How To Fix Phantom Input Errors

This guide will help you understand the most common input errors and how to resolve them.

If there’s an issue with your input, your Phantom will display an error message such as Invalid input or Input already processed.

How to fix Invalid input error message

An Invalid input error means the Phantom input format is incorrect or not configured properly.

Let's use the LinkedIn Profile Scraper as an example: This Phantom requires LinkedIn profile URLs as input. If you accidentally provide a search URL instead, the Phantom will return an Invalid input error.

Check input format

1. From your PhantomBuster dashboard, locate your Phantom and click the 3 dots menu to access the Phantom’s setup.
2. In the Input step (e.g. Profiles to scrape), check the type of data you can use as input. This varies depending on the Phantom.
3. Enter a valid input format (e.g. a LinkedIn profile URL) as shown in the setup screen.
   
   
4. Click Save & close in the top right corner.
5. Re-launch the Phantom.

Check Spreadsheet is set to "Anyone with the link" can view

If you’re using a Google Sheet as input:

1. Click Share in your spreadsheet.
   

2. Under General access, set visibility to Anyone with the link and select Viewer.
   
   

3. Copy and paste the URL into your Phantom input field.

Check Spreadsheet settings

By default, Phantoms read column A. If your data is in another column (e.g. column B), specify this in the setup:

If the right column isn’t selected, the Phantom will return an Invalid input error.

1. From your PhantomBuster dashboard, locate your Phantom and click the 3 dots menu to access the Phantom’s setup.
2. In the Input step (e.g. Profiles to scrape), expand the collapsable Spreadsheet settings menu.
3. Search for and select the column that contains the Input data (e.g., "LinkedInProfileUrl") from the dropdown menu. 
   
4. Click Save & close in the top right corner.
5. Re-launch the Phantom.

How to fix Input already processed error message

This message means your Phantom has already processed the input and won’t reprocess it by default.

Not all Phantoms support every option listed below. Some settings like Watcher mode or renaming the results file are only available in specific Phantoms.

To resolve the error, choose one of the options below depending on your goal:

Option 1: Duplicate the Phantom to reprocess the same input

This is the simplest way to re-run a Phantom using the same input.

1. 1. From your PhantomBuster dashboard, locate your Phantom and click the 3 dots menu to select Duplicate.

   2. Review the Phantom’s setup to confirm the input and settings.

   3. Click Save & Close, then launch the duplicated Phantom.

Option 2: Enable Watcher mode (if available)

Some Phantoms allow you to automatically reprocess the same input each time the Phantom runs by enabling Watcher mode.

1. From your PhantomBuster Dashboard, locate your Phantom and click the 3 dots menu to access the Phantom’s setup.

2. Go to the Behavior step.

3. Enable Watcher mode, if the option is visible.

4. Click Save, then launch the Phantom.

Watcher mode checks for new or updated results each time it runs, without requiring new input.

Option 3: Rename the results file to reset processing (if available)

Changing the results file name allows the Phantom to start fresh with the same input.

1. From your PhantomBuster Dashboard, locate your Phantom and click the 3 dots menu to access the Phantom’s setup.

2. Go to the Behavior step.

3. Expand the Results file settings section, if the option is visible.

4. In the Name your results file field, enter a new name.

5. Click Save, then launch the Phantom.