How Reply works

Understand Reply's capabilities, workflows, product specifications, and rules, and build prospecting, outbound, inbox, and AI SDR systems on top of it.

This site explains what Reply can do and exactly how the product behaves. Reply is a sales engagement platform: sequences that combine email, LinkedIn, call, SMS, WhatsApp, task, and Zapier steps; the Reply Data B2B database for finding prospects; a consolidated inbox with AI-assigned reply categories; MailToaster email warm-up; native CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Copper); the Findy Chrome extension; and Jason AI: an AI SDR that builds and runs campaigns. This documentation is written so a person or an AI agent can decide whether Reply fits a task, understand the rules it will follow, and jump straight to implementation.

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How this site is organized

Reading this site as a machine

curl https://how.reply.io/llms.txt          # curated index
curl https://how.reply.io/index.json        # site map by section
curl https://how.reply.io/start/agent-index.md   # the agent-oriented summary
# append .md to any page URL for its markdown twin

Can Reply do that?

Straight answers about what Reply can and can't do: channels, data, sequences, AI, integrations, the API, and limits. Each answer starts with a verdict and links to the page with the full details.

_Answers checked on 2026-09-22._

How to read the answers

Several limits depend on your plan. Where that is the case the answer says so and points at where you see your own value, rather than quoting a number that would be wrong for most readers.

Quick answers

Channels and outreach

Can Reply send automated email outreach at scale?

Available. Reply sends sequenced email from your own connected mailboxes, spread across a schedule you set, with a delay between sends and a per-mailbox daily cap.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• How: Connect a mailbox, build a sequence with email steps, add contacts, launch
• Limits: A mailbox's daily cap is set by your plan; the sequence cap never exceeds the sum of its mailboxes'. Up to 100 mailboxes per sequence
• More: Email outreach · Limits

Can Reply run email, LinkedIn, calls and SMS in one sequence?

Available. A single sequence can mix email, LinkedIn, call, SMS, WhatsApp, task and Zapier steps, with conditions that branch on what each contact does.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• How: Add steps of different types to one sequence; use a Condition step to branch
• Limits: Some step types are performed by a person rather than automatically. See the calls and SMS answers below
• More: Multichannel outreach

Can Reply send the same message to everyone?

Available, but the product is built for the opposite. Steps support variables that fill from each contact's fields, and a step whose variable cannot be resolved holds that contact rather than sending an incomplete message.

• More: Why was a variable not replaced?

Can Reply send a one-off email outside a sequence?

Available. You can send a direct email to a contact from their contact card, and it is recorded against them.

• Limits: Direct emails are reported separately from sequence performance. See Why do statistics not match?

Prospecting and contact data

Can Reply find prospects that match an ideal customer profile?

Available. Reply Data searches a B2B database by job title, department, industry, location, keywords and company criteria, with exclusions for lists, industries, locations and titles.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Beta · MCP: Partly available
• Limits: Saving a contact consumes credits. A search returns what matches; coverage of any specific person or company is not guaranteed
• More: Prospect search

Can Reply find a missing email address or phone number?

Available. Enrichment finds email addresses and phone numbers for contacts you already have, including from a LinkedIn profile URL.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · MCP: Partly available
• Limits: Each lookup consumes credits, and a phone lookup costs more than an email lookup. Enrichment fills empty fields; it does not overwrite an address you already have
• More: Data enrichment

Can Reply import contacts from a spreadsheet?

Available. CSV import maps your columns to Reply fields, matches against existing contacts using an identifier you choose, and reports what was imported, updated, skipped and rejected.

• Limits: Up to 100,000 rows in one import; 1,000 per request through the API
• More: Import contacts · Why were contacts not imported?

Can Reply work with contacts that have no email address?

Available. Contacts without an address receive a placeholder so they can be imported and used on LinkedIn, call, SMS and WhatsApp steps. Email steps skip them.

• More: Contact management

Can Reply stop me contacting the same person twice?

Available. Contacts are matched on an identifier you choose at import, and a contact already in a sequence is skipped by default rather than added again.

• More: Why was a contact duplicated?

Can Reply find companies by describing them in plain language?

Available. Describe the kind of company you are after and Reply searches the open web for matches, then finds named contacts at them.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: The contacts count against your monthly AI SDR contact allowance. If you preview sample companies first, that preview is valid for 30 minutes
• More: Why did a lead source add no contacts?

Can Reply target people who follow my competitors?

Available. Paste the LinkedIn company pages of competitors and Reply pulls their followers, filtered by how well they fit.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: LinkedIn company page addresses only, and one source takes a maximum number of pages. Followers count against your monthly AI SDR contact allowance, and they often arrive with little more than a name and a company

Can Reply target people who engaged with a LinkedIn post?

