Looking for quick help? This page consolidates the most common issues and their solutions. For deeper explanations, follow the “Learn more” links to detailed guides.
🔌 Setup & Connection Issues
”I connected Gmail but my worker can’t send emails”
The Problem: You connected Gmail in Tools (Level 1) but didn’t enable it for the specific worker (Level 2). Quick Fix:- Go to your worker’s settings
- Find the Tools section
- Enable Gmail for this worker
- Make sure “Send” permission is selected
- Save changes
Learn More
Understanding the two-level permission system
”Connection failed” or “Authorization error” when connecting tools
Possible Causes & Fixes:Pop-ups are blocked
Pop-ups are blocked
Enable pop-ups for Spinnable in your browser settings, then retry the connection.
Outdated browser
Outdated browser
Use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge latest version).
Organisation security policies
Organisation security policies
Your IT admin may need to approve third-party apps. Contact them with Spinnable’s security documentation.
Two-factor authentication timed out
Two-factor authentication timed out
Complete the entire authorisation process within 5 minutes of starting it.
”An account with this tool and label already exists”
The Problem: You’re trying to connect (or reconnect) a tool, but Spinnable reports that a connection with that tool and label already exists — even if you don’t see an active connection in Tools. Why this happens: When a tool connection is disconnected or interrupted mid-flow, an orphaned (ghost) connection record can remain in the backend. This leftover record blocks you from creating a new connection with the same label. Self-Service Fixes:Use the Reconnect button
Instead of creating a brand-new connection, look for a Reconnect option next to the existing (possibly broken) connection in Tools (left menu bar). This re-authenticates the existing record rather than trying to create a duplicate.
Check for duplicate connections
Scroll through Tools to see if there’s already an entry for that tool — it may appear with a 🟡 Pending or 🔴 Failed status. If you find one, disconnect it first, then reconnect.
Understanding Connection Statuses
Learn about the green / yellow / red status indicators and what they mean for your workers
”Google says the app isn’t verified”
What This Means: Google shows a warning for apps still in their verification process. Solution:- Click Advanced on the warning screen
- Click Go to Spinnable (unsafe) — this is safe despite the wording
- Complete authorisation normally
”My Microsoft 365 admin needs to approve the app”
What to Do:- Contact your IT administrator
- Provide Spinnable’s app information
- Request admin consent for the Spinnable integration
- Once approved, retry the connection
🤖 Worker Behaviour Issues
🚀 Make Your Worker Smarter & More Consistent
Before diving into troubleshooting, consider whether your issue could be solved with Skills or Projects — two powerful features that make workers dramatically more reliable.
Skills: Your #1 Tool for Consistency
Skills are reusable workflows your worker saves and executes the same way every time. If your worker is repetitively doing the same process, you should always be using a skill — especially for complex, multi-step workflows. Skills solve these common frustrations:- “My worker is not following my instructions”
- “My worker does things slightly differently every time”
- “I keep having to re-explain the same process”
- “The output quality is inconsistent”
Learn About Skills
How to create and manage reusable workflows
Scheduling Tasks
Automate skill execution on a schedule
Projects: Keep Context Across Conversations
For work that spans multiple conversations or days — research, planning, multi-step deliverables — use Projects (also called Work Streams). Your worker creates a living brief that tracks what’s done, what’s next, and picks up exactly where you left off.”My worker isn’t understanding my requests”
Quick Fixes:Be more specific
Instead of “handle this,” try “read this email and draft a 2-paragraph response addressing the pricing question”
Provide context
Workers don’t automatically know your business context. Share relevant background information.
Iterate with feedback
Workers learn from corrections. If something isn’t right, tell them what to adjust.
Learn More
Effective training and feedback techniques
”My worker does the same task slightly differently every time”
Why this happens: Without a skill, your worker uses their general intelligence to interpret each request fresh. Small variations in how you phrase things — or the context of the conversation — can lead to slightly different outputs. The Fix: Create a Skill Skills are the definitive solution for this. When you save a process as a skill, your worker executes the exact same steps every time — no interpretation, no drift.Do the task together once
Walk through the process with your worker until the output is exactly what you want.
Learn About Skills
How to create and manage reusable workflows
”My worker keeps asking questions I already answered”
Possible Causes:- Different worker
- Context wasn't saved as memory
- Contradictory feedback
Workers don’t share memory. If you told Worker A something, Worker B won’t automatically know it.Fix: Provide context again, or review which worker you’re talking to.
”My worker’s tone/style isn’t what I want”
Solution: Give conversational feedback to adjust — this is a self-serve fix that doesn’t need support involvement:Learn More
How workers adapt through feedback
”My worker won’t stop doing something I told them to stop”
Fix: Use explicit override language:📡 Communication Channel Issues
”Email/WhatsApp/Slack isn’t working for my worker”
The Problem: Each communication channel requires separate setup and authorisation. Checklist:- Is the channel connected in Tools (left menu bar)?
- Is the channel enabled for this specific worker?
- Have you completed the full authorisation flow?
- Is the connection still active (check Tools for status)?
Learn More
Complete guide to setting up communication channels
WhatsApp: shared number temporarily unreliable
What this means: The Spinnable-managed WhatsApp number is a shared platform number maintained by Spinnable. Like any external messaging platform, it can occasionally experience brief interruptions. What to do:- Wait a few hours and try again. Temporary issues on the shared number typically resolve on their own.
- Check system status for any known outages.
