FAQ Runtime and scheduling
# Do failed or stopped bot runs count on the desktop or cloud?
No, only succesful runs count.
# How can I stop Axiom.ai from auto-starting?
All operating systems allow apps to be removed from the start-up list. The exact method depends on the operating system. See the links below for more information.
# My bot is slow, how do I speed it up?
Depending on the type of bot or automation you are running there are a number of tricks you can try to speed it up. FYI axiom.ai prioritises reducing errors and accuracy over speed. Please test any changes you make. To find out more read Speeding up run.
# How to continue running when a button is not always present?
If you are using a "Click element" step to click a button that is not always present by default, an error will be thrown. To ignore that error and continue to the next step, tick the Optional click in the click element settings.
# My scheduled automation is running at the wrong time, what should I do?
If your scheduled automation has a mismatch between the chosen run time and the time it runs according to the website you are automating, you can try changing the timezone.
How
- Open the Automation: Navigate to your automation.
- Access Settings: Click on the three dots menu in the top panel, next to the "Run" button, then click "Settings".
- Adjust Timezone: Under "Run options", select "Configure the timezone". By default, axiom.ai runs in UTC. Change this setting to use your local timezone.
# Speeding up your scraper
If you want to speed up your scraper, there are some scraper configuration settings you can try, found in the step. We recommend changing the "Number of retries".
# Can I run automation in the current tab in Chrome?
By default, axiom.ai operates by launching a new instance of the Google Chromium or Chrome browser. There is an option to attach to an existing Chromium window in the "Settings" section, but it requires launching Chrome / Chromium in a special debug mode.
# Does my runtime carry over?
Runtime does not carry over to the next billing period. It resets at the start of each new cycle, ensuring that each period starts fresh with the full amount of available runtime.
# How does runtime refresh?
As of v3.16, runtime refreshes on the day of the month you subscribed. If you subscribed on the 4th of January, your runtime will refresh again on the 4th of March, or the closest date for months with different number of days. Unused runtime doesn't rollover from one month to the next.
# Can I schedule my automations more than once a day on the Pro tier?
Yes using you local scheduler you can run your automations as frequently as every minute locally on the desktop, just once a day in the cloud.
# I have just upgraded and my new runtime is not showing, what should I do?
How
If your new runtime isn't showing after an upgrade, try the following steps:
- Restart Your Browser: Sometimes, a simple restart of the browser can help refresh the session.
- Log Out and Log In: Log out of your axiom.ai account and then log back in.
- Contact Support: If the issue persists after trying the above steps, please contact our support team for further assistance at support@axiom.ai.
# How do I schedule bots?
Scheduling is available at the pro tier, and above.
# Automation stops, no data written to the Google Sheet
It's most likely that the "Data" was not set inside the "Write data to Google Sheet" step. If you wish to learn more about passing data between steps click here.
# Page elements load slowly on the page before scraping
By default, automations will wait for the elements on a page to load, but often, pages may load slower than the automation can detect. This can sometimes lead to errors in finding the content that has been set up within the automation. When using one of the scrape steps, such as "Get data from bot's current page", you may need to modify the "Minimum wait before scraping (ms)" option. To do this, follow the steps below:
How
- Open the automation.
- Navigate to the scrape step you want to modify.
- Click "Configure scraper".
- Enter a value into the Minimum wait before scraping (ms) field, bearing in mind that 1000ms is equal to 1 second.
# Scraper gets inconsistent results on different pages
This can be a tough issue to solve. It's most likely that CSS selectors are changing from page to page. For example, this could be caused by elements changing order. You could try using custom CSS selectors or reach out to us for help (opens new window). If you have ChatGPT try our AI web scraper.
# My automation is stuck on running
The most common occurrence is when a computer has been closed or the connection dropped, and the "Run" button appears stuck in "Run". It most likely means the automation has stopped but the Chrome extension has not registered the change of state. Try the following:
How
- Refresh the window and open axiom.ai.
- Failing that, restart Chrome.
Try stopping runs, if you are still experiencing an issue contact support (opens new window).
# My automation stops but I want to ignore all errors
If your bot is being stopped by errors you wish to ignore, you can set it to "Continue on error":
How
- Open the automation.
- Navigate to the settings in the top right menu.
- Click "Continue on error".
- Toggle the option to on.
# Are my bot runs ever queued?
Automations triggered by Zapier, Make, and API are queued if you exceed your subscription's concurrency limit. Runs that would fail because your account has run out of concurrency are instead automatically deferred for five minutes and then tried again until they are run successfully. Please note that if you have far more activity in your API than your concurrency level can handle, certain tasks may take a very long time to complete or may never run at all. If you need a custom package for your use case, please email support@axiom.ai and inquire!
# Can I run multiple instances of the same automation simultaneously?
Each individual bot can only have one instance of itself running. This means you can run multiple different bots at the same time, but you cannot run multiple instances of the same bot at the same time.
If you need this functionality, then you should duplicate the bot you wish to run concurrently. You can do this using the "Save as duplicate" feature, which you can find in the menu at the top of the builder.
Create as many duplicates as you need concurrency. Each duplicate will be a separate item and so will be able to run concurrently along with the other duplicates.
# Can I trigger an automation with Apple Shortcuts?
You can trigger automations with Shortcuts on both your Mac and iPhone. Even better, you can run a shortcut via the command line to activate automations. Plus, you can link shortcuts from the dock in macOS.
# Can I run an automation on an iPhone?
Yes, you can trigger a bot from your iPhone, but it will run on the Axiom.ai cloud, not directly on the iPhone itself. Read this guide to see how.
# Can I pause a bot run?
To pause a bot run, use the "Wait" step. See how.
# Can I interact with the browser during a bot run?
You can interact with the browser when running your automations on the Desktop or VPS. For security reasons, interaction with the browsers is prohibited in the cloud. When interacting with the browser in runtime, you may wish to pause the bot. See how.
# Can I trigger an automation on the Desktop Runner from Zapier?
You cannot directly trigger a run using Zapier, as APIs are web-based and require the browser to be running on a server for webhooks to function. However, there is a workaround using Google Sheets. In Zapier, write a new row to a Google Sheet when you want the automation to run. Schedule Axiom.ai to run every minute on your desktop, using the "Read Data from a Google Sheet" step. If data is found, the run will trigger. Afterward, include a step to "Delete rows from a Google Sheet". Learn how to trigger the desktop app with Zapier.