Available. Reply watches specific posts, or everything from creators you nominate, and adds the people who liked or commented.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: A specific post is watched for a few days and then stops; creator profiles are re-checked once a day; how many people come in from one post per day is capped

Can Reply target people who recently changed jobs?

Available, as a search filter rather than a contact source of its own; you switch it on inside a search.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: Switching it on clears your other company-level criteria, such as industries, locations and account lists. It is not supported when you import a Sales Navigator search

Can Reply import contacts from a LinkedIn search?

Beta. Paste a search or a saved list and Reply imports the people through your own LinkedIn account.

• Where it works: In the app: Beta
• Limits: Needs a LinkedIn account with Sales Navigator. Up to 2,000 results per LinkedIn account per day, and one search at a time per account
• More: Why were fewer contacts imported than the search showed? · Importing an exported list instead

Can Reply validate email addresses before I send?

Available. Reply validates the email addresses on your contacts before they are used for sending.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Partly available
• Limits: One credit per address, taken from a balance kept separate from your other enrichment credits. One validation run at a time, and over MCP you change the validation settings rather than start a run

Sequences and automation

Can Reply branch a sequence based on what a contact does?

Available. A Condition step routes contacts down different paths, and a Merge step brings paths back together.

• Limits: Which comparisons are available depends on the field's type. Correcting a condition does not re-route contacts who already passed it
• More: Why did a condition send contacts the wrong way?

Can Reply trigger an action when something happens?

Available. Triggers react to events (a reply, an open, a click, a category being set) and perform an action such as creating a record in a connected system.

• Limits: A trigger applies to every sequence unless a condition narrows it
• More: Why did a trigger not fire?

Can Reply control how many new contacts start each day?

Available. A sequence's daily contact intake limits how many people start it per day; the rest wait and start later.

• More: Why was the daily limit not reached?

Can Reply keep sending after someone replies?

Available. Each sequence chooses whether a reply finishes the contact or lets the sequence continue.

• Limits: Bounces, automatic replies and out-of-office messages ignore this setting
• More: Why is a contact still active after replying?

Email sending and deliverability

Can Reply warm up my mailboxes?

Available. MailToaster warms a connected mailbox by exchanging messages that build its sending reputation, ramping volume gradually.

• Limits: Warm-up capacity is set by your plan. Enabling warm-up and connecting the mailbox to it are two separate steps
• More: Why is warm-up not running?

Can Reply guarantee my emails reach the inbox?

Not available. No product can. Reply authenticates your domain, warms your mailboxes, paces your sending and reports on deliverability, but placement is decided by the receiving provider.

• More: Deliverability · Why are my emails going to spam?

Can Reply set up my DNS records for me?

Not available. Reply tells you which SPF, DKIM and DMARC records you need and checks them, but publishing them is done at your DNS host.

• More: Set up DNS · Why does my domain fail its DNS check?

Can Reply track opens and clicks?

Available, and off by default per sequence. Open tracking uses an image, so a recipient who blocks images never registers as having opened.

• Limits: Tracking does not work while plain-text sending mode is on
• More: Campaign analytics

Can Reply send plain-text email?

Available. Plain-text sending mode is a per-sequence setting. It removes the formatting tools and sends unstyled mail, which often performs better for cold outreach.

• More: Why does my email not look the way I built it?

Can I buy sending domains through Reply?

Available. Register domains inside Reply and have mailboxes created on them, without going to a registrar yourself.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: Up to 5 mailboxes per domain. The first mailbox usually appears within minutes, and the rest can take up to 48 hours
• More: Why are purchased mailboxes still pending?

Can I buy mailboxes that are already warmed up?

Available. A pre-warmed package is one domain plus exactly three mailboxes, and they arrive ready to send.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: The package is bought and cancelled as a single unit; you cannot remove one mailbox or add a fourth. Sender names are assigned by the provider, and the package cannot be renewed

Does Reply renew purchased domains automatically?

Partly available. A domain you bought through Reply can be renewed during a window before it expires; a pre-warmed package cannot be renewed at all.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: The window opens 45 days before the expiry date and closes the day before it, with no grace period afterwards
• More: Why did a domain expire or a renewal fail?

LinkedIn

Can Reply automate LinkedIn outreach?

Available. Connection requests, messages, InMail, profile views, post likes, skill endorsements, follows and post comments can all run as automated sequence steps.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• Limits: Daily caps per action are set by your plan, and the number in force is varied within a range each day so activity does not look mechanical. LinkedIn's own limits apply on top
• More: LinkedIn outreach

Can Reply message someone I am not connected to?

