diff --git a/config.example.sh b/config.example.sh
index 1a29015..7429968 100644
--- a/config.example.sh
+++ b/config.example.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-# degrees in C
-THERMAL_ALERT=75
-
-# see: /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone*
-THERMAL_ZONE=0
+# degrees in Celsius which we regard as too high
+THERMAL_ALERT=70
 
 STORAGE_MONITOR=("/")
 
@@ -32,7 +29,5 @@ DISCORD_GENERAL_HOOK="<WEBHOOK_URL_HERE>?wait=true"
 
 DISCORD_RESTAKE_HOOK="<WEBHOOK_URL_HERE>?wait=true"
 
-DISCORD_THERMAL_HOOK="<WEBHOOK_URL_HERE>?wait=true"
-
 DISCORD_STORAGE_HOOK="<WEBHOOK_URL_HERE>?wait=true"
 
diff --git a/crons/thermal-alert.sh b/crons/thermal-alert.sh
index 2ff7ec7..8953c5a 100755
--- a/crons/thermal-alert.sh
+++ b/crons/thermal-alert.sh
@@ -1,21 +1,32 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-LOCATION=`dirname "$0"`
+# degrees in Celsius which we regard as too high, defaults to config
+alertLevel="$1"
 
-source "${LOCATION}/../config.sh"
+# load in defaults from config
+scriptRoot="$(dirname "$0")/.."
+configFile="$scriptRoot/config.sh"
+if [[ -f "$configFile" ]]; then
+    source "$configFile"
 
-thermal=`${LOCATION}/../thermal.sh ${THERMAL_ALERT}`
-alert=$?
+    if [[ -z "$alertLevel" ]]; then
+        alertLevel="$THERMAL_ALERT"
+    fi
+fi
 
-if [[ "0" != "${alert}" ]]; then
-    echo "${thermal}, above threshold ${THERMAL_ALERT} C"
-    ${LOCATION}/../discord.sh thermal "${thermal}, above threshold ${THERMAL_ALERT} C"
-    touch "${LOCATION}/thermal.status"
-elif [[ -f "${LOCATION}/thermal.status" ]]; then
-    rm "${LOCATION}/thermal.status"
-    echo "${thermal}, previously above threshold ${THERMAL_ALERT} C"
-    ${LOCATION}/../discord.sh thermal "${thermal}, previously above threshold ${THERMAL_ALERT} C"
-else
-    echo "${thermal}, below threshold ${THERMAL_ALERT} C"
+# get current status
+thermal=$("$scriptRoot/thermal.sh" "$alertLevel")
+alert="$?"
+
+if [[ "0" -ne "$alert" ]]; then
+    # if currently in an alert status
+    alertLevelF=`echo "scale=1 ; $alertLevel * 9 / 5 + 32" | bc -l`
+    "$scriptRoot/discord.sh" "$thermal, above threshold $alertLevel C ($alertLevelF F)"
+    touch "$HOME/.thermal.alert"
+elif [[ -f "$HOME/.thermal.alert" ]]; then
+    # if previously in an alert status
+    alertLevelF=`echo "scale=1 ; $alertLevel * 9 / 5 + 32" | bc -l`
+    "$scriptRoot/discord.sh" "$thermal, previously above threshold $alertLevel C ($alertLevelF F)"
+    rm "$HOME/.thermal.alert"
 fi
 
diff --git a/crons/thermal-log.sh b/crons/thermal-log.sh
index ee1776a..7c6c4dc 100755
--- a/crons/thermal-log.sh
+++ b/crons/thermal-log.sh
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-LOCATION=`dirname "$0"`
+scriptRoot="$(dirname "$0")/.."
 
-thermal=`${LOCATION}/../thermal.sh`
+thermal=$("$scriptRoot/thermal.sh")
 
-echo "${thermal}"
-${LOCATION}/../discord.sh thermal "${thermal}"
+"$scriptRoot/discord.sh" "$thermal"
 
diff --git a/discord-if-distinct.sh b/discord-if-distinct.sh
index bdba6c1..9f1bd2b 100755
--- a/discord-if-distinct.sh
+++ b/discord-if-distinct.sh
@@ -4,10 +4,16 @@ LOCATION=`dirname "$0"`
 
 source "${LOCATION}/config.sh"
 
-HOOK_ARG="$1"
-BOBBY="$2"
-# sed removes spaces before each line
-MESSAGE=`echo "${@:3}" | sed 's/^ *//'`
+if [[ $# -gt 2 ]]; then
+    HOOK_ARG="$1"
+    BOBBY="$2"
+    # sed removes spaces before each line
+    MESSAGE=`echo "${@:3}" | sed 's/^ *//'`
+else
+    BOBBY="$1"
+    # sed removes spaces before each line
+    MESSAGE=`echo "${@:2}" | sed 's/^ *//'`
+fi
 
 # sed removes blank lines from the end of the message
 FULL_MESSAGE=`echo "${MESSAGE}" | sed -e :a -e '/^\n*$/{$d;N;ba' -e '}'`
@@ -47,10 +53,6 @@ case $HOOK_ARG in
         HOOK="restake"
         HOOK_URL=$DISCORD_RESTAKE_HOOK
         ;;
-    thermal)
-        HOOK="thermal"
-        HOOK_URL=$DISCORD_THERMAL_HOOK
-        ;;
     storage)
         HOOK="storage"
         HOOK_URL=$DISCORD_STORAGE_HOOK
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ fi
 if [ "${FULL_MESSAGE}" != "${OLD_MSG}" ]; then
     echo "${FULL_MESSAGE}" > "${LOCATION}/distinct/${BOBBY}.msg"
 
