# How contacts enter a sequence

> The enrollment rule — the three add paths and their keep-in-sequence options, start-date scheduling, import requirements, and the pause-on-reply team settings.

**Contacts enter a sequence by CSV import, adding from existing contacts, or moving between sequences — each path offers a keep-in-current-sequences choice, and a start date can defer processing. Contact handling settings can pause a replying contact in all sequences, or pause every contact from the same organization, on business domains only.**

_Status: Reviewed — human-edited, facts not yet confirmed against the product._

## At a glance

| Aspect | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| **What it governs** | Every path a contact takes into a sequence, what happens when they are already enrolled elsewhere, and when processing starts |
| **Trigger** | A CSV import into a sequence, Add from existing, or Move to sequence |
| **Inputs** | The CSV file (format, mandatory fields), the contact's current sequence membership, the chosen start date, contact handling settings |
| **Result** | The contact joins the sequence — kept in or removed from other sequences per the chosen option — and starts on the schedule |
| **Configurable** | Keep-in-sequence options per path, start date, matched-records handling, contact handling (pause-on-reply) settings |
| **Does not** | Merge duplicate records ([Contact deduplication](/behavior/contact-deduplication)) or start processing on a day the schedule is closed |
| **Plans** | The pause-on-reply contact handling settings require Team Edition or an Organization-type (white-label) account, and only the Team Owner can enable them |

## Rule summary

A prospect can be part of several sequences for the same user at the same time. Each of
the three enrollment paths — CSV import, Add from existing, and Move to sequence — has an
explicit option that keeps the contact in their current sequences while adding them to the
new one. Enrollment can be scheduled: when moving contacts to a sequence you can pick the
exact date processing starts. Imported prospects are added both to the sequence and to
Reply's contact list.

## Trigger

One of the enrollment paths fires:

- **Import from CSV** in the sequence's People tab
- **Add from existing** in the People tab
- **Move to sequence** from the People page, with a target sequence and step

## Decision logic

1. Validate the import (CSV path): the file must be **CSV UTF-8** with up to **10,000 rows**, and **First Name** is mandatory. Numeric fields accept digits only — symbols or spaces produce import errors.
2. Handle records without emails: **Add Generated Emails** assigns a placeholder genmail.com address — these contacts are skipped for email sequences but work for SMS, WhatsApp, calls, and LinkedIn steps — or **Skip** leaves them out.
3. Resolve contacts already in another sequence, per path.
4. Apply the start date, if one was picked: hover over the Current Step column to see the date the contact will be processed. The schedule must be open on that day — a Tuesday start date needs Tuesday enabled in the sequence settings.

**The disposition options per path:**

| Path | Option for contacts already in a sequence |
| --- | --- |
| Import from CSV | Choose **Add to this one and keep in current** |
| Add from existing | Enable **Show contacts who are in a sequence**, then choose **Keep contacts in their current sequences and add to new one** |
| Move to sequence | Pick the sequence and step, then enable the **Keep in other sequences** toggle |

## Result

The contact is enrolled in the target sequence — and stays in their other sequences when
the keep option was chosen. Processing begins at the next open schedule window, or on the
selected start date.

## State changes

| Field | Change |
| --- | --- |
| Sequence membership | The new sequence is added; other memberships persist or end per the chosen option |
| Contact list | Imported prospects are added to both the sequence and Reply's list |
| Start of processing | Immediate (next window) or the selected start date |

## Exceptions

- **Pause contact in all sequences on reply** — when enabled, a contact who replies in any sequence is paused in all other sequences. It applies **only to paid (business) domains; free or generic domains such as gmail.com and yahoo.com are excluded**.
- **Pause all contacts from the same organization on reply** — when enabled, a reply from any one contact pauses all other contacts from the same organization. Reply matches organizations by the **Company** field, falling back to the **Domain** field when Company is blank. Turning this on also switches on the per-contact setting and locks it while this stays on.
- **Notification mode** — both settings offer **Pause automatically** (immediate, no notification) or **Ask by Email** (the Team Owner gets an email before the pause). On Organization-type (white-label) accounts the pause is always automatic — Ask by Email is not available there.
- **Contacts that fail import validation** are not enrolled — see [Contact was not enrolled](/troubleshooting/contact-was-not-enrolled).

## Configuration that changes this rule

The keep-in-sequence options are chosen per enrollment action. The pause-on-reply
behavior lives in Settings > Contact handling; both options are **disabled by default**
and only the **Team Owner** can enable them. Import options — matched-records handling,
generated emails, and automatic timezone detection — are set in the import dialog. See
[Import contacts](/how-to/import-contacts).

## Limits

| Limit | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rows per CSV file | Up to 10,000 (one row per contact) |
| File format | CSV UTF-8 only — xlsx and other formats are not accepted |
| Mandatory field | First Name |
| Automatic timezone detection | May extend the import by up to 30 minutes |
| Pause-on-reply scope | Paid (business) domains only |

## FAQ

### Can a contact be in two sequences at once?

Yes — a prospect can be part of several sequences for the same user at the same time.
Each path in has its own keep option: *Add to this one and keep in current* (CSV), *Keep
contacts in their current sequences and add to new one* (Add from existing), or the *Keep
in other sequences* toggle (Move to sequence). See [Sequences](/specifications/sequences).

### What happens across sequences when a shared contact replies?

With *Pause contact in all sequences on reply* enabled, the contact is paused everywhere
else — immediately, or after the Team Owner confirms by email in Ask by Email mode. With
the organization-level setting, everyone from the same Company (or Domain, when Company is
blank) is paused. See [Reply detection](/behavior/reply-detection).

### Why did gmail.com contacts keep sending after a reply?

The pause-on-reply settings apply only to paid (business) domains — free or generic
domains such as gmail.com and yahoo.com are excluded by design.

### Can I make enrolled contacts start on a specific date?

Yes — when moving contacts to a sequence, pick the start date in the calendar. Make sure
the sequence schedule is open on that day, and verify the date by hovering over the
Current Step column. See [Launch a sequence](/how-to/launch-a-sequence).

## Related

- [Contact deduplication](/behavior/contact-deduplication)
- [Sequence execution](/behavior/sequence-execution) — throttling into Step 1
- [Import contacts](/how-to/import-contacts)
- [Contact was not enrolled](/troubleshooting/contact-was-not-enrolled)

## Build with Reply

- REST API: [docs.reply.io](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/introduction) — push-to-sequence operations
- MCP: [agents.reply.io/mcp](https://agents.reply.io/mcp) — agents enroll contacts with the same options