Fix Google Sheets delivery when it is paused
A refused connection, a deleted or trashed spreadsheet, a renamed column, or five refused leads in a row pauses Google Sheets. Read the reason and resume.
Google Sheets delivery pauses when Google returns an error that another attempt cannot fix. The Google Sheets page under Integrations in the sidebar (/integrations/google-sheets) then reads “Delivery to Google Sheets is paused” at the top. Needs attention under it shows the reason and, for most reasons, a button that fixes it, with Resume beside it.
Read the pause reason
| Reason | What it means | The fix |
|---|---|---|
Reconnect Google Sheets: Google no longer accepts the saved connection. | Access was removed in your Google account settings, or the connection went unused for six months. Embers tries to renew it once first | Reconnect Google Sheets |
Your Google Workspace administrator blocked Embers. Ask them to allow it, then reconnect Google Sheets. | Your company’s Google admin restricted Embers | Ask them to allow it, then Reconnect Google Sheets |
Embers can no longer open the spreadsheet with the connected Google account. Create a new one to start delivery again. | The connected account lost access to the spreadsheet | Create a spreadsheet |
The spreadsheet Embers writes to was deleted. Create a new one to start delivery again. | The spreadsheet is gone | Create a spreadsheet |
The spreadsheet Embers writes to is in the trash. Restore it in Google Drive and resume, or create a new one. | The spreadsheet is in the Drive trash | Restore it, then Resume, or Create a spreadsheet |
Pick a tab: the one Embers writes to was deleted. | The tab is gone | Pick a tab |
Re-map Google Sheets columns: a column Embers writes to was renamed or removed in row 1. | A mapped column name changed or left row 1 | Re-map columns |
The spreadsheet reached Google's limit of 10 million cells. Create a new one to keep delivering. | The spreadsheet is full | Create a spreadsheet |
Google Sheets paused after 5 leads in a row were refused (last: invalid_request). | Five leads in a row failed, with none delivered in between | Fix the cause, then Resume |
Google Sheets delivery retries were exhausted. | Rate limits, timeouts, or Google outages lasted through every retry | Resume once Google is healthy |
Rate limits and outages are retried instead of paused: the first attempt plus seven more, from 30 seconds out to about 6.3 days, the same schedule as webhook retries. When Google says how long to wait, Embers waits at least that long.
One refused lead does not pause anything. A lead Google refuses, a lead with no value for the only match key you mapped, or a lead with nothing to write fails that delivery on its own, and Embers sends the next lead. Only five in a row pause the install. One delivered lead resets the count, and resuming starts it from zero.
Fix and resume
-
Reconnect Google Sheets
Choose Reconnect Google Sheets and allow access on Google’s screen with the same Google account. If your company’s Google admin blocked Embers, ask them to allow it first.
-
Check where leads go
Reconnecting the same account keeps the spreadsheet, the tab, and the mapping, and clears the pause. If Embers can no longer open that spreadsheet with the account, the page asks you to choose it again.
-
Test the connection
Send test, beside the status at the top of the page, checks the connection, the spreadsheet, the tab, and the mapped columns, and writes nothing.
-
Restore it, or create a new one
A spreadsheet in the trash can be restored in Google Drive; then choose Resume. Otherwise choose Create a spreadsheet for a new one, or Pick a tab for a deleted tab. Either clears the pause.
-
Map the columns
A different spreadsheet or tab starts with a fresh mapping, so map its columns before delivery resumes. A spreadsheet Embers creates is mapped already.
-
Re-map columns
Choose Re-map columns. A field whose column is gone shows Missing in sheet. Pick another column, choose Add a column named to add it back, or choose Not sent, then choose Save mapping. Saving clears the pause.
-
Or rename the column back
Putting the old name back in row 1 fixes the cause. Then choose Resume.
-
Fix the cause
For refused leads, choose Failed on the Activity card and read the reason on a row. For an outage, check Google Workspace’s status page.
-
Choose Resume
Resume appears under Needs attention while delivery is paused. Your event choices, rules, spreadsheet, and mapping are unchanged by a pause.
Recover the leads you missed
Leads that qualified while Google Sheets was paused were kept as Blocked, not sent. After you resume, choose Retry on a blocked row on the Activity card, or select the leads on the leads list and send them to Google Sheets. A lead already in the sheet is skipped as already synced to Google Sheets unless you tick ignore rules, in which case its row is updated rather than duplicated.
Troubleshooting
- The pause returns right after reconnecting. You allowed a different Google account, or that account cannot open the spreadsheet. Reconnect with the account that owns it, or create a spreadsheet.
- Resume is missing. Delivery is not paused, or you are not a workspace admin.
- A row says the match key is missing. The lead has no value for the only key you mapped. Map LinkedIn profile URL and Embers ID both.
Send the pause reason and the time to viraj@useembers.com if it does not clear. Notion follows the same pause rules: see Notion delivery is paused.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- Do I lose my column mapping if I reconnect?
- Not when you reconnect the same Google account: the spreadsheet, the tab, and the mapping are kept, and the pause clears. Connecting a different Google account clears them.
- Does a Google rate limit pause delivery?
- No. Embers paces itself under Google's limits, and rate limits and outages are retried up to seven times over about 6.3 days. Only when every attempt fails does delivery pause.
- Can I rename the spreadsheet, the tab, or move columns?
- Yes. Embers finds the tab and the columns again on its own. Renaming or removing a column you mapped pauses delivery until you re-map it.
Was this article helpful?
What went wrong?
Thank you. We read every answer.
Still stuck?
Send us the article you were following and what happened. We answer from the same inbox that writes these pages.