> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.surfais.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manual scans & allowances

> Run a scan on demand from your dashboard, and how your monthly allowance works.

Alongside your automatic schedule, you can trigger a scan yourself at any time from the **Run Visibility Scan** button on your dashboard. This is useful right after you've changed something — added a competitor, edited a prompt, fixed something on your site — and you don't want to wait for the next scheduled cadence day to see the effect.

## Running a manual scan

Click **Run Visibility Scan** on your dashboard. This runs the same full pipeline as an automatic scan — every active prompt, across the platforms and countries each prompt is set to run in (all five platforms by default) — described in [What happens in a scan](/scans/how-scans-work). It typically finishes in **5–10 minutes**; you can leave the page and it keeps running in the background, with a banner letting you know it's still in flight.

The button is disabled while a scan is already running for the active brand, and if the brand has zero active prompts (there's nothing to scan yet — add some in [Setting up prompts](/setup/prompts) first).

<Note>
  Your brand's very first scan is different — see [your free baseline scan](/scans/scan-schedule#your-free-baseline-scan). It doesn't use your manual allowance at all, regardless of plan.
</Note>

## Monthly allowances per plan

Every paid plan includes a monthly allowance of manual scans, separate from your automatic cadence:

| Plan       | Manual scans per month |
| ---------- | ---------------------- |
| Trial      | 2                      |
| Starter    | 2                      |
| Growth     | 2                      |
| Scale      | 2                      |
| Enterprise | Unlimited              |

The **Run Visibility Scan** button shows how many you have left (for example, "Run Visibility Scan · 1 left"), and a tooltip confirms the cost before you click. Your allowance **resets on the 1st of each month**. When you're out, the button locks and tells you when it refills — or you can upgrade your plan for a larger allowance. Current plan details live on [Plans & limits](/billing/plans-limits) and [surfais.com/pricing](https://surfais.com/pricing).

## When a manual scan is worth it

Automatic scans on your plan's cadence (see [Scan schedule & cadence](/scans/scan-schedule)) keep your dashboard current without any action from you — for most day-to-day tracking, that's all you need. Reach for a manual scan when you want a fresh read sooner than the next scheduled day, typically after:

* Adding or removing a competitor
* Editing your prompt library
* Fixing something on your site you expect to change how AI platforms describe you
* Wanting a current number ahead of a meeting or report

<Tip>
  If you're not in a hurry, it's usually worth letting the next automatic scan handle it — that preserves your manual allowance for the moments you actually need an answer sooner.
</Tip>

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What happens in a scan" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/scans/how-scans-work">
    The pipeline every scan runs, automatic or manual.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scan schedule & cadence" icon="calendar" href="/scans/scan-schedule">
    When automatic scans run on your plan, and the free baseline scan.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Usage" icon="gauge" href="/billing/usage">
    Track your allowance usage across scans, audits, and add-ons.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>