Features

Auto-Run & Scheduling

Overview

Auto-Run lets your workflows process keywords automatically on a schedule without keeping the browser open. Configure it by clicking Auto-Run in the Settings sidebar of your workflow editor.

Auto-Run is available for Keywords and Template (pSEO) mode workflows (not News mode, which has its own discovery schedule). For keyword workflows, one keyword is processed per run. For template workflows, a configurable number of rows are processed per run, and auto-run stops when all rows have been processed.

Requirements: Auto-Run requires a Standard plan or higher and API keys configured in Settings.

Schedule Types

Interval-Based

Process one keyword at a set interval. Jobs run one by one until all keywords are completed.

Start Date & Time: When to begin processing
Interval: Time between jobs (e.g., every 24 hours, every 2 days)
Units: Hours or days

Example: 100 keywords, interval of 24 hours, starting January 1st = one article per day for 100 days, completing around April 10th.

Weekly Schedule

Specify exact days and times for processing. Perfect for consistent publishing routines.

Day & Time Slots: Choose specific days (Monday-Sunday) and times
Add multiple slots for multiple publishing times per week

Example: Monday at 9:00 AM, Wednesday at 2:00 PM, Friday at 10:00 AM = three articles per week on a consistent schedule.

Timezone

Scheduling uses your configured timezone offset (minutes from UTC). This is set automatically based on your browser's timezone when you configure the schedule, but can be adjusted if needed.

Low Backlog Alert

Set a Low Backlog Threshold to receive an email alert when the number of remaining unprocessed keywords drops below a certain number. This gives you time to add more keywords before the workflow runs out of work.

Drip Publishing

Drip publishing (configured in the Publishing drawer in the Settings sidebar) spreads article publishing over time instead of publishing everything at once. This is separate from auto-run and controls when articles become live on your CMS.

Interval: Time between each publish (minutes, hours, days, or weeks)
Custom Start Date: Optionally set when drip publishing begins

Drip publishing is especially useful for pSEO batch jobs where hundreds of articles are generated at once but should be published gradually to appear natural to search engines.

Note: Drip publishing requires a CMS that supports scheduled posts (WordPress, Ghost). For other platforms, articles may publish immediately.

How Auto-Run Works

Auto-run processes keywords one at a time in order
Each keyword becomes a job that goes through your full workflow pipeline
Auto-run stops automatically when all keywords have been processed once
Runs happen server-side — you don't need to keep Publish Owl open
You can monitor progress on the Jobs page at any time

Troubleshooting

Auto-run not starting

Verify your API keys are stored in Settings (not session-only). Auto-run requires stored keys since it runs server-side. Also check that your plan supports auto-run (Standard+).

Jobs running at wrong times

Check the timezone offset in your schedule configuration. The time displayed should match your local time.

Auto-run stopped unexpectedly

Auto-run stops when all keywords are processed. Add more keywords to restart. If it stopped due to errors, check the failed jobs on the Jobs page.