When the AI is unavailable
You know what still runs, what waits, and that nothing is lost.
On this page
Before you start
- The text rules keep running.
- Live comments retry automatically.
- The Playground says so when it cannot answer.
Recognise it.
The line in the Playground, or the warning on a cleanup
You will see A plain statement, not a wrong verdict.
Let live comments retry.
Nothing to do; the retry is automatic
You will see The comment is handled a little later.
Re-run a cleanup that ran without AI.
Post cleanupthe postRe-run check
You will see A fresh check, kept beside the earlier one.
If something is off
- How long does it last
- Usually minutes, and nothing to do at your end.
- Did I lose comments
- No. Comments still arrive; only the judgement waits.
- My cleanup flagged less than usual
- It may have run without AI. Re-run the check.
Common questions
Which rules keep working when the AI is down?
The rules that match text keep running the whole time: URLs, Emails and phone numbers, Mentions, Hashtags, Images, Emojis and Keywords. Only the four that read meaning wait: Profanity, Negativity, Custom topics and Impersonators.
What happens to a comment that arrives while AI checks are unavailable?
It arrives and is stored, the text rules run on it, and the AI judgement is retried automatically. When the check succeeds the comment is handled and labelled as usual, a little later; nothing is skipped silently.
Will re-running a cleanup check after an outage cost credits again?
Yes. Re-run check judges every loaded comment again with the rules as they are now, so it counts credits again. Reading the last check in the check history costs nothing.
For agents: plain text of this guide · all guides
For agents
Guide: When the AI is unavailable
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/when-the-ai-is-unavailable
Topic: Moderation rules
Time: about 2 minutes
Who can do it: Anyone on your team
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: You know what still runs, what waits, and that nothing is lost.
Context: Four rules read meaning with AI: Profanity, Negativity, Custom topics and Impersonators. When that service is briefly unavailable, those four wait and everything else carries on.
Before you start
1. The rules that match text keep running the whole time.
2. Live comments are retried automatically; nothing is skipped silently.
3. The Playground says so plainly when it cannot answer.
Steps
Step 1 of 3: Recognise it.
Where: The Playground answers with a line saying AI checks are unavailable right now and that they retry automatically on live comments. A post cleanup shows a warning saying only the mechanical filters ran.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
You should see: A plain statement rather than a wrong verdict.
Step 2 of 3: Let live comments retry.
Where: Nothing to do. A comment that could not be judged is retried; when the check succeeds the comment is handled and labelled as usual.
You should see: The comment is handled a little later, with the right label.
Step 3 of 3: Re-run a cleanup that ran without AI.
Where: On the post in Post cleanup, use Re-run check once the notice is gone. The check history keeps both runs.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/tools (Open post cleanup)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-loaded.en.webp (Check comments, on a loaded post.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-phone-loaded.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A fresh check with the AI rules included, kept beside the earlier one.
If something is off
Problem: How long does it last
Fix: Usually minutes. There is nothing to switch on or off at your end.
Problem: Did I lose comments
Fix: No. Comments arrive and are stored whatever happens; only the judgement waits.
Problem: My cleanup flagged less than usual
Fix: It may have run while AI checks were unavailable. The warning is on the result; re-run the check.
Common questions
Question: Which rules keep working when the AI is down?
Answer: The rules that match text keep running the whole time: URLs, Emails and phone numbers, Mentions, Hashtags, Images, Emojis and Keywords. Only the four that read meaning wait: Profanity, Negativity, Custom topics and Impersonators.
Question: What happens to a comment that arrives while AI checks are unavailable?
Answer: It arrives and is stored, the text rules run on it, and the AI judgement is retried automatically. When the check succeeds the comment is handled and labelled as usual, a little later; nothing is skipped silently.
Question: Will re-running a cleanup check after an outage cost credits again?
Answer: Yes. Re-run check judges every loaded comment again with the rules as they are now, so it counts credits again. Reading the last check in the check history costs nothing.
Related guides
Test a comment in the Playground: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/test-a-comment-in-the-playground
Check comments against your rules: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/post-cleanup/check-comments-against-your-rules
The twelve rules, one by one: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/the-twelve-rules-one-by-one
Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/when-the-ai-is-unavailable.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt