Most runs finish in minutes, but some legitimately take much longer. This article explains what affects processing time, what you can check while waiting, and when something has actually gone wrong.
What's normal
Processing time grows with the size of the job:
Number of assets - assets are processed in parallel, but a run of thousands naturally takes longer than a run of dozens.
Number of rules - every rule checks every asset, so five rules means five times the checks.
Rule complexity - some checks are quick, while checks that rely on deeper analysis (for example, reverse web lookups) take longer per asset.
Video content - videos are analyzed frame by frame, so a single long video can take several minutes on its own. Video runs are the most common reason for long processing times.
Automations are always "Running" - Ongoing moderation never finishes by design - the Running status means the automation is active and watching for new content, not that it's stuck. Only one-time runs move to Processed.
As a rough guide: a hundred images with a few rules typically completes within minutes; large batches or video-heavy runs can take an hour or more.
What you can check
Open the run from Moderation Runs. While it's Running you'll see live progress - for example, "Moderating 45 of 100 (45%)." If the number keeps climbing, everything is working.
Review finished assets meanwhile. Results appear as they're ready; you don't need to wait for the whole run to start reviewing.
Check the run's contents. Many assets, many rules, or videos? Longer processing is expected.
When it's not just slow
The run shows Failed - the run couldn't complete. This is rare and usually related to running out of Moderation Actions. Check Settings > Quota Usage, then try again with fewer assets or rules if needed.
Individual assets failed - a run can finish as Processed while a few assets show errors (for example, an asset that was deleted mid-run or an unsupported file). The rest of the run's results are unaffected.
Progress hasn't moved for a very long time - if a run seems genuinely stuck for hours with no progress, contact support with the run's link (row menu > Copy URL).
When to contact support
Reach out to Cloudinary support if a run stays in Pending unusually long, progress is frozen for hours, or runs repeatedly fail without a quota explanation. Sharing the run URL speeds things up.