When your data pipelines freeze in line
You watch your Clay dashboard and see actions piling up in a column marked “Queued”—but nothing ever processes. No errors, just hours of waiting as your automations sit idle. If you’ve felt stuck in a never-ending queue, this article is your fast pass to freedom.
What’s really happening?
Clay’s columns go into Queued status when a dependent extraction job or automation step isn’t running. Common causes include:
Underlying actor failure: the Apify actor or scrape job powering the column hasn’t launched or crashed.
Corrupted column state: multiple edits or interruptions leave the column’s metadata in an invalid state.
Browser cache issues: outdated scripts prevent Clay’s front-end from polling the column correctly.
Rather than a core bug, these scenarios often reflect a slipped actor or stale UI state—column actions simply never kick off.
1) Quick-fix: unqueue your columns in 3 steps
Hard refresh your browser
Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) to clear cache and reload Clay’s automation scripts.
Duplicate the stuck column
Right-click the header and select Duplicate Column. The new copy resets internal status and usually processes all queued items.
Run remaining items manually
In the new column, select all rows and click Execute Actions to flush the queue immediately.
Within seconds, your automation should spring back to life and process all pending rows.
2) Prevent future queue blocks
Monitor actor status: add a check step to alert you if an Apify job fails or never starts.
Avoid mid-workflow edits: minimize structure changes to running workflows to keep column state stable.
Regular UI refreshes: schedule a quick browser refresh when you start your day to ensure Clay’s front-end is current.
These habits keep your columns from getting stuck.
3) Why ReactIn never queues forever
Frustrated with manual unblocking? ReactIn’s SmartLists and server-driven processing deliver continuous flows:
Robust background engine – actions run on managed servers with health checks, so stalled jobs auto-recover.
Atomic triggers – new leads feed into campaigns individually, eliminating bulk queues that can freeze.
Switch to ReactIn and enjoy uninterrupted pipelines—no more infinite queues.
Ready to break free from queued columns?
Try ReactIn free for 7 days and power your workflows without a second wasted in line.
