Managing real-time monitoring alerts is provided. An alert is generated for one or more metrics exceeding corresponding defined metric threshold values. A root cause dependency table showing relationships between alerts is retrieved. It is determined whether current real-time metrics are needed from one or more monitoring agents that correspond to dependent alerts not triggered in an alert chain of the generated alert based on information in the root cause dependency table. In response to determining that the current real-time metrics are needed from the one or more monitoring agents that correspond to the dependent alerts not triggered in the alert chain of the generated alert based on the information in the root cause dependency table, the current real-time metrics are requested from the one or more monitoring agents that correspond to the dependent alerts not triggered in the alert chain.