Not available as an automatic message. Automatic messages need a 1st-degree connection, so a Connect step has to come first. InMail reaches people you are not connected to but needs a Sales Navigator or Recruiter subscription.

• More: LinkedIn outreach

Can Reply send InMail?

Available with a qualifying LinkedIn subscription. InMail is not available on Free or Premium plans, and it consumes LinkedIn's own InMail credits rather than Reply credits.

• More: Why do LinkedIn steps fail?

Can Reply import a LinkedIn search or Sales Navigator list?

Available. Lists exported from LinkedIn or Sales Navigator can be imported, and contacts without email addresses still work for LinkedIn steps.

• Limits: Import using the LinkedIn profile URL as the identifier, not email, or the same list imported twice creates duplicates
• More: Why was a contact duplicated?

Calls, SMS and WhatsApp

Can Reply make calls and send SMS?

Available. Calls are placed through Reply's cloud calling with a number you rent in the product; SMS steps can send automatically once your messaging registration is approved.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• Limits: Calls go through Reply's provider rather than your own phone line. SMS requires a completed carrier registration before anything sends
• More: Calls and SMS · Why was my SMS registration rejected?

Can Reply send WhatsApp messages automatically?

Not available. WhatsApp steps are semi-automated: Reply creates a task and prepares the message, and a person sends it.

• More: Multichannel outreach

Can Reply record calls?

Available. Calls can be recorded and the recording is kept against the contact and on the call report.

• Limits: Recording consent is your responsibility and varies by jurisdiction
• More: Calls and SMS

Can Reply use my own phone number or phone system?

Not available. Calls are placed through Reply's calling provider using a number rented in the product.

Jason AI and AI features

Can Reply write the emails for me?

Available. Jason AI drafts sequence copy and individual messages, and can rewrite, shorten or change the tone of what you have written.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Partly available
• Limits: It writes copy; it does not choose your audience, which you add separately
• More: AI writing assistant

Can Jason AI run a campaign on its own?

Available. In Autopilot, Jason AI sources contacts matching your criteria, personalizes messages and runs the sequence continuously.

• Limits: It needs your offer, playbook and knowledge base as input; it cannot infer your business. Sourcing consumes credits and draws on your contact allowance
• More: AI SDR · Why did Autopilot stop adding contacts?

Can Jason AI reply to prospects for me?

Available, and how far it goes is your choice: draft replies for you to approve, or send automatically.

• Limits: In approval mode nothing sends until a person approves it. Threads categorized as do-not-contact are never answered
• More: Reply management

Can I stop AI messages going out without me seeing them?

Available. Approval mode holds every generated message until a person approves it.

• More: AI SDR

Can Reply write a playbook for me?

Available. Reply drafts the playbook from the offer you fill in during AI SDR setup: accept it, ask for another pass, edit it yourself, or upload a few of your own past emails so it copies your style.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: Nothing is kept until you continue past that step, and a draft expires after an hour

Can Reply learn how I like my messages written?

Available. Reply turns what you approve, reject and edit into standing rules it applies to later messages, and you can write rules of your own by hand.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: A rule can apply to only you, to named sequences, to your workspace or to your whole organization; the wider reaches need permission from an admin, and two conflicting rules at the same reach cancel each other out

Can Reply suggest whole campaigns from my website?

Available. Give Reply a company name and website and it returns complete sequence ideas: audience, messaging and search filters already filled in.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: How many runs you get per billing month is set by your plan, and a run takes up to about an hour

Can I tell the AI what to research about each prospect?

Available. Point the research at funding, tech stack, career history, industry news and similar, and Reply gathers that on each prospect before it writes.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: How many you can pick per sequence is set by your plan, and the default research and the personalization built from contact fields both count towards it

Can I write my own research instruction in plain language?

Available. Describe in your own words what you want looked into, instead of picking from the list.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available
• Limits: Your own instruction counts towards the same per-sequence research limit, and there is a maximum length for it

Can Reply design the structure of my sequence for me?

Available. Reply picks a layout that suits your business and draws the sequence for you; you can choose a different one, or save your own to reuse later.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: The structure can only be changed before sending has started, and saving one for your workspace or organization needs permission

Can Reply stop a sequence and alert me instead of replying?

Available. A reply that matches your rule stops any further messages to that contact, writes no automatic reply, and alerts the conversation's owner by email and in the app.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• Limits: The alert goes to the owner of the conversation rather than to whoever set the rule, and an address you copy in receives the email only

Can Reply score how well a contact fits?

