> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/llms.txt).
# What Autopilot does for you
Autopilot works through your books in one pass: vendors, categories, bills and invoices, reminders, a second look, month-end and a monthly summary. It runs when you click Run now or while ZeraBooks is open.
## Open Autopilot
In the left navigation, click **Autopilot** (or press G then P).
The header shows how much of your bookkeeping is running on its own:
- **hands-off**: the share of bank transactions from the last 90 days that needed no one. A transaction counts as needing someone if you filed it yourself without the AI, it was marked ambiguous, or it has an open question.
- **things done in the last 30 days**: actions still in effect (not undone or changed since).
- **new transactions in the last 90 days**.
- **Last pass**: when Autopilot last ran.
The **Dashboards** page shows the same summary in a strip at the top. Click it to open Autopilot.
## When Autopilot runs
Autopilot runs in your browser session. There is no nightly or scheduled run, so nothing happens while ZeraBooks is closed.
A pass starts when:
1. You click **Run now**. The button reads **Doing the books…** until the pass finishes.
2. You open ZeraBooks. About 4 seconds after a page loads, a pass starts if this browser hasn't run one for the company in the last 20 minutes.
3. Something changes. About 8 seconds after you upload a statement or change a document or transaction, a pass starts.
When **Run now** finishes, a message tells you what happened, for example "Done: 12 things handled, 2 questions for you." or "Nothing new to do — the books are up to date."
{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip:** After uploading a batch of statements, open **Autopilot** and click **Run now** to see the results straight away.
{% endhint %}
## What one pass does
Each pass works through your books in this order. If one step fails, the others still run.
| Step | What Autopilot does |
| --- | --- |
| Vendors and customers | Links bank descriptions to saved vendors and customers, creates new ones for recurring names, and merges duplicates it is sure about |
| Bank transactions | Categorizes what the statement import couldn't place, moves personal purchases to Owner's Draws, and records equipment as an asset |
| Bills and invoices | Approves documents that pass every check and matches them to their bank payments |
| Receivables | Sends or proposes payment reminders for overdue invoices |
| Second look | Rechecks recent categories, makes one merchant's categories consistent, and flags possible duplicate charges |
| Month-end | Proposes depreciation, loan interest and prepaid spreads, asks about missing recurring bills, signs off tied months and closes the books |
| Digest | Writes a summary of the latest complete month |
Everything it does lands in **Done by AI**. Everything it can't decide lands in **Needs you**. See [Answer Autopilot's questions](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/autopilot/answer-autopilot-questions) and [Review and undo AI actions](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/autopilot/review-and-undo-ai-actions).
## Frequently Asked Questions
Does Autopilot run overnight?
No. There is no nightly or scheduled run. Autopilot runs when you click **Run now**, when you open ZeraBooks (at most every 20 minutes per company in the same browser), and a few seconds after you upload or change something.
What does the hands-off percentage mean?
It's the share of bank transactions from the last 90 days that needed no one: not filed by hand without the AI, not ambiguous and with no open question. It shows "—" when there's nothing to measure yet.
What happens if I click Run now twice?
Nothing extra. Only one pass runs per company at a time. A second request waits for the running pass and gets its result.
Does Autopilot work on months I've closed?
No. Anything dated in a closed period is skipped. To change those months, reopen the books first. See [Close and reopen the books](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reconciliations/close-and-reopen-the-books).
Why does Autopilot show "Could not load the autopilot."?
The page couldn't load. Check your connection and click **Retry**. If it says "Your session ended. Sign in again.", sign in again and reopen **Autopilot**.
What does "The autopilot could not run." mean?
The pass couldn't be completed, for example because the connection dropped. Anything it did before stopping is in **Done by AI**. Click **Run now** again.
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