How to Use Advanced Settings for Phantoms and Workflows

This guide explains how to customize your automation's behavior using advanced settings like execution limits, proxies, webhooks, and file output options.

Advanced settings are available for both Phantoms and Workflows. They let you fine-tune how your automations runs.

You can control how long it runs, how it handles errors, add a proxy, send alerts to other tools, and choose how your results files are saved. These settings are optional and can be adjusted before each launch.

Access advanced settings

To open the Advanced settings panel:

1. Log in to your PhantomBuster workspace and go to your Dashboard if you want to update one of your existing automation. 
   → If you're setting up a new Phantom or Workflow, Advanced settings will appear as an optional step in the left-hand menu during setup.
2. Click on the three dots menu on the automation's card you want to update, select Setup, and scroll to the Advanced settings step in the left-hand side menu to adjust how your automation behaves.

Set execution and retry limits

Control how long your automation runs and how it behaves when it encounters errors.

To configure this:

1. Open the Advanced settings.
2. Select the Limits tab.
3. You'll see two options:

• Maximum execution time per launch (in minutes):
  Define how long a single launch should last. Max is 300 minutes.
  → Example: Enter 30 to stop the run after 30 minutes, even if it hasn't finished.
• Maximum number of launch retries:
  Set how many times the automation should retry if it fails. Max is 10.
  → Example: Enter 3 to retry the launch up to three times.

Set email notifications

Receive emails when your automation succeeds or fails.

To configure this:

1. Open the Advanced settings.
2. Select the Email notifications tab.
3. Choose whether you want to be alerted about:

• Successful launches.
• Failed launches.

→ Learn more on Email Notifications.

Add a proxy

A proxy lets your automation run from a consistent location each time. This helps prevent location-related flags on sensitive platforms like LinkedIn or Google Maps.

• Proxies are off by default. You don't need one unless the platform you're using is sensitive to location changes.
• You can assign an existing proxy from your account or create a new one.
• Proxies are most helpful if you're running multiple automations, working with several LinkedIn accounts, or want to keep your IP address consistent over time.

To configure this:

1. Open the Advanced settings.
2. Select the Proxies tab.
3. Select a proxy.

→ Learn more about when and why to use a Proxy.

Send data via webhooks

Webhooks automatically send your results or status updates to other tools.

You can use this to:

• Send a notification to Slack when an automation finishes running.
• Send results to another tool like Notion, Zapier, or your own system.

To configure this:

1. Open the Advanced settings.
2. Select the Webhooks tab.
3. You'll see two webhook options:

• Slack webhook URL: Sends data or alerts to a Slack channel.
• Custom webhook URL: Connects to your API or tools like Notion, etc.

→ Learn more in our documentation about webhooks.

Manage result files

Choose how PhantomBuster stores your results after each launch.

To configure this:

1. Open the Advanced settings.
2. Select the File Management tab.
3. Pick the file storage option you want.

Available options include:

Recommended default:

• Combine files (default): Adds new results to the same file each time the automation runs.
  • This setting allows many Phantoms to remember where they left off and continue processing only new leads or actions.
  • It is the best option for most users to avoid reprocessing the same data or creating duplicates.
  • Limitation: Some Phantoms have platform limitations and can't resume from where they stopped.
    For example, the Facebook Group Members Export must extract members in one full session and can't pick up where it left off. In these cases, we recommend relaunching the Phantom to try extracting additional results.

Other options:

• Create new files: Generates a separate file for each launch.
  • Important: Each new file is built from scratch, so the automation reprocesses the same input data every time it runs. This can look like the automation is "stuck" or "restarting from zero."
• Delete previous files: Removes all older files before saving new results.
  • Important: With this setting, the automation also starts over from the beginning of your input data on each run. Older results are permanently erased, and the same profiles or data may be processed repeatedly.

Persistent session

Keep your Phantom's browser data between launches instead of starting from a blank browser every time.

Every launch normally opens a brand-new browser with no history, no cookies and no cache, and everything it collected is discarded when the run ends. Persistent session saves that browser data and restores it at the start of your next launch, so your Phantom continues where the previous run left off.

This setting is off by default:

• Turn it on if your Phantom keeps getting logged out at the start of a run.
• Leave it off if your runs work fine today, or if you want every launch to start completely clean.

Where it works

The setting is available on every plan, and the Persistent session tab appears on every Phantom. It has no effect on Phantoms that never open a browser, such as the URL finders, or on Phantoms connected to several accounts at once, since each account needs its own separate browser. 

