Timeout Settings
Control how long to wait for partner bids before proceeding with the auction.
What is timeout?
Timeout is the maximum time (in milliseconds) to wait for demand partners to respond with bids.
Why timeout matters
Timeout is a direct trade-off: set it too short and you cut off slower bidders (lost revenue); set it too long and the auction holds up the page (worse experience). The right value is the shortest one that still lets most of your demand respond — which you find from your own timeout-rate data, not a fixed number.
Recommended timeouts
| Your demand mix | Suggested global timeout |
|---|---|
| Mostly fast partners | 800–1000ms |
| Mixed | 1000–1500ms |
| Mostly slow partners | 1500–2000ms |
Starting point: 1500ms for most setups.
These are starting points for your global Auction Timeout based on your overall demand mix — you set one global value (plus optional per-slot overrides), not a timeout per partner.
Where timeouts are configured
Global wrapper timeout
The auction-wide timeout is a wrapper config setting, not a demand-side one:
- Go to Wrapper → Configs
- Set the Auction Timeout (ms)
- Save, then ship a release from Wrapper → Releases
Per-slot timeouts
Ad slots can carry their own auction_timeout on the Auction tab (Inventory → Ad Slots →
There is no dedicated bidder-timeout field. Timeouts live in exactly two places — the global Auction Timeout (Wrapper → Configs) and the per-slot override (the slot's Auction tab). A specific bidder only carries a timeout-like value if its adapter happens to expose one as a bidder parameter in Demand → Prebid.
Setting timeouts
Wrapper-level
- Wrapper → Configs
- Adjust the Auction Timeout value
- Save → Wrapper → Releases → + Release
Using the AI Assistant
- "Set the wrapper Auction Timeout to 1200ms"
- "Raise the auction timeout on the article_header slot to 1800ms"
Monitoring timeout impact
Check timeout rates
Go to Dashboard → Monetization → Demand tab, which reports these per Demand Seat:
| Metric | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|
| Timeout Rate (%) | Under ~5% is fine; over ~15% is worth attention |
| P90 Response Time | Should sit comfortably below your Auction Timeout; near or over it means the bidder is losing bids it made |
| Response Rate (%) | Consistent, not dropping |
Per-bidder analysis
To find which bidders time out frequently, use the Demand tab of Dashboard → Monetization — Demand Trend by Seat and P90 Response Time by Demand Seat break the numbers out per bidder. Demand → Prebid is a card layout without sortable metric columns, so it's a navigation surface, not an analytics one.
Once you've identified a slow bidder, work it with the bidder-health runbook — and remember the timeout choice is global or per-slot, so a chronically slow bidder is a raise-the-timeout-or-drop-it decision.
Optimizing timeouts
Step 1: Measure current state
- What's your average partner response time?
- Which partners timeout frequently?
- What's your page load impact?
Step 2: Test adjustments
Use experiments to test timeout changes:
- Create experiment
- Control: Current timeout
- Variation: New timeout
- Measure: Revenue and page speed
Step 3: Apply winners
Deploy the timeout that best balances revenue and speed.
Choosing a value
Start around 1500ms and adjust from your data:
- Speed-critical or mobile-first sites can run tighter (≈1000ms), accepting that the slowest bidders occasionally miss the auction.
- High-CPM inventory where every bid matters can run looser (≈2000ms), trading a little page speed for fuller demand.
Remember there's no per-partner timeout: you set one global Auction Timeout (Wrapper → Configs) plus, where a placement needs it, a per-slot override. "Tighten the fast partners" really means lower the global value and let slow bidders fall away. Confirm any change against your timeout-rate and revenue data before keeping it.
Troubleshooting
High timeout rates
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Timeout too short | Increase timeout |
| Partner is slow | Consider disabling or longer timeout |
| Network issues | Check partner status |
Page speed degraded
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Timeout too long | Reduce timeout |
| Too many partners | Reduce partner count |
| Slow partners | Disable or optimize |
Revenue dropped after timeout change
If you lowered timeout and revenue dropped:
- You're missing valuable bids
- Raise the global Auction Timeout, or add a per-slot override on the placements that suffered
- A/B test to find the optimal value
Common questions
What happens to late bids?
Bids received after timeout are ignored for that auction. The partner can still compete in future auctions.
Can I set a different timeout per partner?
No. The Auction Timeout applies to the whole auction — set globally (Wrapper → Configs) and optionally overridden per slot. There's no per-partner timeout field. A slow-but-valuable bidder means either raising the timeout (which affects every bidder on that slot) or accepting that it occasionally misses the auction.
How do I know the optimal timeout?
Test with experiments:
- Try different values (1000, 1200, 1500, 1800ms)
- Measure revenue and page speed impact
- Choose the best balance for your site