Skip to content
NewSee how

How to Troubleshoot a Low Warm-up Score in FirstSales

Diagnose a stuck or falling Warmup Score (authentication gaps, over-sending, and reputation damage) and get a mailbox back to Healthy.

Tutorials
Email Warm-up
min read
8 min
steps
6 · Intermediate

  1. Open the Warm Up tab and read the status

    Open the connector and go to the Warm Up tab. The health badge tells you where the mailbox stands:

    • Healthy (score 80+, warm and sending well.
    • Warming) ramping up ("Ramping up (Day N") or mid-score; normal for a new mailbox.
    • Placement pending) waiting on inbox-placement data before scoring.
    • Issues: score under 40; needs attention.
    • Paused / Blocked / Disabled: warm-up isn't progressing (see below).

    Most "problems" are just a mailbox still Warming: that's expected and only needs time.

    Open the Warm Up tab and read the status

  2. Fix: warm-up won't turn on

    If you can't enable warm-up, the mailbox is almost certainly unverified. The tab shows "Verify this connector before enabling warmup." Finish connecting/verifying the mailbox first, then the Email Warmup toggle ("Gradually build sender reputation") becomes available.

  3. Fix: status says Blocked

    A Blocked badge shows a banner: "Warmup blocked: {reason}" with "Sender reputation won't progress until this is resolved." Read the reason and clear it: common causes are an authentication/connection problem or a mailbox that needs reconnecting. Warm-up resumes once the block is gone.

  4. Fix: reconnect a mailbox that lost access

    If a Google or Microsoft mailbox's OAuth access lapsed, its card shows a Reconnect account action. Click it to re-authorize: this clears auth-related blocks and lets sending and warm-up continue. For OAuth errors during reconnect, use Try again.

  5. Fix: score stuck low (New / Needs Engagement)

    A new or low-scoring mailbox surfaces a hold sub-label that tells you exactly what it needs:

    • New ("Just added) start sending to build a health score."
    • Warming Up ("Keep sending) needs 20+ emails to get a health score."
    • Needs Engagement ("Improve open or reply rates to reach Healthy status."

    So a stuck score usually means keep sending (volume) or improve replies (engagement)) not a bug. Better targeting and copy lift engagement, which lifts the score.

  6. Read the Daily Breakdown for the real cause

    Scroll to the Daily Breakdown table for the day-by-day truth: Sent, Delivered, Opened, Replied, Bounced, Spam, and Rescued (auto-pulled out of spam). Also check Daily Target and Days Active.

    Rising bounced or spam counts point to list quality or authentication; flat "Days Active" with no sends points to a paused or blocked mailbox. Fix the specific signal the table exposes rather than toggling warm-up off and on.

Pro tips

  • 'Warming' is not a problem

    A new mailbox reads Warming (or 'Ramping up (Day N') by design. Don't disable it or panic at a mid-range score) warm-up takes days to climb. Patience is the fix.

  • Unverified = can't warm up

    The single most common 'warm-up won't start' cause is an unverified connector. Verify the mailbox first; the toggle unlocks after that.

  • Reconnect clears auth blocks

    A Blocked mailbox is often just expired OAuth. Use Reconnect account on the connector card before assuming anything worse.

  • Low score? Send more, and get replies

    The hold labels spell it out: build volume past 20 emails, then improve open/reply rates. Engagement (not a setting) is what pushes a mailbox to Healthy.

Frequently asked questions

Why won't warm-up turn on?

The connector is unverified. The Warm Up tab shows 'Verify this connector before enabling warmup.' Complete verification, then the Email Warmup toggle becomes available.

My mailbox says 'Warming': is something wrong?

No. Warming (and 'Ramping up: Day N') is the normal state for a new or recovering mailbox. It climbs toward Healthy (score 80+) over several days of steady sending.

What does a 'Blocked' status mean?

Warm-up is halted: the banner reads 'Warmup blocked: {reason}' and reputation won't progress until you resolve that reason: often an authentication or connection issue. Fixing it (frequently via Reconnect account) resumes warm-up.

How do I reconnect a mailbox?

On the connector card, click Reconnect account (available for Google and Microsoft) and re-authorize. This clears auth-related blocks so sending and warm-up continue.

