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

# What to watch for

> Read this before running a bulk update from Claude — what it costs, how it differs from the console, and the guards that stop it going wrong.

Running a bulk update from a conversation is convenient, which is exactly why it
is worth knowing what the guards are.

## It spends real credits

<Warning>
  One credit per page, the same as the console. A run over 400 pages costs 400.
</Warning>

You are always shown the count and the cost before agreeing. If the numbers look
wrong, the condition is wrong — ask for a different one rather than approving it.

## It adds to pages — it does not replace them by default

This is the one real difference from the console, and it is worth knowing before
your first run.

|             | What happens to existing page content    |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Console** | Cleared, then the template is applied    |
| **Claude**  | **Kept.** The template is added below it |

<Warning>
  Ask Claude to apply a template and each page ends up with **its old content plus
  the template**. If you expected a clean replacement, you will find duplicates.
</Warning>

Say so explicitly if you want the old content gone:

> Apply the template and clear the existing content first.

<Warning>
  Clearing is irreversible. Your database rows and properties survive it, but the
  content inside those pages does not come back from BulkNotion. Try it on two or
  three pages and look at the result in Notion before doing it at scale.
</Warning>

Either way, running twice adds the template twice. Check History before repeating
a run you are unsure about.

## Guards that are always on

**Nothing runs without a preview.** A run has to be based on a selection that was
previewed and shown to you. Claude cannot go straight from "update my database" to
running something.

**The count has to still match.** If pages are added or removed between the
preview and the run, it refuses rather than running over a set you never saw. You
will be shown the new number and asked again.

**One run at a time.** A second run asked for from Claude while one is in flight
is refused. Nothing is charged for the refusal. (The console does not hold you
back this way, so avoid starting a console run over the same pages mid-flight.)

**Not enough credits means it does not start.** It is refused up front rather than
running partway and stopping. Nothing is charged and no page is touched.

## Good habits

<Steps>
  <Step title="Ask for the count before agreeing">
    "How many pages does that match?" — if the answer surprises you, the
    condition is not what you meant.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Look at the example titles">
    A preview comes with a few page titles. They are the quickest way to tell
    whether the right pages were caught.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Try a narrow run first">
    Apply to three pages, look at them in Notion, then widen. Cheap insurance on
    a template you have not used at scale.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Say no when it looks off">
    Nothing runs until you agree. A wrong condition costs nothing if you do not
    approve it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## When it refuses

Refusals are not failures to retry around:

| Refusal                     | What to do                                                |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Another job running         | Wait for it. Ask Claude to check the current job          |
| Not enough credits          | Narrow the run, add a booster, or wait for the refill     |
| Count changed since preview | Preview again and check the new number                    |
| Too many pages for one run  | Narrow the condition — it will not silently do part of it |

<Note>
  None of these charge you, and none of them touch a page.
</Note>

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Credits and plans" icon="coins" href="/credits">
    Allowances, refills, boosters.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/troubleshooting">
    When something has already gone sideways.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>