Not every Phantom supports it either: the tab appears on all of them, but turning it on only has an effect on the ones that support it. → See Which Phantoms Support Persistent Session
 

Set it up in a Phantom

1. Open the Advanced settings.
2. Select the Persistent session tab.
3. Turn on Reuse the browser session across launches.
4. Enter a Session key, then save.

Set it up when you connect a LinkedIn account

If you connect your LinkedIn account with an email and password, you can set it up right there. Keep in mind you will still need to enter the same session key in the Phantom's setup:

1. Enter your LinkedIn email and LinkedIn password.
2. Turn on Reuse this browser session in your Phantoms.
3. Keep or change the Session key, then select Connect. The key is built from the email address, so mike@email.com gives pv-mike.

Important: this key is not applied to your Phantoms automatically. To reuse the session you just saved, open the Phantom's Advanced settings → Persistent session and enter the same key there.

Choosing a session key

The session key is the name of the storage slot your browser data is kept in. The same key always means the same saved browser data.

• In a Phantom's settings the field starts empty, so choose a key and enter it yourself, for example "pv-my-linkedin-session". When you connect a LinkedIn account, a key is suggested and you can keep it.
• Give two Phantoms the same key and they share one browser session: sign in during one run, and the other run inherits it.
• Give them different keys and they stay completely separate.

Important: a session key can only be used by one run at a time. If two Phantoms share a key, schedule them so they never run together, otherwise the browser data they saved is lost. Keep this in mind when you duplicate a Phantom, as the copy keeps the session key of the original.

Frequently asked questions

What are advanced settings in PhantomBuster?

Advanced settings let you control how your Phantom or Workflow runs, including execution time limits, retry behavior, proxy configuration, webhook integrations, and how result files are stored.

Do I need to configure advanced settings?

No. Advanced settings are optional and most automations work fine with their defaults. Adjust them when you need more control over execution time, want alerts in Slack, or need a proxy for location-sensitive platforms.

What does the "Combine files" option do?

It adds new results to the same file after each launch, so your Phantom can pick up where it left off and avoid reprocessing the same data. This is the recommended default for most use cases.

When should I use a proxy?

Use a proxy when working with platforms that are sensitive to IP or location changes, like LinkedIn. It keeps your automation running from a consistent location each time.

Can I send my automation results to Slack or other tools automatically?

Yes. Use the Webhooks tab in Advanced settings to send results or status alerts to Slack, Zapier, Notion, or any tool that accepts a webhook URL.
 

What does "Reuse the browser session across launches" do?

It saves your Phantom's browser data (cookies, cache and local storage) when a run ends, and restores it at the start of the next launch. Without it, every launch starts in a brand-new, empty browser.

What is a session key?

It is the name of the slot where your browser data is stored. Phantoms sharing the same session key share the same saved browser session, and different keys keep them separate.

Is persistent session the same as my session cookie?

No. Your session cookie is what connects PhantomBuster to your LinkedIn, Instagram or other platform account, and it is required. Persistent session is optional and only controls whether the browser remembers anything between launches. Turning it on does not replace or refresh your session cookie. → See How to Fix "Expired" or "Invalid" Session Cookie Errors.

Why is the session key field empty?

In a Phantom's settings it starts empty on purpose, so you choose the key. Any name works, and the same key always points to the same saved browser data.

I saved my session when connecting my LinkedIn account, but my Phantom is not using it

The key you set at sign-in stays with the sign-in. It is not copied into your Phantoms. Open your Phantom's Advanced settings → Persistent session, turn the setting on, and enter the same key you used when connecting your account, then save. Your Phantom will use that saved browser from its next launch onwards.

I turned the setting on but nothing changed

First check that a Session key is entered and that your settings were saved. If they are and you still see no difference, your Phantom is most likely one that does not support persistent session yet. → See Which Phantoms Support Persistent Session

My Phantom keeps failing the same way since I turned on persistent session. Why?

The browser is saved exactly as the run left it. If a run ended logged out or on a verification screen, the next launch starts from that same point. Your Phantom normally signs in again by itself on the following run. If it keeps failing, change the session key to start from a clean browser.

What happens if I turn the setting off?

Your Phantom starts from a blank browser again. Your session key is also cleared, so you will need to enter one if you turn the setting back on later.

Should I turn persistent session on?

Only if you need it. It is off by default and most Phantoms work fine without it. It helps most when repeated sign-ins are what breaks your runs.