Watchlist monitors LinkedIn activity in real time and automatically adds matching contacts to a saved list. You configure an Intent Agent once - it runs in the background, detects contacts based on the signal you choose, and feeds them into your list without any manual work.
This article walks you through creating a Watchlist from start to finish.
Before you begin
A LinkedIn paid plan is required on your connected account (LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, or equivalent). Watchlist runs an Intent Agent continuously in the background - this level of sustained monitoring requires a paid LinkedIn account.
You can create up to 4 Watchlists per LinkedIn account. Free trial users can create 1 Watchlist with 1 active signal.
How to open the Create watchlist flow
There are two ways to start:
Option 1 - From the + menu in the top navigation bar Click the + button in the top-right corner of any page. A dropdown appears with four options. Click Create a Watchlist.
Option 2 - From AI agents In the left sidebar, go to AI Assist → AI agents. Click the + Add Watchlist button in the top-right corner of the page.
Both routes open the same Create watchlist modal.
Step 1 - Choose signals
The modal opens on Step 1: Choose signals.
Agent name
Enter a name for this agent in the Agent name field. Choose something descriptive so you can identify it later in your AI agents list - for example: "Competitor engagers - June 2026" or "Post engagement - SaaS prospects".
Signal type
Select one of the four signal types. The configuration fields below update based on your selection.
Post engagement
What it does: Finds people who recently reacted to, commented on, or reposted specific LinkedIn posts you choose.
How to configure it:
Under Specific post URLs (max 3 URLs), paste a LinkedIn post URL into the field.
Use the Track toggles to choose which types of engagement to capture: Reactions, Comments, Reposts. You can select any combination.
Click Add. The post is added to your monitoring list.
Repeat for up to 3 post URLs.
Post URLs must be direct links to individual LinkedIn posts. Keyword-based detection is not supported.
Profile engagement
What it does: Spots people engaging with posts published by LinkedIn profiles you specify - useful for tracking engagement with thought leaders or influencers relevant to your niche.
How to configure it:
Under LinkedIn profiles to monitor (max 3 profile URLs), paste a LinkedIn profile URL. The URL must start with https://www.linkedin.com/in/.
Select a Post timeframe from the dropdown to set how far back to look at posts from that profile.
Use the Track toggles to choose what to capture: Reactions, Comments, Reposts.
Click Add. Repeat for up to 3 profile URLs.
Under Engagement thresholds, set the Minimum reactions and Minimum comments values. Only posts that meet both thresholds will be monitored. The default is 10 for each.
This signal monitors post engagers only. It does not capture profile visitors or company page activity.
Your profile & company
What it does: Captures people engaging with or visiting your own LinkedIn profile and/or your company page. You can activate your personal profile, your company page, or both independently.
How to configure it:
Both Your profile to monitor and Company page to monitor are toggled off by default. Switch on whichever you want to use (or both), then configure each one independently.
Your profile to monitor
Switch the toggle on to expand the personal profile settings. Your connected LinkedIn profile URL is pre-filled automatically.
Select a Post timeframe and choose which engagement types to track: Reactions, Comments, Reposts.
Under Engagement thresholds, set the Minimum reactions and Minimum comments values. Only posts that meet both thresholds will be monitored. The default is 10 for each.
To also capture people who visit your personal LinkedIn profile, check the Track personal profile visitors checkbox.
Company page to monitor
Switch the toggle on to expand the company page settings.
Use the Select company page dropdown to choose which of your connected LinkedIn company pages to monitor. Pages with a Premium LinkedIn subscription show a Premium badge in the dropdown.
Select a Post timeframe and choose which engagement types to track: Reactions, Comments, Reposts.
Under Engagement thresholds, set the Minimum reactions and Minimum comments values. The default is 10 for each.
To also capture people who visit your company page, check the Track company page visitors checkbox. Note: this requires a Premium company page on your connected LinkedIn account.
Competitor page monitoring
What it does: Tracks people engaging with posts on competitor company pages you specify. Contacts who react to, comment on, or repost competitor content are added to your Watchlist - these are people already in the market and evaluating options.
This signal captures post engagers on competitor pages. It cannot detect a page's actual followers, as that requires admin access to the page.
How to configure it:
Under Company pages to monitor (max 3 page URLs), paste a LinkedIn company page URL. The URL must start with https://www.linkedin.com/company/.
Select a Post timeframe and choose which engagement types to track: Reactions, Comments, Reposts.
Click Add. Repeat for up to 3 company page URLs.
Under Engagement thresholds, set the Minimum reactions and Minimum comments thresholds. The default is 10 for each.
Moving to Step 2
Once you have filled in the agent name and configured your signal, click Next to proceed to Step 2.
Step 2 - Save to list
Step 2 covers where detected contacts will be saved and how long the agent will run.
Intent list
Under Add contacts to, choose one of two options:
Create new Intent list Creates a brand new list in your saved lists. Enter a name in the List name field - this list will appear under My Folder → Saved List with the type "Watchlist" and status "Watching". Set the Maximum contacts value. The agent will automatically stop monitoring once this number is reached. The maximum is 2,000 - you can set a lower limit if you want the agent to stop earlier.
Add to existing list Appends contacts detected by this agent to a list you have already created. Select the list from the dropdown.
Run schedule
Under How should the agent run?, choose one of two modes:
Continuously The agent keeps monitoring and adding contacts until it is stopped or its run duration expires. This is the recommended setting for ongoing lead monitoring.
Run once The agent performs a single pass of your configured signal and then stops.
Run duration
Select how long the agent should run from the Run duration dropdown. Options are: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, Custom date, or Indefinitely.
The end date is shown below the dropdown so you can confirm it before activating.
You can pause or stop the agent at any time from AI agents, regardless of the duration you set here.
Activating the agent
Click Activate agent. The agent starts running immediately.
Confirmation screen
Once activated, a confirmation screen appears showing:
Status - Active
Active signals - the signal type you configured
Saving to - the list name
Runs until - the end date based on your run duration
From here you can:
Click View your Watchlist to see contacts as they are detected and added
Click Manage Intent Agent to adjust signals, run schedule, or pause the agent
Click Create a Watchlist to set up another agent
Click Back to Dashboard to return to the main dashboard
Managing your agents
Go to AI Assist → AI agents to see all your agents. Each agent card shows:
Agent name and status badge - Active, Paused, or Completed
Active signal type
Saved list name
Leads collected
End date
Last synced time
Use the action icons at the bottom of each card to manage the agent:
Icon | Action |
Info | View agent details |
Pause / Play | Pause or resume the agent |
Edit (pencil) | Update signal configuration, list, or run schedule |
Delete (bin) | Remove the agent. Contacts already in the list are retained. |
Viewing your Watchlist contacts
Contacts detected by your agent appear in My Folder → Saved List. Watchlist lists are labelled with the type Watchlist and the status Watching while the agent is active.
Click any list name to open it and see the contacts collected so far.
Frequently asked questions
The agent is active but no contacts have been added yet. Is something wrong? Not necessarily. If you set minimum engagement thresholds, the agent is waiting for posts that meet those criteria. You may also see the message "No leads from engagement found yet. We're still monitoring for new activity" on the agent card - this is normal for a newly activated agent. Give it time to detect qualifying activity.
Can I change the signal after the agent is active? Yes. Click the edit (pencil) icon on the agent card to update the signal configuration, list assignment, or run schedule at any time.
What happens when the Maximum contacts limit is reached? The agent stops detecting new contacts automatically. Existing contacts remain in the list. The hard limit is 2,000 contacts per Watchlist. If you set a lower limit and want to collect more, edit the agent and increase the maximum contacts value up to 2,000.
Can I run more than one signal at the same time? Yes. Each agent monitors one signal, but you can have up to 4 agents active simultaneously on the Scale plan - each feeding a different Watchlist.
Where do I find my Watchlist after it is created? Go to My Folder → Saved List. Your Watchlist appears there with the type "Watchlist" and status "Watching".
Do I need a LinkedIn paid plan even if I am on a paid We-Connect plan? Yes. A LinkedIn paid plan on your connected account is required regardless of your We-Connect subscription. The Intent Agent monitors LinkedIn activity in real time on your behalf, which requires a paid LinkedIn account to operate without interruption.