Every action on your campaign Timeline carries a status indicator. A configured action looks normal, and an action that needs your attention shows a red border with a warning triangle. This guide explains what the red and green states mean, why a red action does not mean it failed, and how to run a quick pre-flight check before you go live. |
What the status indicators mean
When you open the Timeline for a campaign, each action shows a status indicator. It is a quick, at-a-glance signal of whether that action is ready.
In this example, the 5:15 PM - Send SMS action has a red border and a warning triangle because it needs attention. The actions around it are configured and appear normal.
Green means the action is configured. Every required field is filled in, and any tag, list, or workflow it points to still exists in the connected integration. The action card looks normal.
Red means the action needs your attention. It appears as a red border around the action card with a small warning triangle icon. There are two common reasons an action turns red.
The two reasons an action shows red:
A required field is empty. For example, an Add Tag action with no tag selected, or a message action with no message written.
A tag, list, or workflow no longer exists. If you selected a tag or list when you built the action, and that tag or list was later renamed or deleted inside your integration, the action can no longer find it and turns red.
Here is why the 5:15 PM - Send SMS action above is red: open it, and the required Numbers (From Number) field is empty, outlined in red. Select a number and the action turns green.
The indicator is recalculated every time the Timeline loads, so it always reflects the current state of the action. There is no old or stuck status stored behind it.
Red does not mean the action failed
This is the most important thing to understand. A red border is a setup warning, not a delivery report. It tells you the action is missing something it needs before your event runs. It does not mean the action already ran and failed.
Red simply means: finish setting this up. In most cases you fill in the missing field, and the border clears right away.
You should see: once you fill the empty field or reselect a valid tag or list, the red border and warning triangle clear and the action turns green.
Still red after you fixed it? Refresh the integration, then reload the Timeline
If a red action depends on a tag or list in an integration, and you just fixed the cause somewhere else (for example, you recreated the tag or reconnected the integration), the Timeline you already have open may still show red.
The reason is that the Timeline loads your integration's tags and lists when the page first opens. Fixing or reconnecting the integration elsewhere does not refresh a Timeline that is already open. First, refresh or reconnect the integration so its tags and lists are current. Then reload the Timeline page. Reloading pulls a fresh copy of your integration's data and recalculates every action, which clears any red that is actually fixed.
Tip: if you filled in a field or fixed a tag and the action did not turn green, reload the Timeline before assuming anything is wrong.
Still red after reloading? If an action stays red even after you fixed the cause and reloaded the page, that usually points to something specific to that integration rather than your setup. Reach out to support so we can take a look.
Green is not a guarantee it will send
Green means the action is configured correctly. It does not test your live connection. An action can be green and still fail to deliver if the integration's credentials have expired or the connection has dropped.
For any action that matters for a live event, do two extra checks:
Test the integration connection. See Connecting Your Streaming Platform for streaming platforms, and the CRM, email, and SMS connection guide for everything else, to confirm the connection still works.
Confirm the tag or list still exists. Open the action and make sure the tag, list, or workflow you selected is still the one you want and still exists in your integration.
Pre-flight checklist before you go live
Run through this quick list before your event to make sure every action is ready.
Open the Timeline and scan the indicators. Every action you plan to use should be green.
Fix any red action. Open it, fill in the empty field, or reselect a tag or list that still exists.
Reload the page if an action stays red after you fixed it, then scan again.
Test each integration connection that a critical action depends on.
Confirm your tags and lists still exist and are the ones you intend to use.
For more on building and editing actions, see Timeline Creation - Expert and Timeline Action Builder Basics.
Troubleshooting
An action is red but I did not change anything: a tag or list this action uses was likely renamed or deleted in your integration. Open the action and reselect a valid tag or list.
I fixed the action but it is still red: refresh or reconnect the integration, then reload the Timeline page. The builder loads your integration data when the page opens and does not refresh an already-open Timeline until you reload.
It is still red even after reloading: this usually means something specific to that integration needs a closer look. Contact support and we will help.
Every action is green but one still did not send: green confirms setup, not live delivery. Test the integration connection and confirm the tag or list still exists.