What Is This Issue?

Some users find that their OTTO slots show as fully used even though no active projects are visible. Deleted or deep-frozen sites may reappear in the OTTO section, and any attempt to create a new project or unfreeze an existing one results in a quota error. This is a known bug currently being resolved by the engineering team.

Why This Happens

When a site enters a deep freeze state, it continues to hold an OTTO slot for a set period — typically 14 days from the freeze date — before that slot is automatically released. If a site appears deleted but is still in a deep freeze cycle, it can silently occupy your quota, making it impossible to use your slots normally. A fix to allow deleting deep-frozen projects to immediately free a slot has already been completed by engineering, and additional improvements to show a clear countdown for when frozen slots will be released are currently in development.

What You Should Do First

1. Open OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) in your account and review all projects listed, including any that appear frozen or inactive.
2. Check whether any frozen sites are still occupying your slots. Even if you previously deleted a site, it may still be holding a slot during the deep freeze period.
3. If you can unfreeze a project, do so and then delete it to free that slot manually.
4. If the unfreeze or delete actions are blocked by a quota error, proceed to the steps below — our support team can add a temporary slot so you can complete the action yourself.

The Workaround (Applied by Support)

In confirmed cases of this bug, the support team applies a temporary workaround: one extra OTTO site slot is added to your account. This gives you the headroom needed to either unfreeze and delete a stuck project, or create a new OTTO project right away. The temporary slot is removed, and your original quota is restored, once the deep freeze period ends and the frozen slots are automatically released — typically 14 days after the last deep freeze event.

Because this workaround requires a manual adjustment to your account, it cannot be completed as a self-serve step. To get unblocked as quickly as possible, contact our support team using the chat option inside Search Atlas — an agent can apply the slot addition in the same session.

How to Request the Fix

1. Before reaching out, note the following so the agent can act quickly: the number of slots shown as used, the names or URLs of any frozen or reappearing sites, and the approximate date those sites were frozen or deleted.
2. Open the in-platform chat inside Search Atlas by clicking the chat widget in the bottom-right corner and typing human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.
3. Share the details above and request a temporary slot addition to unblock your OTTO quota. Agents can apply this adjustment in the same session, so have your site details ready to speed up the process.
4. Once the slot is added, return to your OTTO projects, unfreeze and delete the stuck site, or create your new project. Your quota will return to normal automatically after the deep freeze period ends — no further action is needed on your end.

What Happens Next

After the support agent adds the temporary slot, you will have immediate access to complete the action that was previously blocked. The frozen site will continue its deep freeze cycle and the slot it holds will be released automatically at the end of that period. You do not need to follow up with support once you have completed your unfreeze or project creation — the quota correction happens automatically.

If you are still seeing quota errors after the temporary slot has been added, reply in the same chat thread and the agent will investigate further.