# Launch a sequence

> Go live — check messages in Preview, send a test email, start the sequence with its toggle, read the toggle colors, and watch progress and logs in the first window.

**Check every step in Preview, send a test email to yourself from the step editor, then start the sequence with its toggle. The toggle turns green while the sequence runs; red, orange, or yellow flag problems and limits. Watch contact progress in the People and Steps tabs and check the Logs tab for errors.**

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

## Goal

The sequence toggle turns green (Active), contacts start moving through Step 1, and you
know where to watch for problems.

## Preconditions

A [created sequence](/how-to/create-a-sequence) with steps, a connected email account, an
attached schedule, and enrolled contacts — a missing account, schedule, or contact list
turns the toggle red and blocks sending.

## Steps

1. Review messages in the **Preview** tab — it shows exactly how each template renders per recipient, and you can edit the text for individual contacts without changing the main sequence template. Preview works only for automatic email and LinkedIn steps; CC is not supported in customized emails, and if you customize one A/B variant, only the edited variant is sent.
2. Send a test email: open the step in the **Steps** tab, expand the drop-down list next to **Save**, choose **Send Test email**, and pick the email to send To and From. The opt-out link does not work in test emails — they carry no sequence or contact details.
3. Start the sequence with its toggle. The same toggle pauses it at any time, and hovering over it shows a tooltip with details on the current state.
4. Give it time: after "Sequence started" appears in the logs, wait around 30 minutes before checking results.
5. Watch progress: in the sequence's **People** tab, the Current step column shows the step each contact is waiting for (hover to see when the step delay ends); the **Steps** tab shows how many contacts are on each step, and a red badge counts contacts with missing data — click it to view them or use **Skip** to move them to the next step. Select **History** in the People tab to see how many contacts completed each step.
6. Watch the **Logs** tab. Before sending, Reply checks that the email account is linked and set up correctly, all prospects are active, the LinkedIn account is linked, and the selected schedule and follow-up schedule are valid — if a check fails, the sequence does not start and writes an error log.

### What the toggle colors mean

- **Green — Active**: the sequence is running (planning, checking conditions, sending emails, generating tasks, or executing LinkedIn actions).
- **Gray — Inactive**: newly created and not yet launched, paused, or archived.
- **Red — Action required**: missing or invalid settings — a removed or disconnected email or LinkedIn account, sending errors, no contacts, a missing schedule, or suspension at an 8% bounce rate. See [Bounce handling](/behavior/bounce-handling).
- **Orange — Issues detected**: some contacts lack an assigned sending or LinkedIn account, contacts are missing required data, a provider blocked sending from some accounts, or the sequence reached a 4% bounce rate.
- **Yellow — Limits reached**: the email account's daily limit, the sequence daily limit, the active contacts limit for the billing period, LinkedIn's weekly connection limit, or the provider's daily sending quota.
- **Blue — Completed**: all contacts finished the sequence; no active contacts left.

## Expected result

The toggle is green, the log records "Sequence started", and contact counts appear
against Step 1 in the Steps tab.

## Verification

Your test email arrived with variables filled; contact counts on the Steps tab advance
during the sending window; there is no red missing-data badge and no error entries in the
Logs tab.

## What happens next

Execution proceeds per [sequence execution](/behavior/sequence-execution) inside the
[schedule windows](/behavior/sending-schedules). Replies start flowing per
[reply detection](/behavior/reply-detection) — set up your
[reply routine](/how-to/process-replies) now, and read results in
[sequence reports](/how-to/analyze-campaign-performance).

## Common mistakes

- Launching outside the schedule window and concluding sending is broken — see [When Reply sends](/behavior/sending-schedules).
- Checking results seconds after launch — allow around 30 minutes after "Sequence started".
- Customizing one A/B variant in Preview without realizing the other variant will not be sent to that contact.

## Related

- [Create a sequence](/how-to/create-a-sequence)
- [Sequence stopping](/behavior/sequence-stopping) — every state the toggle can show
- [Launch an outbound campaign](/workflows/launch-an-outbound-campaign) — the full workflow
- [Why is a campaign not running?](/troubleshooting/campaign-is-not-running)

## Build with Reply

- REST API: [docs.reply.io](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/introduction) — push-to-sequence and start operations
- MCP: [agents.reply.io/mcp](https://agents.reply.io/mcp) — agents enroll and start sequences
- Agent skills: [agents.reply.io/skills](https://agents.reply.io/skills) — launch with confirmation guardrails