# Fix Instantly delivery when it is paused

URL: https://useembers.com/help/troubleshooting/instantly-delivery-paused/
Category: Troubleshooting
Plan: Solo and above
Updated: 2026-10-01
Last verified: 2026-10-01

> A rejected or under-scoped key, a deleted campaign or list, or exhausted retries pauses Instantly delivery. How to read the reason, fix it, and resume.

Instantly delivery pauses when Instantly answers with something another attempt cannot fix. The reason shows on the Instantly page under **Integrations** in the sidebar (`/integrations/instantly`), either on one configuration's row or on the **Connection** card, depending on what broke.

> **Warning: Solo and above, administrators only**
>
> The Integrations screen requires Solo or above, and only an account administrator can reconnect or resume Instantly.

An Instantly pause never stops [Smartlead](/help/integrations/smartlead/). The two email tools are separate connections on one workspace, and each pauses on its own.

## The three pause reasons

| Reason | Where it shows | What pauses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `Instantly API key was rejected. Generate a new key in Instantly and reconnect.` | **Connection** card | Every configuration |
| `Campaign or list no longer exists in Instantly.` | The configuration's row | That configuration only |
| `Instantly delivery retries were exhausted.` | **Connection** card | Every configuration |

**A rejected key** means Instantly answered 401 or 403. Besides a deleted key, a key that works but lacks a scope does this, so check the scopes before you create a new one. The key needs `workspaces:read`, `campaigns:read`, `lead_lists:read`, `lead_lists:create`, `leads:create`, and `leads:read`. `accounts:read` is optional and only feeds the mailbox count on the card.

**A missing target** means the campaign or lead list the [configuration](/help/integrations/instantly/#add-a-configuration) sends to was deleted in Instantly. Your other configurations keep sending.

**Exhausted retries** means rate limits, timeouts, or Instantly outages lasted through the first attempt plus seven more, from 30 seconds out to about 6.3 days. Check Instantly's status before you resume.

A campaign that is not running never pauses anything. Instantly holds the leads, and the row warns `Campaign is not running (Draft). Instantly holds the leads until you start it.` with the current status in the brackets.

## Fix and resume

### Fix the cause

For a missing target, choose **Edit** on the configuration and pick a campaign or list that exists. For a rejected key, fix the scopes or create a new key in Instantly under **Settings**, then **Integrations**, then **API keys**. The connected card has no key field, so choose **Disconnect**, paste the new key on the **Setup** card, and choose **Save API key**. The disconnect confirmation warns that configurations go with the connection, so note each one's agents and target first.

### Test the target

From the configuration's **...** menu. For a list, **Send a test lead** pushes one sample lead named "Embers Test" after you confirm. For a campaign, **Check readiness** checks the key and the campaign without pushing a lead.

### Choose Resume

From the configuration's **...** menu for a target problem, or on the **Connection** card for exhausted retries. Leads that were waiting are sent.

### Retry what failed

The **Delivery status** list on the **Delivery** card shows failed, blocked, and skipped pushes from the last 30 days. Choose **Retry** on a failed or blocked row. A lead already in that target is skipped as already pushed, so a retry never adds anyone twice.

## Skipped for want of an email

Instantly needs an email for every lead. When a lead has none, Embers looks it up first, the same [contact reveal](/help/outreach/lead-enrichment-and-contact-info/) as the Reveal button, and sends the lead as soon as it is found. Waiting for the lookup never counts as an attempt. When the lookup cannot produce an email, the lead is **skipped**, not failed, with one of these reasons:

| Skip reason | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| `no email found for this lead` | The lookup ran and found no email. Embers remembers this for 30 days rather than paying again |
| `emails are revealed on paid plans, not during the free trial` | Contact details unlock with the first paid month. See [the free trial](/help/account-and-billing/free-trial/) |
| `the email lookup failed` | The lookup failed for good |
| `the email lookup did not finish in time` | 30 minutes passed without a result |
| `no email on file for this lead` | No lookup could be run for this lead |

These skips stand even when you choose **Send anyway**, because Instantly cannot take a lead without an address.

## Troubleshooting

- **The key pause returns right after reconnecting.** The new key still lacks a scope, or it belongs to a different Instantly workspace than the campaign.
- **Nothing arrives and nothing is paused.** Read the skipped rows. Most are [delivery rules](/help/integrations/delivery-rules/) or the email reasons above.
- **One lead failed and the rest kept flowing.** Instantly refused that address. A single refusal never pauses delivery.
- **Resume is missing.** Nothing is paused at that level, or you are not an account administrator.

Send the pause reason and the time to viraj@useembers.com if it does not clear.

## Related

- [Push qualified leads into Instantly](/help/integrations/instantly/): Connect the workspace and add configurations.

- [Reveal a lead's email and phone](/help/outreach/lead-enrichment-and-contact-info/): How Embers finds an email, and when it cannot.

- [Fix HeyReach delivery when it is paused](/help/troubleshooting/heyreach-delivery-paused/): The same pause rules for LinkedIn sequences.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does a campaign that is not running pause Instantly delivery?**

No. Instantly accepts leads into a campaign in any status and holds them until it starts. The configuration shows a warning, never a pause.

**Why are leads skipped with "no email found for this lead"?**

Instantly addresses people by email. Embers looked the email up before sending and found none, so the lead is skipped. It is not an error and nothing is paused.

**Do I lose my configurations when Instantly pauses?**

No. A pause keeps each configuration's agents, target, and delivery rules. Fix the cause and choose Resume.