Originally published at aideazz.xyz — cross-posted here with canonical link.
My atlas-lead-machine process is online, yet it consistently stages zero leads. The logs show a clear pattern: [BD-SERP] fetch error for "medical tourism clinic Cancun Mexico": The operation was aborted due to timeout. This isn't a process crash; pm2 jlist confirms atlas-lead-machine is not listed, but n8n is online, up 32d, and atlas-lead-machine logs are being written, indicating the job runs. The problem is a silent failure to produce.
Diagnosing the Timeout
The atlas-lead-machine.log shows the core issue: a timeout during a fetch operation. Specifically, The operation was aborted due to timeout for a query like "medical tourism clinic Cancun Mexico". This suggests an external dependency is failing to respond within the expected timeframe. The process then reports done · staged 0 · looked at 0 · no-email 9 · already-in-CRM 0 · outside-band 0 · audit-failed 0 · crawler-blocked rescued 0. The "staged 0" is the critical outcome.
This isn't a memory issue; n8n is using 500 MB of memory, which is within its operational range. Other processes like cto-aipa are at 217 MB and dragontrade-main at 150 MB. The system isn't starved for resources. The problem is specific to the external call made by the lead machine.
Impact on Downstream Systems
The immediate consequence of zero staged leads is a lack of new entries in my CRM. atlas-outcomes.log confirms this: "staged": 0, "sent": 0. This means no new leads are being pushed to Atlas, despite pushed to Atlas: {"ok":true,"lanes":7} indicating the push mechanism itself is functional.
My HubSpot deals show 116 deals at "They replied" stage, but 0 deals closed won. While not directly caused by the current lead machine issue, a consistent lack of new leads will eventually starve the top of the funnel, impacting future closed-won numbers. The atlas-ga4-sync.log also shows GA4 sync: 0 atlas_ rows for 2026-09-11, 0 atlas_ rows for 2026-09-12, 0 atlas_ rows for 2026-09-13. This indicates a broader issue with data flowing into Atlas, potentially related to the same upstream data source or a separate sync problem.
Investigating the External Dependency
The [BD-SERP] prefix in the log entry [BD-SERP] fetch error points to a specific component responsible for fetching data, likely from a search engine results page (SERP) API. The timeout suggests either the API itself is slow, or my network connection to it is unstable, or the timeout setting in my atlas-lead-machine configuration is too aggressive.
Next Steps for Resolution
- Isolate the
BD-SERPcall: I need to replicate thefetch erroroutside theatlas-lead-machineprocess. A simplenode-fetchscript orcurlcommand with the exact query "medical tourism clinic Cancun Mexico" would confirm if the external SERP API is indeed timing out. - Adjust Timeout Configuration: If the external API is consistently slow but eventually returns data, increasing the timeout in
atlas-lead-machinemight be a temporary fix. I do not have that measured, but I would start by doubling the current timeout value, if available, or setting it to30seconds if it's currently15. - Monitor
BD-SERPAPI Status: Check the status page or documentation for theBD-SERPprovider for any reported outages or performance degradation. - Review Query Complexity: The specific query "medical tourism clinic Cancun Mexico" might be particularly complex or resource-intensive for the
BD-SERPAPI, leading to longer response times. Testing with simpler queries could help identify if the problem is query-specific.
The wiki-ship.log shows error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/ElenaRevicheva/aideazz.git' repeatedly, with the last modification 22.0h ago. This indicates issues with my internal documentation or code deployment, which could indirectly affect the lead machine if critical updates or configuration changes are not being pushed. However, git log shows 2 commits in aideazz within the last 48h, dated 2026-09-13 and 2026-09-12, so some updates are getting through. The github-token-watch.log shows 295 days left on the token, so it's not a credential expiry issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the atlas-lead-machine process actually running, given it's not in pm2 jlist?
A: Yes, the process is running. It's likely managed by n8n, which is online and up 32d. The atlas-lead-machine.log is actively being written to, with the last modification 2.9h ago, confirming the job execution.
Q: What is the immediate impact of "staged 0" on my business?
A: "Staged 0" means no new leads are being added to the sales pipeline. This will eventually starve the top of the funnel, preventing new deals from progressing through stages like "They replied" (currently 116 deals) and ultimately impacting "closed won" deals (currently 0).
Q: Could other processes be causing this timeout?
A: Unlikely. While algom-stream has 55193 restarts and cto-aipa has 151 restarts, these are separate processes. The atlas-lead-machine.log explicitly states [BD-SERP] fetch error and timeout, pointing to an external dependency or its integration, not internal resource contention.
Q: How can I confirm the BD-SERP API is the problem?
A: The most direct way is to make the exact same API call (with the query "medical tourism clinic Cancun Mexico") from a separate script or curl command, outside the atlas-lead-machine environment. This will isolate whether the timeout originates from the external service or the integration logic.
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