Available. Each contact gets a fit score against the sequence's offer and a LinkedIn activity score, each with a written explanation of how it was reached.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: Scoring runs in AI SDR sequences only, the contact needs a LinkedIn profile, and the same person can score differently in two sequences
• More: Why is a fit score empty?

Can an AI variable search the web when it writes?

Available. Switch a variable to live search and it researches current information for each recipient, rather than answering from what the model already knows.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: Live search costs a credit per variable per contact. Previews are free up to a daily allowance and charged after that, and the value is filled in at send time, so it looks empty in preview

Inbox and replies

Can Reply detect replies automatically?

Available. Reply matches an incoming message to the contact and the thread, classifies it, and updates the contact.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• Limits: The reply has to stay in the mailbox's main folder, and detection does not run for contacts who have finished
• More: Why was a reply not detected?

Can Reply tell a real reply from an out-of-office?

Available. Incoming messages are sorted into bounce, out-of-office, automatic reply and real reply, and each does something different to the contact.

• Limits: None of the automatic kinds count towards your reply statistics
• More: Why was an automatic reply counted as a reply?

Can Reply categorize replies by intent?

Available. Replies are assigned a category automatically, and you can create your own categories.

• Limits: One category per thread
• More: Reply management

Can my whole team work from one inbox?

Available. The inbox holds the team's conversations, filtered by owner, channel and category.

• Limits: The owner filter defaults to your own conversations, which hides everyone else's
• More: Why can't I find a conversation in the inbox?

Meetings

Can Reply book meetings?

Available. A booking link in your outreach lets a prospect pick a slot, and the meeting is recorded against the contact.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Not available · MCP: Available
• Limits: Google Calendar booking and Calendly cannot both be active at once, and only one Calendly account can be connected
• More: Meetings

Integrations and CRM

Does Reply integrate with my CRM?

Partly available. It depends which. Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and Copper have native two-way contact sync. Anything else connects through the API or a workflow platform.

• Limits: Contacts and accounts sync both ways; activity only goes from Reply to the CRM, and not every integration supports it. No CRM syncs deals or opportunities as objects
• More: Integrations · Sync Reply with a CRM

Will my emails and calls show up in my CRM?

Partly available. Activity sync writes emails, calls and tasks to the CRM where the integration supports it. It is a separate setting from contact sync, it only travels one way, and records are written once and never updated.

• More: Why is Reply activity not showing in my CRM?

How often does Reply sync with my CRM?

Available, on a schedule that differs by integration; some run every few minutes, others every couple of hours. Use a manual sync when you need something moved immediately.

• More: Why did my CRM sync stop?

Does Reply work with Zapier, Make or n8n?

Available. All three connect to Reply through the public API, and Reply publishes triggers and actions for them.

• More: Integrations

Does Reply integrate with Calendly?

Available for meeting booking. Only one Calendly account can be connected, and it cannot run at the same time as Google Calendar booking.

• More: Meetings

API, MCP and automation

Does Reply have an API?

Available. A REST API covers contacts, sequences, email accounts, the inbox, tasks, reporting, webhooks and more.

• Limits: 100 requests a minute and 3,000 an hour, plus a monthly quota set by your plan
• More: docs.reply.io

Can I connect Reply to Claude or another AI assistant?

Available. Reply runs an MCP server, so an assistant that speaks MCP can read and act in your account with the same permissions your API key has.

• Limits: A few actions are deliberately not exposed over MCP
• More: docs.reply.io/mcp

Can Reply tell my systems when something happens?

Available. Webhooks push events: replies, bounces, opens, clicks, finished contacts and more; to your endpoint.

• Limits: Your endpoint must answer within ten seconds. Repeated failures switch the subscription off
• More: Why was a webhook not received?

Is there a Reply command-line tool?

Available for part of the product. Coverage differs from the API.

• More: docs.reply.io/cli

Is there an AI assistant inside Reply?

Available. The assistant answers questions and carries out real actions across sequences, contacts, mailboxes, reports and settings, and it is in the Reply mobile app as well.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: A daily message allowance set by your plan. It cannot buy domains or mailboxes

Can the assistant work with my other tools?

Available. Connect your third-party tools and the assistant can read and act in them from inside Reply.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: The catalogue of tools is fixed, not every entry in it is available yet, and each request returns a limited number of records
• More: docs.reply.io/mcp

Can Reply tell me why a sequence is not sending?

Available. Ask the assistant to diagnose a sequence and it reports what it finds, with the actions it recommends.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• Limits: The diagnosis looks at recent activity only

Can I hand a chat over to a person?

