Frequently asked questions

This page answers the questions people ask most about sourcesignal, grouped in the order you meet them in the app. Each short answer links to the article with the full detail.

Getting started

What does sourcesignal do?

It tracks the questions your buyers ask AI engines and finds the pages the answers cite. It drafts outreach to those pages, sends it from your own mailbox once you launch it, and reports what changed. See What sourcesignal does.

What is the difference between a workspace, an organization and a project?

Workspace and organization mean the same thing: the unit holding one plan, one bill and your team. A project is one brand inside it and shares its plan, members and mailboxes. "New organization" in the account menu starts a separate workspace. See Organization settings.

When do the first answers arrive?

Tracking switches on from "Add and start tracking" and takes a minute or two. The first answers usually land within minutes to a few hours. If you leave the wizard, "Continue setup" on the projects list reopens it at your project's current step. See Your first week.

Tracking

Where is a prompt actually checked?

In the first country of your target markets. The other markets, and any US states you serve, shape how questions are phrased and which competitors are proposed. Worldwide cannot be the check country. See Markets and locations.

Which AI engines can I track?

ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot and Grok. Each project picks its own set in its settings, up to your plan's count. Engines over the count are paused, never deleted. See AI engines.

When does my data update?

Every morning at 06:00 UTC for every project with a connected feed. In the first two days the feed is also checked every hour until your first answers land. An import that reads "Nothing new" is healthy: the feed had nothing newer. See The answer feed and data updates.

I removed a prompt or a competitor. Is its history gone?

No. A removed prompt waits under "Removed prompts", where "Restore" brings it back. A removed competitor keeps its history for reporting, and adding it again restores the same row. See Prompts and Competitors.

Opportunities

What is an opportunity, and what does its priority mean?

A page an AI engine cited while answering one of your tracked prompts. Its 0 to 100 priority orders the queue for outreach. "Why this score" on its deck card, and the "Priority score" hint in the detail panel, name the reasons for that page. See What an opportunity is.

Why don't I see parked, rejected or Live already pages?

The default view hides them so the table shows what is still in play. Nothing is deleted: check their status in the Stage filter, or press the "Live placement" chip for Live already pages. See The queue, views and filters.

What is the difference between Live placement and Live already?

Live placement is a win: a page confirmed to carry your mention after your outreach. It cannot be set by hand, so set "Agreed to place" while the publisher has only said yes. Live already means your brand was on the page before any outreach. It is recorded, but is not a win. See Statuses and the review gate.

What happens to outreach when I move a page back to New, Approved or Parked?

Its outreach is canceled: drafts leave the review queue and sequences stop. If an email has already gone out, you are asked first with "Move and stop outreach". See Statuses and the review gate.

Outreach and the inbox

Does anything send without my approval?

No. The autopilot drafts; you sign off under Needs review and launch under Ready to launch, and a reply sends when you press "Send reply". The one exception is yours: where you set "Emails and posts to publishers" to Apply at once under Settings, Agents, Spot or your agent may sign off, launch and send for you, never under a mandate. You publish posts from your own account. See How outreach works.

Is connecting a mailbox the same as signing in with Google or Microsoft?

No. Connecting a Gmail, Outlook or other IMAP mailbox lets sourcesignal send your outreach from it and read its replies; your sign-in stays as it is. The connection screen may name the service that links inboxes to sourcesignal, which is expected. See Mailboxes.

How many emails does a mailbox send a day?

By default up to 50 (you can set 1 to 500), at least 90 seconds apart, Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00 London time. The limits cover every project sending from that address. See Sending schedule and limits.

Why can't I launch this draft?

The bar on the draft says why: the mailbox is not active, the contact has no name or email, the address failed verification or is on the do-not-contact list, or nothing is written yet. See Reviewing and launching.

Where is my signature?

It is added at send, so each draft shows "+ signature at send". The signature set in your mail app (Gmail, Outlook or another) is not added; an owner or admin saves one in Settings, then Mailboxes. See Mailboxes.

What happens when someone replies?

The reply stops the sequence's follow-ups at once and lands in the Inbox with the AI's one-line read. Needs reply means it is your turn. Ask for an AI draft, edit it and press "Send reply". See The inbox.

