Proactive Cloudways Copilot Suggestions help you identify potential server and application risks before they become critical incidents.
Instead of waiting for downtime or a server outage, Cloudways Copilot continuously monitors health signals and displays a suggestion card in your Cloudways dashboard when it detects a genuine risk, such as sustained high CPU utilization.
You can review the issue, check the relevant usage graph, generate an AI-powered insight, and apply a SmartFix if one is available.
What are Proactive Suggestions in Cloudways Copilot?
Cloudways Copilot already generates AI-powered insights and SmartFixes when a critical incident occurs such as an app crash or server outage. Proactive Copilot Suggestions takes this a step further by detecting emerging risks before they escalate into downtime.
Instead of waiting for an outage to trigger an alert, Cloudways Copilot continuously monitors your server and application health signals and surfaces a suggestion card directly in your Cloudways dashboard when a risk threshold is breached.
You can then investigate on your own terms, reviewing diagnostic data, generating an AI-powered insight, and applying a SmartFix if one is available.
The first use case is High CPU Utilization, one of the most common precursors to server and application outages. Additional use cases covering memory, disk, bandwidth, and slow queries are planned for follow-on releases.
Why does it matter?
Every minute of downtime costs customers revenue, trust, and SEO ranking. Proactive Copilot Suggestions gives customers the intelligence to act before the alarm goes off, not after.
What's Included
Proactive Cloudways Copilot Suggestions includes the following capabilities at launch:
Feature | Description |
24/7 Proactive Monitoring | Cloudways Copilot continuously samples server metrics and evaluates risk around the clock, no setup or schedules required. |
In-Platform Suggestion Cards | When a risk is detected, a suggestion card appears in your Cloudways dashboard. No email notifications are sent for suggestions, keeping your inbox free of alert noise. |
On-Demand AI Insight Generation | You choose when to investigate. Clicking 'Generate Insight' triggers a deep AI-powered troubleshoot, returning a structured root cause analysis and actionable resolution steps. |
SmartFix Integration | Where applicable, a SmartFix option is presented alongside the insight, enabling one-click automated remediation, the same capability used for critical server incident resolution. |
Credit-Based Consumption | Suggestion cards are surfaced for free. Credits are only consumed when you actively choose to generate an AI insight (1 credit) or apply a successful SmartFix (1 credit). |
How It Works
Cloudways Copilot uses a statistically robust detection method to identify sustained high CPU load, filtering out harmless momentary spikes so you're only alerted when there is a genuine risk. For High CPU Utilization, the detection works as follows:
Step | Action | Detail |
1 | Sample Collection | CPU usage samples are collected over the trailing 60-minute window. |
2 | Sort | The samples are sorted from lowest to highest. |
3 | P95 Calculation | The value at the 95th percentile of the sorted sample set is identified. |
4 | Threshold Evaluation | If the P95 value is 85% CPU utilization or above, the status is flagged as CRITICAL and a Proactive Suggestion is raised in your dashboard. |
Note: Why P95? Averages can mask short but severe spikes. Peak values trigger too many false positives on servers with brief but normal CPU bursts (e.g. during cron jobs). P95 gives a statistically robust view of sustained CPU pressure, ensuring you're only alerted when there is a real, ongoing concern. |
Standard Monitoring vs. Proactive Suggestions
Traditional monitoring tools alert you when something crosses a threshold but they stop there. Cloudways Copilot goes further by explaining what is happening and giving you the tools to fix it, without needing to dig through logs or contact support.
Capability | Standard Monitoring | Proactive Copilot Suggestions |
Detects resource risk | ✓ | ✓ |
Reduces false positives (P95 method) | ✗ | ✓ |
Explains root cause | ✗ | ✓ |
Provides resolution steps | ✗ | ✓ |
One-click automated fix | ✗ | ✓ |
Integrated in hosting platform | Varies | ✓ |
Credit-based, on-demand depth | ✗ | ✓ |
Your Step-by-Step Journey
Once Cloudways Copilot detects a risk, here is what happens and what you can do:
Step #1 — Suggestion Raised:
Cloudways Copilot detects high CPU usage and creates a Proactive Suggestion card in your Cloudways dashboard. No email is sent. Log in to your dashboard to find the suggestion in the Cloudways Copilot panel.
Suggestions can also be raised in the application page as shown below:
Step #2 — Review the Suggestion:
Click into the suggestion card to open the Cloudways Copilot side panel. You will see the CPU usage graph for the affected server, giving you immediate visual context for the alert. No credit is charged for this.
Step #3 — Generate Insight (1 credit):
Click 'Generate Insight' to trigger a deep AI-powered troubleshoot. Cloudways Copilot returns a structured insight containing the root cause analysis and recommended resolution steps.
