# Fix Smartlead delivery when it is paused

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

> A rejected key, a deleted or stopped campaign, or exhausted retries pauses Smartlead delivery. How to read the reason, fix it, and resume.

Smartlead delivery pauses when Smartlead answers with something another attempt cannot fix. The reason shows on the Smartlead page under **Integrations** in the sidebar (`/integrations/smartlead`), 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 Smartlead.

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

## The four pause reasons

| Reason | Where it shows | What pauses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `Smartlead API key was rejected. Generate a new key in Smartlead and reconnect.` | **Connection** card | Every Smartlead configuration |
| `Campaign or list no longer exists in Smartlead.` | The configuration's row | That configuration only |
| `Campaign is not running. Start it in Smartlead, then resume.` | The configuration's row | That configuration only |
| `Smartlead delivery retries were exhausted.` | **Connection** card | Every Smartlead configuration |

**A rejected key** means Smartlead refused the stored key. Smartlead keys have no scopes, so the usual cause is a key that was regenerated or deleted in Smartlead after you saved it.

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

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

**A campaign that is not running** pauses its configuration only when it is Stopped or Completed. Smartlead would take the lead there but never email it, so Embers checks the status before each push and refuses it, and the row warns `Campaign is Stopped. Smartlead does not send to new leads in it, so delivery pauses. Choose a running campaign.` A Paused or Draft campaign never pauses anything: it holds the leads, and the row warns `Campaign is not running (Paused). Smartlead 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 that exists. For a Stopped or Completed campaign, pick a running one, or restart it in Smartlead. For a rejected key, copy the current key in Smartlead under **Settings**, then **API key**. 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 campaign first.

### Check the campaign

From the configuration's **...** menu, choose **Check readiness**. It checks the key and the campaign's status and never pushes a test lead, because Smartlead has no lists to hold one safely.

### 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 Embers already pushed to that campaign is skipped as already pushed, and one Smartlead already holds there counts as delivered, so a retry never adds anyone twice.

## Skipped, not failed

Some leads never reach Smartlead and nothing is wrong. They are **skipped**, with the reason on the row. Skips are never retried and never pause delivery.

| Skip reason | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| `Smartlead skipped it:` and Smartlead's reason | The person is on your global block list, unsubscribe list, or community bounce list, or already in another campaign. Embers never overrides these lists |
| `no email on file for this lead` | No lookup could be run for this lead |
| `no email found for this lead` | Embers looked the email up with the [contact lookup](/help/outreach/lead-enrichment-and-contact-info/) and found none. It remembers this for 30 days rather than paying again |
| `emails are revealed on paid plans, not during the free trial` | Emails are looked up on paid plans only. 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 |
| `already pushed to` | Embers already sent this lead to that campaign |

The email skips stand even when you choose **Send anyway**, because Smartlead cannot take a lead without an address.

## Troubleshooting

- **The key pause returns right after reconnecting.** The key was regenerated again in Smartlead after you saved it. Copy the current one and reconnect.
- **Nothing arrives and nothing is paused.** Read the skipped rows. Most are [delivery rules](/help/integrations/delivery-rules/), Smartlead's lists, or the email reasons above.
- **One lead failed and the rest kept flowing.** Smartlead refused that lead alone, for example a malformed 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 Smartlead](/help/integrations/smartlead/): Connect the account and add configurations.

- [Fix Instantly delivery when it is paused](/help/troubleshooting/instantly-delivery-paused/): The same pause rules for the other email tool.

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

## Frequently asked questions

**Does a paused or draft Smartlead campaign pause delivery?**

No. A Paused or Draft campaign holds pushed leads until you start it, and the configuration shows a warning. A Stopped or Completed campaign does pause its configuration, because Smartlead never emails new leads in it.

**Does a Smartlead pause stop Instantly too?**

No. A paused Smartlead connection or configuration only stops Smartlead. Instantly configurations on the same workspace keep sending.

**Why is a lead skipped with a reason from Smartlead?**

Smartlead refused it because the person is on your global block list, unsubscribe list, or community bounce list, or already sits in another campaign. The row reads "Smartlead skipped it" with Smartlead's reason. Embers never overrides those lists, so the lead is skipped, not failed, and it is never retried.