Delays

• When creating tasks, there are two different delays to add: monitor delay and task delay

Monitor Delay

• The monitor delay determines how often the monitor checks for product availability. Lower values mean the monitor will theoretically pick up products faster, but setting it too low can increase the risk of bans.

Retry Delay

• Retry delay (sometimes called task delay) is the delay a task waits before retrying after an error. Errors include anything that prevents a clean, one-shot checkout — for example:

  • Out of Stock (OOS)

  • Rate limit

  • Shape block

  • Unknown response

  In other words, task delay does nothing during a perfect checkout flow (since there are no errors to delay). But when something fails, as is often the case, the task uses the task delay value before retrying again.

Both delays are required. Be careful as too low delays will result in proxy/IP bans

Choosing the Right Delay

Default Values

• By default, Refract sets a recommended delay for each site. If you aren’t sure what to use, stick with the default as it reflects the tested balance of speed and safety.

Site-Specific Differences

• Different sites perform best with different delays. For example, some sites can tolerate very low delays, while others will ban aggressively if you go too low. Always adjust based on the site you’re running. For more detailed specifications, please see each site specific guide.