Why is my warm-up score stuck low?

Check the hold sub-label. New/Warming Up mean keep sending (a score needs 20+ emails); Needs Engagement means improve open and reply rates. A low score is usually a volume or engagement gap, not a fault.

What is 'Placement pending'?

The mailbox is waiting on inbox-placement data before it can be scored, so the gauge shows pending rather than a number. It resolves on its own as placement data comes in.

Where can I see day-by-day warm-up activity?

The Daily Breakdown table on the Warm Up tab shows Sent, Delivered, Opened, Replied, Bounced, Spam, and Rescued per day, alongside Daily Target and Days Active: the best place to spot a real deliverability problem.

Should I disable and re-enable warm-up to fix issues?

No: disabling warm-up pauses your sender-reputation progress (the app warns you of this). Instead, fix the specific signal: verify the mailbox, reconnect it, or improve engagement. Leave warm-up running.

Email Warm-up

Outreach that keeps going after you log off.Leads, emails, follow-ups and replies, handled.

Connect unlimited mailboxes and let AI agents find leads, write each email and follow up. Or send your own templates in manual mode. From $29/mo.

Start your $1 trial See pricing

$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime · No contract

Install with AI

Your coding agent sets up the FirstSales CLI and skills for you.

Prompt for Claude Code

I'm setting up FirstSales (https://firstsales.io), an AI outbound sales platform: campaigns, contacts, a reply inbox, deliverability and lead signals. Help me get my workspace sending real, good emails end to end, from Claude Code.

Read these first so you know how FirstSales works:
- Developer docs and API: https://developer.firstsales.io
- CLI: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@firstsales.io/cli
- Skills for coding agents: https://github.com/firstsalesio/firstsales-skills (read README.md and GUIDE.md)

Setup
1. Install the CLI: npm install -g @firstsales.io/cli
2. Install the FirstSales skills:
   claude plugin marketplace add firstsalesio/firstsales-skills
   claude plugin install firstsales@firstsales
3. Ask me if I already have a FirstSales account. If not, send me to https://app.firstsales.io to sign up.
4. Ask me to create an API key under Settings → API → API Keys, with only the scopes we need.
   Never ask me to paste the key into this chat. Tell me to run this in my own terminal, so the key stays hidden:
   read -rs FS_KEY && firstsales auth login --api-key "$FS_KEY"; unset FS_KEY
5. Run `firstsales whoami` and tell me which workspace and organisation we are connected to.

Then ask me about my business: what I sell, who I sell to (roles, company size, countries), my best customers, and what I use today for outbound (tools, lists, mailboxes). Walk me through:
1. Teaching FirstSales my business: website, offer, proof points and case studies in the knowledge base, so the AI writes like someone who knows the product.
2. Connecting my sending mailboxes and checking my sending domain: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and warm-up. If anything is unhealthy, tell me the exact DNS record to add.
3. Bringing in contacts: import my CSV or CRM export into a clean list, remove duplicates and bad emails, and block domains I must never email (customers, competitors, my own).
4. Building my first campaign: the right list, senders, steps and timing. Write the sequence with me, show me the drafts, and do not launch until I say yes.
5. Setting up Signals if it fits: find people engaging with LinkedIn posts about topics my buyers care about, and turn them into leads.
6. Inviting my team and giving each person the right access.

Once campaigns run, show me how to work the reply inbox from here: which replies need an answer, draft responses in my voice, and move good conversations into deals. If I use Cal.com, connect it so follow-ups can offer my booking link (not the first email).

Throughout, as you learn about my business, proactively suggest and help create:
- Reply templates for the questions and objections my prospects are likely to raise, based on my product, site and codebase if you can see them.
- Campaign ideas and segments worth testing, with the reason for each.

Safety rules:
- Show every change as a dry run (--dry-run) first and wait for my yes. Never send emails, launch campaigns or delete anything without my yes.
- Tell me before anything that spends credits, and how many.

Be opinionated. If the docs give a sensible default, just use it. Don't make me choose between five options.
Developer docs ↗npm: @firstsales.io/cli ↗GitHub: firstsales-skills ↗