diff --git a/scripts/send_test_notification.py b/scripts/send_test_notification.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..20b75bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/send_test_notification.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import argparse
+import json
+import logging
+import sys
+
+from utils import notifications
+from utils.helpers import DB_PATH, get_settings
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument('--config', help='path to config', required=True)
+    parser.add_argument('--title', help='title', required=True)
+    parser.add_argument('--body', help='path to body template', required=True)
+    parser.add_argument('--detection', help='path to json encoded detection', required=True)
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    conf = get_settings()
+    conf['APPRISE_NOTIFICATION_TITLE'] = args.title
+    conf['APPRISE_NOTIFY_EACH_DETECTION'] = '1'
+    conf['APPRISE_NOTIFY_NEW_SPECIES_EACH_DAY'] = '0'
+    conf['APPRISE_NOTIFY_NEW_SPECIES'] = '0'
+
+    notifications.APPRISE_CONFIG = args.config
+    notifications.APPRISE_BODY = args.body
+
+    f = open(args.detection, 'r')
+    d = json.loads(f.read())
+
+    logger = logging.getLogger()
+    formatter = logging.Formatter("[%(name)s][%(levelname)s] %(message)s")
+    handler = logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stdout)
+    handler.setFormatter(formatter)
+    logger.addHandler(handler)
+    logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)
+
+    notifications.sendAppriseNotifications(f"{d['Sci_Name']}_{d['Com_Name']}", d['Confidence'], round(d['Confidence'] * 100), d['File_Name'],
+                                           d['Date'], d['Time'], d['Week'], d['Lat'], d['Lon'], d['Cutoff'],
+                                           d['Sens'], d['Overlap'], dict(conf), DB_PATH)
diff --git a/scripts/utils/notifications.py b/scripts/utils/notifications.py
index 70e0796..6657e28 100644
--- a/scripts/utils/notifications.py
+++ b/scripts/utils/notifications.py
@@ -12,23 +12,25 @@ APPRISE_CONFIG = userDir + '/BirdNET-Pi/apprise.txt'
 APPRISE_BODY = userDir + '/BirdNET-Pi/body.txt'
 DB_PATH = userDir + '/BirdNET-Pi/scripts/birds.db'
 
+apobj = None
 images = {}
 species_last_notified = {}
 
 
-asset = apprise.AppriseAsset(
-    plugin_paths=[
-        userDir + "/.apprise/plugins",
-        userDir + "/.config/apprise/plugins",
-    ]
-)
-apobj = apprise.Apprise(asset=asset)
-config = apprise.AppriseConfig()
-config.add(APPRISE_CONFIG)
-apobj.add(config)
-
-
 def notify(body, title, attached=""):
+    global apobj
+    if apobj is None:
+        asset = apprise.AppriseAsset(
+            plugin_paths=[
+                userDir + "/.apprise/plugins",
+                userDir + "/.config/apprise/plugins",
+            ]
+        )
+        apobj = apprise.Apprise(asset=asset)
+        config = apprise.AppriseConfig()
+        config.add(APPRISE_CONFIG)
+        apobj.add(config)
+
     if attached != "":
         apobj.notify(
             body=body,
@@ -48,20 +50,20 @@ def sendAppriseNotifications(species, confidence, confidencepct, path,
     def render_template(template, reason=""):
         ret = template.replace("$sciname", sciName) \
             .replace("$comname", comName) \
-            .replace("$confidencepct", confidencepct) \
-            .replace("$confidence", confidence) \
+            .replace("$confidencepct", str(confidencepct)) \
+            .replace("$confidence", str(confidence)) \
             .replace("$listenurl", listenurl) \
             .replace("$friendlyurl", friendlyurl) \
-            .replace("$date", date) \
-            .replace("$time", time) \
-            .replace("$week", week) \
-            .replace("$latitude", latitude) \
-            .replace("$longitude", longitude) \
-            .replace("$cutoff", cutoff) \
-            .replace("$sens", sens) \
+            .replace("$date", str(date)) \
+            .replace("$time", str(time)) \
+            .replace("$week", str(week)) \
+            .replace("$latitude", str(latitude)) \
+            .replace("$longitude", str(longitude)) \
+            .replace("$cutoff", str(cutoff)) \
+            .replace("$sens", str(sens)) \
             .replace("$flickrimage", image_url if "{" in body else "") \
             .replace("$image", image_url if "{" in body else "") \
-            .replace("$overlap", overlap) \
+            .replace("$overlap", str(overlap)) \
             .replace("$reason", reason)
         return ret
     # print(sendAppriseNotifications)