What does "Delivery unknown" mean?

The mail provider accepted the email, then reported an error, so it may have arrived. Nothing more sends until you check the mailbox's Sent folder and press "It was sent" or "It wasn't, send it". See Sending schedule and limits.

Why is this page a post and not an email?

A forum thread is reached by replying in it, a directory by its form and a review platform by claiming its profile, never by emailing their staff. You publish the drafted post from your own account and mark it posted with its link. See Posts, replies and listings.

How does the AI handle a publisher asking for money?

The reply draft follows the project's fee policy: decline, negotiate up to a ceiling, or accept up to a ceiling. With no policy it declines politely. Nothing is agreed until you press "Send reply", or Spot or your agent sends a reply where you set "Emails and posts to publishers" to Apply at once; a reply that names a figure outside your fee policy always waits for you. See Fees, placements and wins.

Someone asked us to stop emailing them. What do I do?

Triage their reply as do not contact, or add them by hand from their contact row. Outreach from your organization then refuses that address, though a reply in an existing thread is still allowed. Only Settings, Do not contact can lift an entry. See Do not contact.

What happens to my drafts if I disconnect a mailbox?

The dialog asks you to move its outreach to another mailbox or stop it. Moved drafts return to Needs review. Nothing already sent is recalled. If it only needs reconnecting, press "Reconnect" instead: drafts and sequences carry over. See Mailboxes.

How do I pause or stop outreach?

It depends on how much you want to stop. One sequence pauses or stops from its Tracker card, one mailbox from Settings, then Mailboxes, and the autopilot's promotion from the Engine room's Auto-promotion switch. Pause or stop outreach walks every level with the exact buttons and says what keeps happening afterwards: replies still arrive, and nothing is deleted.

The autopilot and the deck

What does the autopilot do on its own?

It runs the data updates, scores pages, finds contacts, drafts pitches and sends what you launched, then logs it. New projects start with one promotion rule on, which drafts pitches for the higher-priority pages, up to 30 a day. Change it from "Manage rules" on the console. See What autopilot does on its own.

What happens to cards past my daily budget?

The budget counts new pitches only: 10 a day by default, from 1 to 30. Conversations are always dealt. Pitches past the budget wait in the stash. Once you clear the deck, "Pull another stack" deals 5 more, up to the daily 30. See The deck.

Can I take a decision back?

Yes, for ten minutes, from the toast or the "Undo: …" pill in the deck header. A win, a discarded draft, a snooze and a mark-as-posted cannot be undone from the deck. See The deck.

Content

Does sourcesignal publish anything on my site?

No. Autopilot outlines and writes; you edit, download the file and publish it yourself. Each fact in a draft is pinned to a source, and a figure with no source becomes a placeholder for you to fill. See The content plan.

Why is "Outline it" grayed out?

Outlines come with Growth, Agency and Enterprise. The button also waits after you start six outlines in an hour, or while the topic has a piece in progress. Gaps is open on every plan. See Content gaps.

Reports and wins

Why does the report stop at yesterday?

Every window covers complete days only, because a half-finished day would read as a finished rate. The Overview shows today's progress separately. See Reports overview.

Why do I see a dash or "Insufficient data" instead of a number?

A dash means not known, never zero. Insufficient data means too few valid checks cover the period. Not connected means the source is not set up. A 0% appears only when it was measured. See Reports overview.

What counts as a win?

A live page confirmed to mention your brand, or a post you marked posted with its link when it names your brand. A publisher's yes waits under "Agreed placements: confirm which are live" until the page is confirmed. See Wins and verification.

What happens if a placement comes down?

Placements are re-checked about once a week, or now with "Verify placements". A win that comes down moves to Removed with its date and stays in history, and owners and admins get one email. If the check is wrong, choose "Restore as live". See Wins and verification.

Does "Strong association" mean the placement caused the lift?

No. Evidence labels compare a win's prompts before and after its live date and report association only. A new win reads "Early" for about five weeks, until its post period ends. See Impact and outcomes.

Does a share link freeze the numbers?

No. It opens the live report, so new data shows up in links you already sent. Clients see delivered wins only. To end access, open "Share report" and press "Revoke". See Sharing, printing and briefings.