”My worker isn’t responding in Slack”
Common Fixes:- Check if the worker is in the channel: Mention them with
@WorkerNameto invite them - Verify Slack connection: Go to Tools (left menu bar) and confirm Slack shows “Connected”
- Check worker permissions: In worker settings, ensure Slack is enabled
- Test in a DM first: Send a direct message to the worker to verify basic connectivity
”My worker isn’t monitoring my corporate inbox”
The Problem: You connected Gmail or Outlook (read) to your worker, but it doesn’t detect or respond to new emails automatically. Why this happens: Connecting the read tool gives your worker the ability to read the inbox on demand, but does not make it automatically monitor for new messages. Think of it like giving someone a key to the mailbox — they still need to be told to check it. Quick Fix:- Option A: Set up a recurring scheduled task telling the worker to check the inbox at specific times (e.g., 10 AM and 4 PM daily)
- Option B: Create a forwarding filter in Gmail/Outlook that sends incoming emails to your worker’s Spinnable address for real-time handling
Full Setup Guide
Complete guide to using a corporate email with your worker
⚡ Performance & Response Issues
”My worker is taking too long to respond”
Context matters:Expected Response Times
- Simple questions: Seconds to 1-2 minutes
- Research tasks: 5-15 minutes
- Complex analysis: 15-30 minutes
- Multi-step workflows: 30+ minutes
When to Be Concerned
If simple tasks consistently take longer than 5 minutes, or a worker stops responding entirely and does not recover, that may indicate a platform issue worth reporting. Check system status first.
”My worker says they’re working on it but never finishes”
Troubleshooting:- Check if the task is too vague: Be more specific about what you want
- Verify tool access: If the task requires tools (Gmail, Slack), make sure the worker has access
- Look for error messages: The worker may have hit a blocker and needs clarification
- Try breaking it down: Split complex tasks into smaller steps
Worker Blocked Due to Usage Limits
If your worker stops responding or shows as blocked, you’ve likely reached your plan’s usage limits.Symptoms
- Worker doesn’t respond to messages
- Tasks aren’t being completed
- You see a usage limit notification
Causes
- Reached monthly message limit for your plan
- Exceeded number of active workers allowed
- Hit API usage threshold
Solutions
- Check your usage: Go to Account → Usage to see current limits
- Upgrade your plan: Visit Account → Plans & Pricing to increase limits
- Put workers on holidays: Free up capacity by putting workers on holidays if you’re not using them
- Wait for reset: Monthly limits reset at the start of each billing cycle
Prevention
- Monitor your usage regularly in the Account section
- Set up usage alerts (if available in your plan)
- Put workers on holidays during low-activity periods
- Choose a plan that matches your typical usage patterns
👤 Account & Access Issues
”I can’t log in to Spinnable”
Quick Fixes:”I reached my plan limits”
What this means: Plan limits determine the number of active workers. Solution:- If you hit the limit: Some workers will go on holidays
- To add more workers: Upgrade your plan or put workers on holidays if you’re not using them
- Important: Firing workers is permanent and deletes all their memory/config. Use ‘On Holidays’ status instead if you might need them again.
🔧 Advanced Troubleshooting
”My worker’s memory seems incorrect or outdated”
Fix:- Go to Worker → Knowledge section
- Review saved memories and preferences
- Delete outdated or incorrect entries
- Provide fresh feedback with corrected information
”Workers are getting confused between different projects”
The issue: Your worker’s role is too broad and mixing contexts. Solutions:- Use Projects (Recommended)
- Hire Specialists
If the confusion is about losing context between different ongoing tasks, use Projects. Ask your worker to create a project for each distinct workstream — they’ll track context, progress, and next steps separately.Your worker keeps each project’s context separate and picks up where you left off.
Learn More
When to specialise vs. expand workers
”I want to completely reset a worker”
Options:- Soft Reset (Recommended)
- Manual Reset
- Full Reset (Rare)
Method: Tell the worker conversationally to forget old preferencesExample: “Forget everything I’ve told you about email formatting and use this new approach: [new guidelines]”Pros: Quick, targeted, reversible
💬 Still need help?
If you’ve worked through the relevant sections above and still can’t resolve the issue, here’s what to do:Check system status
Visit status.spinnable.ai to rule out a known outage.
Review the support contact guide
Read the Contact Support page. It explains what qualifies as urgent, the structured email template to use, and the one-issue-one-thread policy that keeps response times fast.
Send a structured email
Email support@spinnable.ai using the template in the contact guide. Include your account email, worker names, what happened, steps to reproduce, and what you’ve already tried.
For worker performance or refinement issues (tone, consistency, forgotten steps) — please try conversational feedback and Skills before contacting support. These are almost always self-serviceable.
Common Issues Quick Reference
| Issue | Most Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Worker can’t send email | Tool not enabled for worker | Worker Settings → Tools → Enable Gmail |
| Authorisation failed | Pop-ups blocked or timeout | Enable pop-ups, retry within 5 minutes |
| ”Account already exists” error | Orphaned / ghost connection record | Use Reconnect, or disconnect then reconnect — see details above |
| Worker not understanding | Too vague, missing context | Be more specific, provide examples |
| Worker inconsistent | No skill saved | Create a skill |
| Channel not working | Not connected or not enabled | Check both account AND worker-level setup |
| Slow responses | Complex task or normal delay | Check expected response times above |
| Workers mixing things up | Role too broad or no projects | Use Projects or hire specialists |
| Memory seems wrong | Outdated saved preferences | Review/edit Worker → Knowledge section |
| Shared WhatsApp number unreliable | Temporary platform issue | Wait a few hours and try again — do NOT reconnect or link a custom number |
| Tone or style off | No conversational feedback given | Give direct feedback — no support ticket needed |
Most issues fall into these categories:
- Missing a Skill — If your worker does something repeatedly, save it as a skill
- Tool permissions (account-level vs. worker-level confusion)
- Communication channels not fully set up
- Workers needing more specific instructions or context
- Understanding that worker memory is a feature, not a bug