How to Troubleshoot BotRefund Activation Issues

If BotRefund activation does not work, the most common causes are simple setup issues that you can check in a few minutes. Start by confirming your API credentials are entered correctly, that your ad account has the right permissions, and that the BotRefund script is installed on every page where you want traffic audited. If those basics look right and activation still fails, the BotRefund help center and support team can dig into account-specific problems.

Activation is the step where BotRefund connects to your ad accounts and starts watching live traffic for non-human clicks. When it stalls, you lose time, and any bot clicks that happen in the meantime still cost you money. A short diagnostic order usually clears the problem fast.

Start with the most common activation blockers

Most activation failures come from one of three things: a credential mismatch, a permission gap, or a script that did not load. Check these in order before going deeper.

• API credentials. Re-enter the API key or token from your ad platform and confirm there are no extra spaces or missing characters.
• Ad account permissions. Make sure the account you linked has admin or standard access on the ad platform, not analyst-only or read-only.
• Script installation. Confirm the BotRefund script tag is present on every page you want monitored, and that it loads without a 404 or a content blocker.

Run through this diagnostic sequence

Work the steps in order. Each one rules out a layer of the stack, so you do not waste time on a deep fix when the real problem is a typo.

1. Confirm the script is live. Open your site, view the page source, and search for the BotRefund script. If it is missing, paste it back in and reload.
2. Check the network tab. Open browser developer tools, go to the Network tab, and reload. Look for the BotRefund request. A red status or a blocked request means a browser extension, ad blocker, or firewall is stopping it.
3. Re-verify credentials. In your BotRefund dashboard, remove and re-add the API key for the affected ad account. A revoked or rotated key is a common silent failure.
4. Confirm ad account access. Log in to the ad platform directly and confirm you can still see the account. If your access was downgraded, BotRefund cannot pull the data it needs.
5. Look for platform-side outages. Ad platforms have their own status pages. If Google Ads or Meta Ads is having an API outage, activation will fail until it clears.
6. Test with a fresh browser session. Cached sessions can hide script errors. Open a private window and try activation again.

Likely causes and how to fix each one

Different causes need different fixes. Use this table to match what you see with the right next step.

What BotRefund activation actually does

Activation is the handshake between your site, your ad accounts, and BotRefund's detection layer. Once it is live, BotRefund watches for behavioral signals that point to non-human traffic: ghost clicks, honeypot trap interactions, robotic mouse paths, superhuman input speeds, and grid-aligned movement. It also checks for the absence of normal human behavior, like scrolling, varied session length, and natural pointer jitter.

When the script is installed and the ad account is linked, BotRefund starts logging click IDs and building the evidence package you can send to your Google or Meta rep when you file a refund claim. If any part of that chain is broken, activation will not complete.

When the basics do not solve it

If you have checked credentials, permissions, and the script, and activation still fails, the problem is usually one of these:

• Ad platform policy change. Google or Meta sometimes updates API scopes. A re-consent in the ad platform often clears it.
• Multi-account or MCC conflict. If you manage many accounts through a manager account, the wrong sub-account may be linked. Pick the specific account you want audited.
• Corporate firewall or VPN. Some networks block the domains BotRefund needs to reach. Test from a different network to rule this out.
• Custom CMS or tag manager rules. Aggressive consent banners or tag manager filters can strip the script before it loads. Check your tag manager triggers and consent settings.

How to get help from BotRefund support

When self-troubleshooting does not resolve the issue, the support team can look at logs you cannot see. To speed things up, have the following ready before you contact them:

• The email address tied to your BotRefund account
• The ad account ID you are trying to connect
• The exact error message or screenshot of where activation stalls
• The timestamp of your last attempt
• A note on what you have already tried

The BotRefund help center also covers common setup questions and walks through the activation flow step by step. For larger accounts, enterprise sales can arrange a live audit call where the team runs the activation with you in real time.

Preventing activation problems next time

A few habits keep activation smooth when you add new ad accounts or rotate team members:

• Store API keys in a shared password manager so rotations do not break linked tools silently.
• Document which team members have admin access on each ad account.
• Audit your tag manager and consent banner rules whenever you change your CMS.
• Re-test activation after any major ad platform update, since scopes and permissions can shift.

Key facts about BotRefund activation

Limitations of self-troubleshooting

Self-troubleshooting covers the common cases, but some activation issues need account-level access that only BotRefund support has. If your ad platform has changed its API scopes, if your account is part of a managed portfolio with custom permissions, or if a corporate security policy is blocking the script, the support team is the fastest path forward. The diagnostic steps above will still save time by ruling out the easy fixes first.

Frequently asked questions

Why does BotRefund activation fail even after I enter the right API key?

The API key may be valid but tied to an account without the right permission level. Confirm the linked account has admin or standard access on the ad platform, not read-only or analyst access.

How long should activation take?

Adding the script to your site takes about one minute. Linking an ad account is usually instant, though the first data may take a short time to appear as BotRefund starts watching traffic.

Do I need to give BotRefund access to my ad account?

No ad-account access is required for the free audit. For ongoing refund claims, you work with your own Google or Meta rep using the evidence BotRefund generates.

What if my script is installed but no data shows up?

Check that the script is on every page that receives ad traffic, not just the homepage. Also confirm that your consent banner or tag manager is not blocking it from firing.

Can a VPN or corporate firewall block activation?

Yes. Some networks block the domains BotRefund needs. Test from a different network or disable the VPN briefly to confirm.

What does it cost to troubleshoot activation?

Troubleshooting is free. The free audit does not require a credit card, and support is included.

When should I contact support instead of troubleshooting myself?

Contact support if credentials, permissions, and the script all check out, or if you see an error message you cannot match to the common causes above.