The Automation list
You can read what every automation on a page does, switch one off with Undo, and see what it produced.
On this page
Before you start
- One tab per page.
- Lite: public replies; Starter and up: everything.
- Moderators read only.
Open the Automation tab of a page.
Left sidebarPagesyour pageAutomation
You will see The list with its filters and counts.
Read a row.
NameWhereStatusResults
You will see Edit and More on hover.
Switch one off, or on.
The switchUndo in the toast
You will see Paused, with Undo.
Press New automation to add one.
New automation (or N)the gallery
You will see A card opens its editor.
If something is off
- A row says Needs attention
- Needs attention: refused public lines, the messages still went.
- A row says Paused by plan
- Paused by plan: it waits for an upgrade.
- The switch is greyed out
- Greyed switch: plan or role.
Common questions
Where are my old keyword automations?
They are on the same list. A rule that replied in public is now "Reply under comments automatically"; one that sent a private message is "Send a DM when someone comments". Their keywords and replies came across unchanged.
Can I search the list?
Yes. Press / or click the search box; the list filters as you type.
Why is there no Delete?
An automation has results, runs and people hanging off it. Archive stops it and takes it off the list; everything it produced stays, and Restore brings it back paused.
For agents: plain text of this guide · all guides
For agents
Guide: The Automation list
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/the-automation-list
Topic: Automation
Time: about 2 minutes
Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: You can read what every automation on a page does, switch one off with Undo, and see what it produced.
Context: Each page has its own Automation tab. Every row is a sentence: what the automation does, where it listens, whether it is live, and what it produced since it started. Nothing on the list is a number for its own sake: results are the recipe's own count (messages sent, replies, chats started) with the emails, phone numbers and follows it gathered as doors into People.
Before you start
1. Automations belong to a page, not to the account; the Instagram account and the Facebook page each have their own tab.
2. Lite includes public replies; Starter and every plan above it include private messages and the rest.
3. A Moderator can read the list but not change it.
Steps
Step 1 of 4: Open the Automation tab of a page.
Where: Left sidebar, under Pages, click the page, then Automation. On a phone: the page, then Automation in the row under its name.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home.en.webp (The Automation tab: one row per automation, the switch, the status and the results.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home-phone.en.webp (On a phone the list keeps the switch, the name and the status.)
You should see: The list, with All, Live, Paused and, when there is one, Archived above it, each with its count.
Step 2 of 4: Read a row.
Where: The glyph and name say which recipe it is and what it is called; the keywords are the small green pills. Where says which posts or messages it listens to. Status is a dot and a word: Live, Paused, Needs attention, Paused by plan. Results is the recipe's own count with the gains under it; a gain such as "29 emails" opens People filtered to that automation.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home.en.webp (The results column: the hero count and the gains as doors.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Hover a row for Edit and More; More holds Duplicate to another page, See runs, See people, Pause and Archive.
Step 3 of 4: Switch one off, or on.
Where: The switch at the start of the row. Off pauses it at once: comments that match in the meantime are skipped, never queued. The toast offers Undo.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home.en.webp (The switch pauses or resumes with a toast and Undo.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The status reads Paused, the toast says what happens meanwhile, and Undo puts it back.
Step 4 of 4: Press New automation to add one.
Where: The one green button at the top right. Press N anywhere on the list for the same. The gallery groups the recipes by the moment they start from: when someone comments, when someone messages you, when someone shares your story, from a link you share.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-gallery.en.webp (The gallery: seven recipes, each a live mock of what the person sees.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-gallery-phone.en.webp (The gallery on a phone.)
You should see: Click a card and its editor opens with sane defaults already filled in.
If something is off
Problem: A row says Needs attention
Fix: Meta refused some public replies on ad comments yesterday. Every one of those people still got the message; only the public line was skipped. See the runs shows each one.
Problem: A row says Paused by plan
Fix: Your plan does not include this recipe. Nothing was deleted; it starts again the moment you upgrade.
Problem: The switch is greyed out
Fix: Automations are on Lite and above, and a Moderator cannot change them.
Common questions
Question: Where are my old keyword automations?
Answer: They are on the same list. A rule that replied in public is now "Reply under comments automatically"; one that sent a private message is "Send a DM when someone comments". Their keywords and replies came across unchanged.
Question: Can I search the list?
Answer: Yes. Press / or click the search box; the list filters as you type.
Question: Why is there no Delete?
Answer: An automation has results, runs and people hanging off it. Archive stops it and takes it off the list; everything it produced stays, and Restore brings it back paused.
Related guides
Send a DM when someone comments: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/send-a-dm-when-someone-comments
Runs: what each automation did: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/runs-what-each-automation-did
Archive and restore: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/archive-and-restore
Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/the-automation-list.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt