How-to
How to Manage an ICP Canister: Status, Start & Stop
Controllers can call the IC management canister (aaaaa-aa) to read status, start or stop execution, and fetch logs. ICPay exposes that flow in the browser with Internet Identity — no Motoko backend in the middle.
September 5, 2026 · 7 min read
Why “not a controller” appears
canister_status rejects callers who are not controllers (reject code 4/5). Pasting ICPay's wallet canister or someone else's canister will fail. Use an ID you created, or one where your II was added as controller.
What live status shows
- Run state — running, stopping, or stopped
- Cycles balance and idle burn per day
- Memory sizes, module hash, controllers
Step-by-step on ICPay
- Open icpay.app/canister/manage and sign in.
- Paste a canister ID or pick one under Mine.
- When status loads, use Start, Stop, or Fetch logs. Stop asks for confirmation.
- Low cycles? Jump to top up.
