The "Process terminated with SIGKILL" error means your Phantom ran out of memory and was force-stopped by the system before it could finish. The fix is to clean up your input file so it only contains rows that still need processing, then save the results to a fresh file so the Phantom doesn't try to append to an overloaded one.
This error is different from the "Maximum run time has been reached" error (triggered after 5 hours) and the "Waiting time for new logs reached" error (triggered when the platform stalls). See How to Fix the "Maximum Run Time Has Been Reached" Error or How to Fix the "Waiting Time for New Logs Reached" Error if your run didn't stop because of memory.
Why you’re seeing this
Your Phantom ran out of memory and was force-stopped before it could finish. This usually happens when:
- Your input file has too many rows to process in a single run.
- The input includes already-processed rows, forcing the Phantom to redo unnecessary work.
- The results file grew too large to save in CSV format.
How to fix it
Clean up your input file
Remove rows that have already been processed so the Phantom only works through fresh inputs. This reduces memory usage and prevents the Phantom from redoing work it's already completed.
Save results to a new file
Creating a new results file tells the Phantom to save fresh data into a clean file instead of trying to append it to an overloaded one:
- Go to the Behavior step in your Phantom's setup
- Under Results file settings, edit the Name your results file field to create a new file
If this option isn't available for your Phantom, duplicate the Phantom or create a new one with the cleaned input.
This ensures the Phantom only processes fresh inputs and saves them into a new file, instead of trying to add them to an overloaded one.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Process terminated with SIGKILL" mean?
SIGKILL is a system-level signal that force-stops a running process. In PhantomBuster, it means your Phantom used too much memory and had to be killed before it could finish.
Why did my Phantom run out of memory?
The most common cause is an input file that's too large or contains many already-processed rows, which forces the Phantom to reload and reprocess more data than needed. A results file that has grown too large to save in CSV format can also trigger it.
Why does renaming the results file help fix this error?
Creating a new results file prevents the Phantom from loading and appending to a file that's already too large to handle in memory. The fresh file starts empty, so saving new results stays within memory limits.
If the error keeps showing up
If you've cleaned up your input and created a new results file but the error persists, get in touch with our Customer Care Team. Please include:
- The Phantom name and a link to the run
- The exact error message from the console
- The size of your input file (number of rows) and results file
- A screenshot of your Behavior step and Results file settings