot_part(robot_part_id=part_id)
     for service in robot_part.robot_config["services"]:
         if service["model"] == "ota_service":
             print(f"OtaServiceConfig after updating: `{service}`")
-            if service["attributes"]["url"] != url_target or service["attributes"]["version"] != tag_name:
-                raise Exception("ota service config does not reflect update")
+            if service["attributes"]["url"] != url or service["attributes"]["version"] != tag_name:
+                msg = f"ota service config does not reflect update to `{tag_name}`"
+                post_to_slack(msg, True)
+                raise Exception(msg)
 
     viam_client.close()
+    post_to_slack(f"OtaService config successfully updated to `{tag_name}`", False)
+
+def post_to_slack(msg: str, is_error: bool):
+    today = datetime.datetime.now(tz=tz.UTC).date()
+    msg = f"{today}: {msg}"
+    slack_token = os.environ["CANARY_SLACKBOT_TOKEN"]
+    channel_id = os.environ["MICRO_RDK_TEAM_CHANNEL_ID"]
+    client = slack_sdk.WebClient(token=slack_token)
+    api_result = client.chat_postMessage(channel=channel_id, text=msg)
+
+    try:
+        api_result.validate()
+        if is_error:
+            raise Exception(msg)
+    except Exception as e:
+        raise Exception(f"failure to post to Slack, error message was '{msg}'") from e
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     asyncio.run(main())