# Creating watches

> Add a single URL to watch, choose how often it's crawled, preview the render, check its status, and bulk-import many URLs at once from a list.

Create watches from the [URL Watch](https://firehose.com/url-watch) page in the dashboard.

## Add a single URL

1. Choose **New watch** and paste the URL.
2. Pick a **frequency** — how often Firehose re-crawls it. The fastest allowed interval depends on
   your [plan](/billing/plans).
3. Optionally **preview** the page first — Firehose renders it so you can confirm it's the page you
   expect before committing a watch.

## Frequency

Frequency is the crawl cadence, from every few minutes up to a long interval. Faster frequencies
consume your monthly [check quota](/url-watch/quotas) more quickly, since each crawl is one check.
Pick the slowest cadence that still catches changes in time for your use case.

<Callout type="tip">
  Frequency is the main lever on your [check quota](/url-watch/quotas) — the slower the cadence, the
  longer it lasts.
</Callout>

## Bulk import

To watch many URLs at once, use **bulk import** and paste or upload a list. Each URL becomes its own
subscription with the frequency you choose for the batch. Watches that would exceed your plan's
**maximum watched URLs** are rejected.

## Status

Each watch is **active** or **paused**. A watch pauses automatically when your monthly check quota
runs out — a quota reset or upgrade doesn't reactivate it on its own. You can pause or resume any
watch manually at any time.

## Next steps

<CardGrid>
  <Card title="Diffs & crawl history" href="/url-watch/diffs-and-history">
    Read what changed between crawls.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Quotas & limits" href="/url-watch/quotas">
    How checks are counted and how to make your quota last.
  </Card>
</CardGrid>