Step #4 — Apply SmartFix (1 credit on success)
If a SmartFix is available, a SmartFix button will appear alongside the insight. Click it to apply a one-click automated remediation. Credits are only charged if the SmartFix successfully resolves the issue.
For more details on how SmartFix works, see How SmartFix Works with Cloudways Copilot.
You can also check the CPU health from from server settings and Monitoring Tab as shown below:
Credits & Billing
Proactive Copilot Suggestions are designed to give you visibility first and let you decide how deep to go. Here is a full breakdown of what is free and what costs a credit:
Action | Credit Cost | Notes |
Proactive Suggestion raised | Free | Detected and surfaced automatically |
Viewing the CPU usage graph | Free | Available as soon as the suggestion is opened |
Generate Insight | 1 credit | Triggers AI root cause analysis and recommended steps |
SmartFix (successful) | 1 credit | Charged only when the issue is fully resolved |
SmartFix (unsuccessful) | Free | No charge if Cloudways Copilot cannot resolve the problem |
No changes are being made to Cloudways Copilot plan credit allocations as part of this launch. Credits come from your existing Cloudways Copilot plan.
For full details on credit plans and billing, see How Does Cloudways Copilot Pricing and Billing Work.
Availability & Upcoming Use Cases
Available to all Cloudways customers on all plans at launch.
No additional configuration or opt-in is required, Cloudways Copilot monitoring is fully automatic.
High CPU Utilization is the first use case. Additional use cases are coming soon.
Use Case | Status | Detection Signal |
High CPU Utilization | ✅ Available now | Sustained high CPU utilization that could lead to downtime |
High Memory Consumption | Coming soon | Sustained high RAM utilization trending toward out-of-memory |
High Disk Utilization | Coming soon | Disk capacity approaching critical thresholds |
High Bandwidth Utilization | Coming soon | Abnormal outbound/inbound traffic patterns |
Slow Query Detection | Coming soon | Database query performance degradation |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from the existing Cloudways Copilot incident insights?
Existing incident insights are triggered after a critical incident has already occurred (e.g., app down or server down). Proactive Suggestions are raised before the outage happens, when the system detects early warning signals. Your journey is similar to current Cloudways Copilot insight generation and SmartFix, but the trigger is proactive rather than reactive.
Which plans get access to this feature?
All Cloudways plans. There is no opt-in required. All customers with Cloudways Copilot enabled will automatically receive Proactive Suggestions.
Will I receive an email when a Proactive Suggestion is raised?
No. Proactive Suggestions appear only as in-platform cards in your Cloudways dashboard. This is intentional, to avoid notification fatigue and keep alerts actionable. Log in to your dashboard regularly to check for any active suggestions.
Does viewing a suggestion cost a credit?
No. Suggestion cards and the CPU usage graph inside them are completely free. A credit is only consumed when you click 'Generate Insight' to request an AI-powered root cause analysis.
What if I generate an insight but the CPU normalizes before I act on it?
The credit is consumed when the insight is generated, not when you take action. The root cause analysis and resolution steps remain useful even if CPU usage has since returned to normal, understanding what caused the spike can help you prevent it from recurring.
What happens if I run out of credits?
The suggestion card will remain visible and you can still view the CPU graph, but you will not be able to generate an insight or apply a SmartFix until your credits are topped up or your plan renews. See How Does Cloudways Copilot Pricing and Billing Work for more details.
Why is Copilot using P95 and not average or peak CPU?
Averages can mask short but severe spikes. Peak values trigger too many false positives on servers with brief but normal CPU bursts, for example, during scheduled cron jobs. P95 gives a statistically robust view of sustained CPU pressure, so you're only alerted when there is a genuine, ongoing risk.
Can the same server raise multiple suggestions?
Yes, if risk conditions are met at different times, separate suggestions can be raised. However, Cloudways Copilot is designed to avoid duplicating suggestions for the same unresolved event.
Can I dismiss a suggestion without acting on it?
You can choose not to act on a suggestion. For the latest information on dismissing or archiving suggestions, contact Cloudways Support.
When will High Memory, High Disk, and other use cases be available?
These use cases are on the near-term roadmap and will be introduced as follow-on releases after the High CPU launch. Check back in for updates through in-platform notifications or our changelog page as they become available.
Do I need to configure anything to start receiving Proactive Suggestions?
No. Cloudways Copilot monitoring is fully automated and runs continuously across your servers and applications. No setup, rules, or schedules are needed. When a risk is detected, the suggestion appears automatically in your dashboard.
That’s it! We hope this article was helpful.
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