What a topic is
A search is your saved conversation definition. Basic uses the literal expression you enter. AI Discovery uses a broader business, audience, and relevance definition. Pausing either mode keeps its definition but stops new collection.
What collecting means
Collecting means the search is enabled, has valid source coverage, and has remaining capacity. A collected post is a candidate until its mode-specific evidence is verified. A Basic post reaches the Inbox only after the stored literal expression is proven against its public post body. AI Discovery also requires qualification, safety checks, and reply guidance before complete delivery. Either mode uses one credit when a new result enters the Inbox.
Collected posts and surfaced conversations are different
Reply.Quest can collect up to a coverage limit and still surface fewer Inbox conversations. Posts can be duplicates, unavailable, restricted, outside the requested time bound, or fail the saved literal or Discovery criteria. A zero credit balance stops new Inbox results in both modes.
Example: a 50-post capacity is a collection limit, not a guarantee of 50 Inbox conversations. Recommended is the view of the strongest qualified AI Discovery results. Basic matches remain available in the other applicable Inbox views.
Why arrival time varies
Topic activity, remaining capacity, provider availability, retries, and evaluation time all affect arrival. Reply.Quest therefore does not promise an exact collection cadence. Open the topic for its current state and recovery action.