Available. The assistant can pass your conversation to Reply's support team, with a summary of what you were doing.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: The answer comes back to you through support rather than in the chat panel

Analytics and reporting

Can Reply report on sequence performance?

Available. Reporting covers account, sequence, step and channel performance over a period you choose.

• Where it works: In the app: Available · API: Available · MCP: Available
• Limits: Headline metrics count people, not messages; five emails to one person count once
• More: Campaign analytics · Why do statistics not match?

Can I export my data?

Available. Contacts, sequence membership and reports export to CSV, and the API returns the same figures for anything recurring.

• More: Why is my export missing data?

Team, security and admin

Can several people work in one Reply account?

Available. An account holds multiple members with roles that control what each can see and change, and can be divided into workspaces.

• Limits: Seats are set by your plan. One email address belongs to one account, so an invitee who already has their own account cannot join until it is freed
• More: Why can't a team member accept an invitation?

Can I control what each team member sees?

Available. Roles carry specific permissions, and workspaces separate work between groups.

• More: Why can't a teammate see a sequence or mailbox?

Can I sign in with single sign-on?

Partly available. Reply supports an identity provider for sign-in, configured by the Reply team rather than self-served.

• More: Contact the Reply Help Center to have it set up

Can I transfer ownership of the account to someone else?

Not available as a self-service action. Ask the Reply support team.

• More: Reply Help Center

Can I cancel my subscription in the product?

Not available as a self-service action for every plan. Ask the Reply support team, or see reply.io/pricing.

Plans, limits and credits

How many emails can I send per day?

It depends on your plan and your settings. Each mailbox has its own daily cap, set by your plan; a sequence's cap never exceeds the sum of its mailboxes'.

• Where you see yours: Settings → Email Accounts → the mailbox → Safety
• More: Limits · Why was the daily limit not reached?

What counts as an active contact?

A person counts once per billing period, the first time any outreach step reaches them on any channel. Follow-ups are free, and the count resets on your renewal date rather than the first of the month.

• More: Why did I hit the active contacts limit?

What uses credits?

Finding a contact, finding an email address, finding a phone number, enriching from a LinkedIn URL, validating an email and AI reply handling all consume credits. A phone lookup costs more than an email lookup.

• Limits: Most of these draw on one shared allowance, so heavy phone lookups reduce what is left for everything else
• More: Limits

Do LinkedIn InMails use Reply credits?

No. InMail uses LinkedIn's own InMail credits from your Sales Navigator or Recruiter subscription.

Where do I see my plan's limits?

In Billing, and on the specific settings page for each limit. Plan comparisons are on reply.io/pricing.

What do enrichment lookups cost?

Available. Enriching from a LinkedIn profile costs 1 credit, finding an email address costs 2, and finding a phone number costs 3.

• Limits: All three draw on one shared balance, and email validation has a balance of its own. A profile enrichment is charged even when it finds nothing, while an email or phone search is refunded
• More: Why did enrichment use credits but find nothing? · Limits

Is AI SDR contact sourcing charged in credits?

Available, and not metered in credits. Sourcing draws on a monthly contact allowance set by your plan instead.

• Limits: The allowance is shared across every AI SDR contact source, so one source can use up what the others need
• More: Limits

Does the in-product assistant use credits?

Available without using credits. The assistant has its own allowance of messages per day, set by your plan, rather than drawing on your credit balance.

• Limits: The daily message allowance is set by your plan
• More: Limits

Using Reply

Does Reply have a dark mode?

Available. Switch it on in your account settings. On a first visit Reply follows whichever scheme your system already uses.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: The choice is remembered by the browser you set it in rather than by your account, so it does not follow you to another computer. Your system setting is a starting point only

Can I use Reply on my phone?

Available. The web app adapts to phone and tablet screens, and there is a separate Reply mobile app as well.

• Where it works: In the app: Available
• Limits: Some screens are desktop-only, including the sequence builder canvas and administration. The mobile app covers the inbox, approvals, the assistant and notifications

Question not answered here?

If you can't find what you're looking for, search the Reply Help Center or send the support team a message there. They can tell you whether Reply fits what you need.

Include what you're trying to do, which channels or tools are involved, and roughly how many contacts or sequences it affects.

Don't send passwords, API keys, or access tokens.

More about what Reply can do

• Capabilities – each capability in depth
• What can you build?
• When to use Reply
• Troubleshooting – if something isn't working

Build with Reply

• REST API: docs.reply.io – the single source of truth for reference detail
• Agent surfaces: agents.reply.io – MCP, CLI, and skills