FAQ
Common questions about automation.
Q: How often does Auto refresh run?
Channels are read about every four hours, movies and series once a day. The schedule is the same for everyone, so you cannot pick a time. Click Update now on the Auto refresh page to run it at once.
Q: Will a refresh undo my edits?
No. Names you changed, channels you moved, logos and guide ids stay as you made them. A name only follows the provider on channels with Sync name on, and only when Sync names from provider (per-channel opt-in) is on for the source. A logo follows the provider the same way, with Sync logo and Sync logos from provider (per-channel opt-in).
Q: A refresh removed a lot of channels, and the next one brought them back. Why?
The provider sent a broken or half list once. Channels missing from it looked removed. Keep Mass-deletion safeguard on: a run that would remove more than the Safeguard limits removes nothing and says so in the history. Channels a run removes are deleted for good, so keep this safeguard on.
Q: Why does my source say failed?
M3UTool could not read the provider. Open Auto refresh and look under History: the failed run shows the reason. Common causes are a wrong password, an expired provider login, or a provider that blocks too many requests. M3UTool then waits longer between tries, and Update now tries at once.
Q: Why did the automation not run after a refresh?
Either After each provider update is off, or the refresh added no new channels. The automation only works on channels a refresh adds or restores. To run it on channels you already have, click Tools in the top bar, then Run all automation steps.
Q: Do new channels land in the right group?
They land in the group the provider uses. To send them to your own group instead, add a rule under Group mapping in the source's settings. New channels go there from then on. Channels still in that provider group move over too, a moment after you add the rule.
Q: Why did I get no message when channels died?
Check three things: Tell me when channels die is on for this playlist, Check finished has a tick under Where each message goes in Account (for Discord: Discord is connected there), and a check found channels that were working before and are offline now. M3UTool sends at most one message every ten minutes.
Q: Does Park the dead ones delete channels?
No. The channels move to a "Not Working" group and come back to their own group when a later check finds them working. More in Not working channels.
Q: Can I have more than one update source on a playlist?
Yes, one per provider login. Each source has its own groups, rules and history. More in Add another provider.