Thresholds and auto-resume
Two settings decide what a guard does: the pause thresholdPause thresholdThe stock level at or below which a guard pauses its ad targets, compared with the available stock at the guard's location. Read more → and auto-resumeAuto-resumeA guard setting that turns its ad targets back on once the available stock is above the pause threshold again; with it off, the targets stay paused until you resume them. Read more → . Both apply to the stock of the guard’s own location.
On this page
Section titled “On this page”- The pause threshold
- Auto-resume
- An example
- Choosing a threshold
- When a guard checks the stock
- Changing the settings
- See also
The pause threshold
Section titled “The pause threshold”Pause threshold: “Ads pause at or below this stock level.”
When Shopify reports a new stock level and the variant’s available stockAvailable stockThe quantity Shopify shows as available for a variant at one location, which is the number a guard compares with its pause threshold. Read more → at that location is at or below the threshold, Guardified pauses the guard’s targets. A threshold of 0 pauses when the variant sells out there; a threshold of 5 pauses when five or fewer are left.
Auto-resume
Section titled “Auto-resume”Auto-resume above threshold decides what happens when stock comes back.
- On (the default): once available stock is above the threshold again, Guardified turns the guard’s targets back on.
- Off: the targets stay paused until you resume them yourself with Manual Resume on the Guards page.
The same number works in both directions: there is no separate resume level. A guard with threshold 5 pauses at 5 and resumes at 6.
Resuming turns on every target of the guard. To keep a particular campaign or ad off, remove it from the guard’s targets.
An example
Section titled “An example”A guard with threshold 3 and auto-resume on:
| Available stock at the location | Guard state before | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 10 → 4 | Monitoring | Nothing: 4 is above 3 |
| 4 → 3 | Monitoring | The targets are paused |
| 3 → 1 | Paused | Nothing: the targets are paused already |
| 1 → 12 (restock) | Paused | The targets are turned back on |
With auto-resume off, the last row would leave the targets paused until you use Manual Resume.
Choosing a threshold
Section titled “Choosing a threshold”- 0: pause only when the variant is sold out at that location.
- A small buffer (for example 2–5): pause before the last units sell, so ads stop sending traffic to a product that is about to run out.
- Fast sellers: a higher threshold gives the pause time to take effect on the ad platforms before stock reaches zero.
When a guard checks the stock
Section titled “When a guard checks the stock”A guard acts when Shopify reports a change in the variant’s stock at its location. It does not look at the current stock when you create it or change its settings.
If the stock is already at or below the threshold when you set up the guard, select it on the Guards page and use Manual Pause. See Manage guards.
Changing the settings
Section titled “Changing the settings”Open a guard from the Guards page, click Edit, change the Pause threshold or Auto-resume above threshold, and click Save. The new values apply from the next stock change.
See also
Section titled “See also”- Create a guard: set the threshold for new guards.
- Manage guards: Manual Pause and Manual Resume.
- Guard states: what each state means.
- Why was my ad paused?: checking what happened.