MDView as Markdown

Watcher Capacity

Script Watch, Data Watch, Frame Watch, and Policy Watch all store their observations as a list of unique entries. This list has a finite capacity, and when a watcher grows very large it can reach a point where new observations can no longer be safely recorded.

At Capacity

A watcher is considered at capacity when its list of unique entries has grown large enough that writing new data risks corrupting the existing data. When this happens, the watcher is frozen — no new observations are added, but all previously recorded observations remain intact and can still be viewed.

You will receive an email notification when a watcher reaches capacity.

Broken

In some cases a watcher may already be large when the capacity limit is enforced, and a write may have partially succeeded before the problem was detected. This leaves the watcher in a broken state where the data cannot be read at all.

A broken watcher will show an error on the Inspect page and cannot display any observations until it has been reset.

You will receive an email notification when a watcher becomes broken.

Reducing the Number of Entries

Watchers accumulate entries over time as new unique observations arrive. To reduce the number of unique entries and prevent a watcher from reaching capacity again after a reset, consider the following:

Review your CSP configuration

Each unique blocked resource or script hash generates a separate entry. Tightening your policy to reduce the number of blocked resources will reduce how quickly the watcher grows. If your policy is blocking many resources that should be allowed, updating it to permit them will stop new entries being generated for those resources.

Enable query string removal

If the resources being reported include URLs with unique or rotating query strings (tracking parameters, cache-busting tokens, etc.), each variation is recorded as a separate entry. Enabling query string removal in your Filters will consolidate these into a single entry per path, significantly reducing growth.

Update your site to generate fewer reports

For Script Watch and Policy Watch, consider reviewing which scripts or policies are generating the most reports and whether changes to your site can reduce the volume. Fewer unique reports means fewer watcher entries.

Resetting a Watcher

Resetting a watcher permanently deletes all recorded observations and starts fresh. This is the only way to unfreeze an at-capacity watcher or recover a broken one.

The Reset button is available on the watcher overview page next to each site. After resetting, the watcher will begin recording new observations immediately.

WARNING: Resetting a watcher is permanent. All previously recorded observations will be lost and cannot be recovered.