How Workers work
Understand a Worker's states and runs, which steps wait for your approval and for how long, schedules and time zones, and spending caps.
On this page
A Worker is a job Ysra does on a schedule or when you run it: read something, do the work, and deliver a result. A Worker has a state (is it switched on?) and each time it runs makes a run with its own state. This page explains both, the approvals, and the caps. To make one, see Start a Worker from Ask.
What a Worker never does alone#
A Worker never sends, posts or changes anything outside Ysra without the permission you gave it. Sending an email and posting a message always wait for your approval of the exact text, every run, and that can't be turned off; an action with no permission set is forbidden.
Worker states#
| State | What it means | What moves it on |
|---|---|---|
| Not started | Made, never switched on. Workers start like this. | Switch it on |
| On | Runs on its schedule (or when you press Run). | Turn off |
| Turned off | Keeps its settings and runs; no scheduled runs. | Turn on |
| Archived | Hidden from the list. | — |
Run states#
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting for its turn. |
| Working | Running its steps. |
| Waiting for you | A step needs your approval of the exact text it will send. |
| Trying again | A step is being tried again. |
| Done | Finished. |
| Failed | Couldn't finish; the reason is on the run. |
| Stopped | You stopped it, rejected a step, or nobody approved within 7 days. |
What happens when …#
A step needs your approval#
The run waits and shows the exact text it will send (the email, the message). Approve & send sends exactly that, once; Reject stops the step. Approval is per run: approving once doesn't approve the next run. Drafts are different: a draft stays in your mailbox and nothing leaves it, so drafting doesn't ask.
You don't answer an approval#
After 7 days the run stops without doing it: "No one approved this within 7 days, so I didn't do it. Run it again when you're ready."
A run reaches its spend cap#
It stops, isn't retried, and says so: "This run reached its … spending limit, so it stopped." When the Worker's daily cap is reached: "This Worker reached its … limit for today, so it stopped. It runs again tomorrow."
A step fails#
The run ends Failed with the reason on the run. Runs aren't retried automatically; Run now tries again.
It was made from Ask#
Each run posts one short line back into the Ask conversation it came from: the summary, "N waiting for your approval.", "It couldn't finish this run.", or "Finished.". Routine checks that find nothing new post only the first time.
What always needs your approval#
| Made from | Waits for your approval |
|---|---|
| A description (Workers page, Set up with Ysra) | Sending email, notifications |
| Ask | Sending email, posting a chat message |
An action Ysra may take on its own is listed on the Worker; anything not listed is forbidden. A step in the Worker's plan can make a rule stricter, never looser.
Schedules#
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Kinds | Manual, a time pattern (every Monday at 8:00), or an interval |
| Most often | Every minute (every 5 minutes when made from Ask) |
| Time zone | The Worker's own; UTC if none is set. Workers made by Set up with Ysra use your time zone. |
Limits#
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Spend per run | 200 credits |
| Spend per Worker per day (UTC) | 1,000 credits |
| Steps per run | 12 |
| Tries per run | 1 (no automatic retry) |
| Approval waits | 7 days |
These limits, the approval rules and retries aren't changed in the app: sending and posting always ask, and nothing else is configurable there.
Related#
- Start a Worker from Ask — writing the job and choosing what it may do.
- Runs and approvals — reading a run and approving steps.
- Schedules — time patterns and intervals.
- Limits and costs — every cap in one place.