Replies and state

How Reply detects replies

Behavior Reviewed · not yet fact-checked

In short

How does Reply detect replies?

Reply checks the mailbox connected via IMAP and matches incoming messages to contacts with Active or Active plus Contacted statuses. Detection takes up to 3-4 hours; replies must stay in the main inbox folder at least 3 hours. A sequence-email reply sets Replied and Finished and stops the sequence unless Continue processing steps is enabled.

At a glance

Aspect	Detail
What it governs	Matching an incoming message to a contact in a sequence and recording it as a reply
Trigger	An incoming message arrives in the mailbox connected to Reply via IMAP
Inputs	Sender address, contact status (`Active` or `Active` + `Contacted`), inbox folder location, message classification
Result	Contact becomes `Replied`; a reply to a sequence email also sets `Finished` and stops the sequence for that contact by default
Configurable	Sequence > Settings > Replies handling (Mark as finished vs. Continue processing steps); automatic out-of-office handling in Settings > Emails
Does not	Detect replies for `Finished` contacts, detect forwards composed as new emails, or classify reply intent — categorization is reply management
Plans	Plan-specific differences are not documented for this rule

Rule summary

Reply connects an email account via IMAP (receiving) and SMTP (sending); the address in the IMAP section is the one checked for contact replies. Detection usually takes up to 3-4 hours. A reply is matched when it comes from the same email address the email was sent to, and the contact's status is Active or Active + Contacted — not Finished. A reply to a sequence email sets Replied and Finished; a reply to a direct email sets Replied only, and the contact continues in the sequence.

Trigger

An incoming message arrives in the connected mailbox monitored via IMAP. SMS replies to a manually or automatically sent SMS related to a sequence are also detected.

Decision logic

Reply checks the mailbox whose address is specified in the IMAP section of the email account connection. The account must be connected properly (green dot next to it).
Match the sender: the prospect must respond from the same email address the email was sent to, or forward from within the original email — a forward composed as a new email is not detected, and the forwarded message must contain the prospect's email address from your system.
Check the contact's status: detection runs only for contacts with Active or Active + Contacted statuses. Replies detection is not performed for Finished contacts, and tracking stops once a contact is Replied (whether set automatically or manually).
Classify the message and apply the sequence's Replies handling setting.

Classification and outcome:

Incoming message	Outcome
Reply to a sequence email	`Replied` + `Finished`; the sequence stops for the contact unless Continue processing steps is selected in Sequence > Settings > Replies handling
Reply to a direct email	`Replied` only — no `Finished`; the contact continues in the sequence as planned
SMS reply to a sequence-related SMS	`Replied`; the Activity log records whether the reply was by email or by SMS
Auto-reply with out of office keywords	`Out of office`; further steps stop until the status is removed manually or by automatic handling
Other automatic reply	`Auto-replied` + `Finished`; sending stops until you manually change Finished to Active

Result

The matched contact is marked Replied, and for sequence-email replies also Finished — so no further automated steps go out under the default setting. The thread lands in the inbox, where AI categorization sorts it into a category (Interested, Not interested, Not now, Do not contact, Forwarded) plus an optional Meeting intent sub-category. Categorization works for email, LinkedIn, and LinkedIn voice message replies; each response gets exactly one category and one sub-category.

State changes

Field	Change
Contact status	→ `Replied` (+ `Finished` for sequence-email replies; `Out of office` or `Auto-replied` per classification)
Reply tracking	Stops for the contact once `Replied` is set
Inbox	Thread appears with an AI-assigned category; triggers can act on the category (move to sequence, lists, pause)
Statistics	Reply counters move — see Statistics calculation

Exceptions

Moved messages — keep all replies in the main inbox folder for at least 3 hours and do not move them to another folder; a moved reply can go undetected.
Different sender address — a reply from an address other than the contacted one is not matched; mark the contact as replied manually. See Reply was not detected.
Out-of-office contact replies — when a contact with Out of office status later responds, Reply detects it and applies the Replies handling setting (Mark person as finished or Continue sending emails).
Non-English replies — the AI that assigns inbox categories understands English only; set the category manually for replies in other languages.
Bounces are not replies — they follow Bounce handling.

Configuration that changes this rule

Sequence > Settings > Replies handling decides whether a reply finishes the contact or sending continues. Automatic out-of-office handling (Settings > Emails, enabled by default) resumes all Out of office contacts after the number of days you set — the system cannot read the return date mentioned in the email, so the one setting applies to every case. You can also resume them manually by changing the status to Active.

Limits

Limit	Value
Detection and sync window	Up to 3-4 hours
Minimum time a reply must stay in the main inbox folder	At least 3 hours
Eligible contact statuses	Active or Active + Contacted (not Finished)
Forward detection	Only forwards made from within the original email
Inbox AI language coverage	English only — other languages need manual categorization

FAQ

Why was a reply not detected?

Check the usual causes: the reply was moved out of the main inbox folder within 3 hours, the sender used a different address, the forward was composed as a new email, the sending account is not properly connected (no green dot), or the contact is Finished. The full checklist is in Reply was not detected.

Do out-of-office replies stop the sequence?

They pause it: the contact gets Out of office and further steps stop until the status is removed. Automatic handling (on by default) resumes all such contacts after the configured number of days. When the contact later replies for real, the Replies handling setting decides whether they finish or continue — see Sequence stopping.

Does a reply to a direct email stop the sequence?

No. Direct-email replies set Replied but not Finished — both statuses are assigned only for replies to sequence emails. The contact continues through the sequence as planned.

Can a contact keep receiving steps after replying?

Yes — select Continue processing steps in Sequence > Settings > Replies handling. By default a Replied contact stops. See Sequences.

Build with Reply

REST API: docs.reply.io — inbox and contact status endpoints
MCP: agents.reply.io/mcp — read the inbox and mark contacts as replied from an agent
CLI: agents.reply.io/cli