Some OTTO users notice that images appear to show contradictory alt text statuses — for example, an image flagged as Missing alt text while elsewhere in the interface it indicates that no new action is needed. This inconsistency can cause confusion and lead customers to manually trigger regeneration, consuming credits unnecessarily.
This article explains why this happens, what the current behaviour means, and the best steps to take while a permanent fix is being worked on.
You may see one or more of the following in your OTTO project's image alt text section:
An image is listed as needing alt text attention in the dashboard.
The same image appears to require no further action when you inspect it directly.
Attempting to re-apply a fix does not resolve the flagged status, yet credits are still consumed.
Some images receive alt text suggestions that do not seem appropriate for their type.
This behaviour is related to a known issue where OTTO's displayed status for an image can fall out of sync with its actual state. As a result, images may appear to need attention even when no change is required. This can lead to unnecessary credit consumption when customers attempt to force a resolution.
The issue has been identified and a fix is in progress. Once deployed, images will be correctly classified and the dashboard will accurately reflect their real status.
Until the fix is fully released, follow these steps to minimise unnecessary credit usage:
Do not mass-regenerate flagged images. If an image appears to already have a valid alt attribute when you inspect it, forcing regeneration will consume a credit without improving the result.
Review the actual alt text value first. Before taking any action on a flagged image, inspect the current alt text value shown in the interface. If a meaningful description is already present, no further action is needed.
Skip images that appear correctly described. Focus credit usage on images that are genuinely missing or have clearly inadequate alt text.
If you are experiencing this issue and are concerned about credits that may have been consumed due to the contradictory state, please reach out to our support team. Have the following ready to speed up the process:
Your OTTO project name
The specific images or pages affected
An approximate timestamp of when the issue was observed
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.