Why does my AI traffic look low?

It is a floor, not a total. Apps and in-app browsers strip the referrer, so many AI visits land in Direct. Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode arrive as ordinary organic search. See Traffic from Google Analytics 4 and Search Console.

Spot and your own agent

Does Spot change anything on its own?

Only where your setting under Settings, Agents applies that kind of change at once; such a change shows as applied, with "Take back" for a day. Everything else Spot proposes as a card you apply, edit or dismiss: many can be undone for ten minutes, and a card you leave expires after 24 hours. Either way, Spot reads only what you can open yourself. Neither Spot nor your agent sends a pitch or a reply unless you set "Emails and posts to publishers" to Apply at once, and a mandate never sends one. See Change cards: apply and undo.

How do I connect Claude Code or another MCP client?

In Settings, then Agents, press "New token", choose scopes, projects and expiry, press "Create token" and run the one-line command shown. The secret is shown once. Revoke the token there to stop the agent. See Connect your own agent over MCP.

Plans and billing

Do I need a card to start?

No. A new workspace starts on a 14-day trial with Growth's limits, and nothing is charged until you choose a plan. See Trial and billing.

What happens when my trial ends?

Your data is safe. It is hidden for 7 days while imports keep running, then the account pauses. Choose a plan at any point and everything comes back. See Trial and billing.

Which plan do I need?

Brand covers 1 project, 30 tracked prompts and 3 engines; Growth 5 projects, 200 prompts and 6 engines; Agency 15 projects, 750 prompts and 9 engines. Enterprise is bespoke, and prompts are one pool across your projects. The pricing page has the prices. See Plans and limits.

How do upgrades and downgrades work?

An upgrade applies at once; a downgrade waits for the period end after you choose what stays. Whatever does not fit is paused, never deleted, and "What stays" in Billing brings it back when there is room. See Plans and limits.

How do I cancel, and what if a payment fails?

Press "Cancel plan" in Settings, then Billing; the plan runs to the period end. For a failed payment, press "Pay the open invoice". Once the plan ends or a payment fails, you keep full access for 7 days, the data is hidden for 7 more, then the account pauses. Nothing is deleted. Owners and admins manage billing. See Trial and billing.

Your account and team

Who can do what?

Owners control everything, including billing and deletion. Admins manage the team and billing. Members work in projects, and an owner or admin can limit a member to certain projects from the Projects chip in Settings, then Members. See Members and roles.

What if I never got the confirmation email?

Check spam, then press "send the link again". Signing in with your password also sends a fresh link. See Create your account.

Can I use a password as well as Google sign-in?

Yes. Press "Set a password" in Settings, then Profile; single sign-on keeps working. "Sign out of all other devices" on the same page signs out every browser but yours. See Profile and sign-in.

How do I get around faster?

Press g, then a letter, to jump between areas; g then a opens Autopilot. Ctrl K or ⌘ K opens search. See Navigation and keyboard shortcuts.

Your data, security and support

Can I get my data out?

Yes. Owners and admins press "Download your data" in Settings, then Organization, for a zip of spreadsheets. It stays available while the account is paused. See Your data.

How do I delete my organization?

Only an owner can. Cancel a paid plan first, then press "Delete this organization" under Danger zone in Settings, then Organization, and type its name. It removes every project for every member and cannot be undone. See Your data.

How long do you keep my data?

Account data for the life of the account, then 30 days; outreach and reply data for the life of the project, then 90 days. The Privacy Policy has the detail. See Your data.

How do I reach support?

Open the account menu, choose "Support", then "New conversation". Replies land in the drawer and in your inbox. If a page keeps failing to load, press "Try again", then send the short ref code under the message. See Support.

Free tools

Do the free tools need an account?

No. The free tools and the free AI visibility report need no account. The report goes to a work email, one per email a day. See The free AI visibility report.

Spot and agents

Is there an API?

The agent connection over MCP is on every plan. Make a token under Settings, Agents, and Claude Code, Claude Desktop or any MCP client works in sourcesignal as you, with each change waiting for you as a card unless your setting or a mandate you approved applies it at once. A custom API for your own systems is an Enterprise conversation. See Connect your own agent over MCP and The docs for agents.