Guide: Plans and automations
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/plans-and-automations
Topic: Automation
Time: about 1 minutes
Who can do it: Everyone
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: You know which recipe your plan includes and what happens to an automation when the plan changes.
Context: Automations are on Lite and above. Lite replies in public; Starter and every plan above it include the private message recipes, the welcome, the story reply and the agent on messages; Growth adds the link that starts a conversation and the CSV export of People. Collecting an email or phone number is Starter: it is the reason to buy DM automation.

Before you start:
1. Mini has no automations.
2. A downgrade pauses, never deletes; an upgrade starts them again.
3. The plan gate names the plan that opens a recipe.

Steps:
Step 1 of 1: Read the plan chip on a locked recipe.
Where: In the gallery a locked recipe stays visible with the plan as a quiet chip; clicking it opens the plan gate with what the plan adds and its price.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-gallery-bottom.en.webp (Locked recipes carry the plan that opens them.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-gallery-bottom-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The gate: what the plan adds, the price, one button.

If something is off:
Problem: My automations paused after a downgrade
Fix: They read Paused by plan on the list. Nothing was deleted; they start again the moment you upgrade.

Common questions:
Question: Do automated messages use my comment credits?
Answer: No. Comment credits count comments that arrive for moderation. The AI agent's automatic answers on messages use the pool; out of credits it drafts instead.
Question: Which plan do I need to collect emails?
Answer: Starter and above.

Related guides:
- The Automation list: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/the-automation-list
- A link that starts a conversation: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/a-link-that-starts-a-conversation
- People and exports: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/people-and-exports

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/plans-and-automations.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt