Fix Instantly delivery when it is paused
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 at the top of the Instantly page under Integrations in the sidebar (/integrations/instantly), in a Needs attention card, beside the button that fixes it. A key problem reads “Delivery to Instantly is paused”; a campaign or list problem is named after the configuration, as in “Founders Q4 is paused”, and that configuration’s row reads Paused.
An Instantly pause never stops Smartlead. The two email tools are separate connections on one workspace, and each pauses on its own.
The three pause reasons
| Reason | Needs attention item | What pauses |
|---|---|---|
Instantly API key was rejected. Generate a new key in Instantly and reconnect. | Delivery to Instantly is paused | Every configuration |
Campaign or list no longer exists in Instantly. | The configuration’s name, then “is paused” | That configuration only |
Instantly delivery retries were exhausted. | Delivery to Instantly is paused | 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 not needed: Embers shows no mailbox count for Instantly.
A missing target means the campaign or lead list the 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 Needs attention warns Campaign is not running (Draft). Instantly holds the leads until you start it. with the current status in the brackets and Open Instantly.
Fix and resume
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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. Choose Replace API key on the Connection card, paste the new key, and choose Save new key. Your configurations and delivery history stay, and the connection resumes.
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Test the target
From the configuration’s … menu. For a list, Send 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.
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Choose Resume
Beside the item in Needs attention, or from the configuration’s … menu. Leads that were waiting are sent.
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Retry what failed
The Activity card lists 30 days of pushes, each problem with its reason; Failed and Held back narrow it. Choose Retry on a failed or blocked row. A lead already in that target is held back as already pushed, so a retry never adds anyone twice.
Held back 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 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 Held back, not failed, with one of these reasons:
| 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, and Needs attention says so with See plans. See the 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 reasons stand even when you choose Send anyway, because Instantly cannot take a lead without an address.
Troubleshooting
- The key pause returns right after replacing the key. 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 Held back rows on the Activity card. Most are 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
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. Needs attention 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 held back. 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, and so does replacing the API key. Fix the cause and choose Resume.
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