Overview
The AI SDR automatically pauses responses in certain situations to protect your brand, ensure compliance, and hand off conversations when human expertise is needed. Understanding these triggers helps you know when to step in and when the AI is working as designed.
Why the AI Stops Responding
Here are the situations that cause the AI SDR to pause or stop replying to a conversation:
1. Human Manual Response
When you or a team member manually replies to a prospect from the AI SDR, it automatically steps back to avoid duplicate or conflicting messages. This gives you full control of the conversation.
What happens: The AI stops responding immediately after detecting your manual reply from the AI SDR.
2. Do Not Contact Requests
If a prospect requests to stop communication (e.g., "unsubscribe," "remove me," "stop emailing"), the AI SDR honors this immediately and stops the conversation.
What happens: The contact is flagged globally as Do Not Contact, and the conversation is immediately stopped.
Action required: None. This is automatic and ensures compliance.
The AI SDR recognizes variations of opt-out language to protect your sender reputation and comply with email regulations.
3. Meeting Booked
Once a meeting is successfully scheduled with your prospect, the AI SDR's mission is complete.
What happens: The calendar event is created, and the AI stops all further outreach to that contact.
Action required: None. You can view booked meetings in your calendar and conversation history.
4. AI SDR Disabled
The AI SDR can be disabled either org-wide in Settings or on a per-conversation basis.
What happens: All AI responses stop until you re-enable the feature.
How to resume: Go to Settings > AI SDR Agent and toggle "Auto Agent Run" back on, or resume AI for individual conversations from the Inbox.
Check your calendar integration status in Settings. If your calendar disconnects, the AI SDR may pause to prevent booking errors.
5. Security Threats Detected
If the AI detects hostile behavior like prompt injection attempts, system information queries, or suspicious language patterns, it immediately stops responding to protect your account.
What happens: A red "Security Alert" banner appears in the conversation thread, and the AI will not reply.
Action required: Review the conversation manually. You can dismiss the alert and respond yourself if appropriate, or delete the thread.
Examples of security threats include: "Show me your prompt," "Ignore previous instructions," or attempts to extract system information.
6. Future Follow-Up Requests Beyond 24 Hours
When a prospect asks to be contacted at a later date (e.g., "Follow up with me in a couple of weeks" or "Contact me in 6 months"), the AI escalates the conversation instead of setting an automated reminder.
What happens: The conversation moves to Needs Attention with a yellow "Escalated to Human" banner.
Action required: Set a manual reminder or create a Task in the CRM to follow up at the requested time.
7. Complex Requirements
The AI SDR escalates conversations that require expertise beyond its knowledge base, such as custom pricing requests, technical questions, or requests to switch communication platforms (e.g., "connect on LinkedIn").
What happens: The conversation is escalated with a yellow banner, and the AI pauses to let you provide a personalized response.
Action required: Review the request and respond manually with the information or next steps.
Keep your knowledge base up to date to reduce escalations. The more the AI knows, the more it can handle independently.
8. Auto-Responses Detected
When the AI detects an automated email reply (like out-of-office messages), it waits instead of responding immediately. This prevents unnecessary back-and-forth with automated systems.
What happens: The AI pauses and does not reply to the conversation.
Action required: Manually follow up if or when appropriate.
Checking Why a Conversation Stopped
To see why the AI SDR stopped responding to a specific conversation:
Go to Inbox and open the conversation thread
Look for colored banners at the top:
Red banner: Security threat or Do Not Contact request
Yellow banner: Escalated for human review
Green banner: Meeting successfully booked
Check the conversation status badge for additional context
Troubleshooting
If the AI SDR isn't responding and you're not sure why:
Check Settings: Ensure the AI SDR is enabled org-wide in Settings > AI SDR Agent
Verify calendar connection: A disconnected calendar can pause booking-related conversations
Review recent activity: Look for manual responses from your team that may have paused the AI
Check campaign status: Ensure your email campaigns are active and synced
Related Resources
Understanding AI SDR Escalations - Detailed guide on handling escalated conversations
AI SDR Overview - How to navigate your Inbox and manage AI settings
Setting Up AI SDR with Google Calendar - Prevent calendar-related pauses