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This guide helps you diagnose and resolve common event monitor issues.
For configuration guidance and webhook implementation, see Configure event monitors.

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Cannot create event monitor from old job

Symptom: API returns “Monitor creation is only allowed for jobs with a run window within the last 7 days.” Cause: Reference job’s end_date is more than 7 days in the past. Solution: Check your job’s end date:
If older than 7 days, create a new job with end_date within the last 7 days and use that as your reference.
Event Monitors require end_date within 7 days to avoid data gaps. The job’s start_date can be any valid range - only end_date must be recent.

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Event monitor returns zero records

Symptom: Webhook shows "records_count": 0 on every execution after the first. Possible causes:
  1. Event frequency doesn’t match event monitor schedule (events occur less frequently than event monitor runs).
  2. Deduplication is working correctly - same events keep appearing across multiple runs.
  3. Reference job had very restrictive validators.
Troubleshooting steps:
1

Check reference job validators

Review the validators array in your reference job results:
Overly restrictive validators may limit results.
2

Assess event frequency vs schedule

Consider whether events matching your query occur frequently enough for your event monitor schedule:
  • ✅ Good match: Daily event monitor for "AI startup funding rounds over $10M" (multiple events per week)
  • ❌ Frequency mismatch: Daily event monitor for "Unicorn IPOs in biotech sector" (rare events)
If events are infrequent:
  • Adjust event monitor schedule (weekly instead of daily)
  • Expand geographic or industry scope
  • Lower thresholds (e.g., $5M+ instead of $50M+)
3

Check event monitor execution history

List recent event monitor jobs to see the pattern:
If consecutive runs return zero records, adjust event frequency or schedule.
4

Adjust query or schedule

Based on your findings:Option 1 - Adjust schedule: Change from daily to weekly/bi-weekly for rare events.Option 2 - Adjust query scope: Expand to capture more events without losing business value.Create new reference job → Create new event monitor → Disable old event monitor.
Event monitor deduplication uses a 7-day rolling window. Zero records after the first execution often means the same events keep appearing (correct deduplication), not a problem with your query.

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Duplicate records appearing

Symptom: Same event appears multiple times in aggregated results. Expected behavior: The system automatically deduplicates records across executions. If you’re seeing duplicates, this indicates a potential issue. Troubleshooting:
  1. Check if the duplicates have different record_id values.
  2. Verify that citations differ between duplicate records.
  3. If true duplicates exist, contact support with:
    • monitor_id
    • record_id values of duplicates
    • Example records

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Webhook not firing

Symptoms:
  • No POST requests received at your endpoint.
  • Event monitor shows jobs executing but no notifications.
Troubleshooting steps:
1

Check endpoint accessibility

Verify your webhook URL is publicly accessible:
Should return 2xx status code.
2

Verify HTTPS

Ensure your webhook URL uses HTTPS (not HTTP):
  • ✅ https://your-endpoint.com/webhook
  • ❌ http://your-endpoint.com/webhook
3

Check firewall rules

Ensure your server’s firewall allows incoming POST requests on the webhook port.
4

Test with webhook.site

Create a temporary webhook at webhook.site and update your event monitor to verify the issue is with your endpoint.
5

Review server logs

Check your server logs for:
  • Incoming requests that failed
  • Authentication errors
  • Timeout errors
For webhook implementation guidance including error handling and retry logic, see Configure event monitors: Implement robust webhooks.

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Need more help?

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide:
  1. Check the Changelog for recent updates.
  2. Review Event Monitors overview for how event monitors work.
  3. Review Configure event monitors for setup and testing guidance.
  4. Contact support at support@newscatcherapi.com with:
    • monitor_id or job_id
    • Detailed description of the issue
    • Steps to reproduce
    • Expected vs. actual behavior