-    curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d "{\"username\": \"${DISCORD_SERVER_NAME}\", \"content\": ${MESSAGE}}" $HOOK_URL | jq -r '.id'
+    curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d "{\"username\": \"${DISCORD_SERVER_NAME}\", \"content\": ${MESSAGE}}" $HOOK_URL | jq -r '.id,.message'
 
     if [ -n "${EXTRA}" ]; then
         "${LOCATION}/discord.sh" "${HOOK}" "${EXTRA}"
diff --git a/discord.sh b/discord.sh
index 8a236d3..065694f 100755
--- a/discord.sh
+++ b/discord.sh
@@ -4,9 +4,14 @@ LOCATION=`dirname "$0"`
 
 source "${LOCATION}/config.sh"
 
-HOOK_ARG="$1"
-# sed removes spaces before each line
-MESSAGE=`echo "${@:2}" | sed 's/^ *//'`
+if [[ $# -gt 1 ]]; then
+    HOOK_ARG="$1"
+    # sed removes spaces before each line
+    MESSAGE=`echo "${@:2}" | sed 's/^ *//'`
+else
+    # sed removes spaces before each line
+    MESSAGE=`echo "${@}" | sed 's/^ *//'`
+fi
 
 # if message is too long, split it, and after curl, recursively call with remainder
 # 2k max, but we must account for escaping text in json, so limit to 90% capacity
@@ -44,10 +49,6 @@ case $HOOK_ARG in
         HOOK="restake"
         HOOK_URL=$DISCORD_RESTAKE_HOOK
         ;;
-    thermal)
-        HOOK="thermal"
-        HOOK_URL=$DISCORD_THERMAL_HOOK
-        ;;
     storage)
         HOOK="storage"
         HOOK_URL=$DISCORD_STORAGE_HOOK
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ if [[ "$MESSAGE" == *"\\u001b"* ]]; then
     # just here to resolve formatting issue in vim "`"
 fi
 
-curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d "{\"username\": \"${DISCORD_SERVER_NAME}\", \"content\": ${MESSAGE}}" $HOOK_URL | jq -r '.id'
+curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d "{\"username\": \"${DISCORD_SERVER_NAME}\", \"content\": ${MESSAGE}}" $HOOK_URL | jq -r '.id,.message'
 
 if [ -n "${EXTRA}" ]; then
     "${LOCATION}/discord.sh" "${HOOK}" "${EXTRA}"
diff --git a/fetch-all.sh b/fetch-all.sh
index 94556ed..7bf37e1 100755
--- a/fetch-all.sh
+++ b/fetch-all.sh
@@ -39,5 +39,5 @@ function process_git_fetch () {
 # and call process_git_fetch on each location that was found.
 # we then work on the folder that contained the ".git" folder.
 
-find "$followLinks" "$@" -type d -name ".git" | while read file; do process_git_fetch "$file"; done
+find "$followLinks" "$@" -type d -name ".git" | while read -r file; do process_git_fetch "$file"; done
 
diff --git a/pull-all.sh b/pull-all.sh
index 96d2da5..b57c994 100755
--- a/pull-all.sh
+++ b/pull-all.sh
@@ -39,5 +39,5 @@ function process_git_pull () {
 # and call process_git_pull on each location that was found.
 # we then work on the folder that contained the ".git" folder.
 
-find "$followLinks" "$@" -type d -name ".git" | while read file; do process_git_pull "$file"; done
+find "$followLinks" "$@" -type d -name ".git" | while read -r file; do process_git_pull "$file"; done
 
diff --git a/thermal.sh b/thermal.sh
index 263cfb0..ef95d34 100755
--- a/thermal.sh
+++ b/thermal.sh
@@ -1,21 +1,43 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-LOCATION=`dirname "$0"`
+alertLevel="$1"
 
-source "${LOCATION}/config.sh"
+# load in defaults from config
+scriptRoot=$(dirname "$0")
+configFile="$scriptRoot/config.sh"
+if [[ -f "$configFile" ]]; then
+    source "$configFile"
 
-# this is currently specific to raspberry-pi
-# since that is the only kind of physical server I have
-# TODO make this work with all temp in class/thermal
-name=$(</sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone${THERMAL_ZONE}/type)
-mc=$(</sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone${THERMAL_ZONE}/temp)
+    if [[ -z "$alertLevel" ]]; then
+        alertLevel="$THERMAL_ALERT"
+    fi
+fi
 
-c=`echo "scale=1 ; $mc / 1000.0" | bc -l`
-f=`echo "scale=1 ; $c * 9 / 5 + 32" | bc -l`
+# loop over all thermal zones
+while read -r mcFile; do
+    # each zone has two files we use:
+    # "./temp" <int> zone temp (milli-celsius)
+    # "./type" <string> zone title
+    titleFile=$(echo "$mcFile" | sed 's/temp/type/')
+    title=$( < "$titleFile")
+    mc=$( < "$mcFile")
 
-echo "${name}: ${c} C ($f F)"
+    # calculate Celcius and Fahrenheit
+    c=$(echo "scale=1 ; $mc / 1000.0" | bc -l)
+    f=$(echo "scale=1 ; $c * 9 / 5 + 32" | bc -l)
+    hot=$(echo "$c >= $alertLevel" | bc -l)
 
-if (( "$#" > "0" )); then
-    exit `echo "$c >= $1" | bc`
+    echo "$title: $c C ($f F)"
+
+    # if we have reached our alert threshold, mark it as active
+    if [[ -n "$alertLevel" ]] && [[ "$hot" -gt 0 ]]; then
+        alertActive=1
+    fi
+
+done <<< $(find /sys/class/thermal/thermal*/ -name 'temp')
+
+# we exit with a status code of 1 to indicate alert level has been reached
+if [[ "$alertActive" -eq 1 ]]; then
+    exit 1
 fi