Which action is blocked when a plan limit fills up, which counters are there only to watch, what happens to your existing data and how to free up room.
You were about to connect another account, add someone to the team or publish an automation, and the panel refused. When a quota fills up nothing is deleted and no service is cut off: only that new addition is refused. This guide covers the rule, which actions are blocked and how to free up room.
The basic rule: what exists stays, nothing new is added
Quota gates in {{brand.name}} only work forwards. Even when a limit drops, usage above that limit is not deleted, shut down or frozen.
That rule helps you in two places:
When you downgrade. If the new plan allows three accounts and you have four, all four stay connected and keep receiving messages. Only connecting a fifth is refused.
When your subscription ends. Even dropping to the free plan, all your contacts, automations and conversations stay where they are.
The gate fires at the moment you try to add something. So it is more accurate to read a quota as a growth gate than as a data-loss risk.
Which actions are blocked
The quota gate fires on these actions, and the panel tells you the number too:
Action
The message you get
Creating a new portfolio
"You have reached your plan's portfolio limit ({number}). Upgrade your plan for more portfolios."
Connecting an account, or moving an account to another portfolio
"This portfolio has reached the plan's account limit ({number}). The portfolio owner can upgrade the plan."
Adding a team member or sending an invitation
"This portfolio's team limit is full ({number} people). The portfolio owner can upgrade the plan."
Publishing an automation
"Plan limit reached ({number}). The portfolio owner can upgrade the plan."
Uploading a file to the media library
"Storage is full ({number} MB). You can delete files; the portfolio owner can also upgrade the plan."
AI credits behave differently: when credits run out no action is refused, only the AI step cannot produce a result, and the rest of the flow carries on.
The contact counter is a watch counter. When your contact allowance fills up, incoming messages are not cut off; the counter sits on the Plan tab and in the Plan usage box on the panel's home screen so you can see where you stand.
The upgrade window the panel opens
When you hit a quota gate the panel opens its own window; no browser alert is used. The window is titled Your plan does not cover this and holds two lines: the reason and what you can do.
If you are the plan owner, the second line reads "Upgrade your plan to continue." and the button reads Choose a plan; tapping it takes you to the plan page.
If you are not the plan owner, the second line reads "Only the portfolio owner can upgrade the plan." and only a Close button appears. The fix is not yours to make; you need to reach the portfolio's owner.
The same window opens when you touch a feature your plan does not cover; the reason then reads "Your plan does not cover {feature}."
When a bulk action partly succeeds — for example publishing ten automations and hitting the limit part-way — the message arrives in a success tone but still carries the upgrade link; the message tells you how many went live.
Ways to free up room
Each counter has its own fix, and there is usually a cheaper route than upgrading:
Portfolios — delete a portfolio you do not use. Portfolios scheduled for deletion still count; a locked portfolio keeps using your allowance.
Accounts — disconnect an account in the portfolio, or move it to another portfolio. A move uses the target portfolio's account allowance, so if that limit is full the move is refused too.
Team members — remove a member or cancel a pending invitation. Invitations that were sent but never accepted fill the counter too; this is the most commonly missed one.
Active automations — unpublish an automation you do not use. Only published ones count; drafts and items in the bin do not. Republishing an automation that is already live does not ask for a new allowance.
Media storage — delete files from the media library.
AI credits — buy an extra credit pack, wait for the monthly renewal, or upgrade.
⚠️ Note: The contact, active automation and media storage counters are the total across every portfolio you own. Freeing room in one portfolio frees it in the other. The account and team counters, on the other hand, are per portfolio; freeing room in one does not affect the other.
Where to see the counters
Three places let you spot a counter that is nearly full:
Plan and invoices › Plan › Limits — every user-level counter in one grid.
My portfolios — account and team usage for each portfolio separately; this is where you track the per-portfolio counters.
Portfolio settings › Usage — that portfolio's plan limits and AI usage.
The Plan usage box on the panel's home screen also summarises the most critical counters for that portfolio.