> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.propilotapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build a Sequence

> Create a sequence step by step: conversation type, steps, wait times, templates, validation, and saving.

You build sequences on the **Sequences** page. Click **Add Sequence** to open the builder,
where you name the sequence, choose its conversation type, and stack up the steps of your
cadence. The builder checks your work as you go and only blocks you when you try to save with
unresolved issues.

<Info>
  **Key things to know**

  * The **conversation type** (New vs Existing) binds the first messaging step and is locked once saved.
  * A floating **Validation** widget lists issues live; click an issue to jump to the step. You can keep editing freely - saving is blocked only while errors remain.
  * At most **2 SMS steps** per sequence, and no two SMS (or two emails) within **24 hours** of each other.
  * Sequence names must be **unique** in your organization (capitalization doesn't matter).
</Info>

## Create a sequence

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add a sequence">
    On the **Sequences** page, click **Add Sequence**. The builder opens as **New Sequence**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the conversation type">
    Choose **New Conversation** for cold outreach with no prior thread, or **Existing
    Conversation** to continue a thread you already have with the agent. This choice binds the
    first SMS or email step and decides who can be enrolled later: a New Conversation sequence
    only enrolls contacts you haven't messaged yet, and an Existing Conversation sequence only
    enrolls contacts you have. It's locked once the sequence is saved.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name it">
    Give the sequence a name that's unique within your organization (case doesn't matter -
    "Cold Intro" and "cold intro" count as the same name). A duplicate name shows up as a
    validation issue right away.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add steps">
    Click **Add Step** for each touch and configure it - see the field guide below. Steps run
    in order, each after its own wait time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Resolve validation issues">
    Watch the floating **Validation** widget. It shows a green **Ready to save** pill when
    everything checks out, or a count of issues to fix. Click any issue to jump straight to
    the offending step.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save Active Sequence**. If any errors remain, saving is blocked until you fix
    them.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step fields

| Field                        | What it controls                                                                                                                                                                          |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Wait**                     | How long after the previous step this step goes due, in hours or days. Minimum 10 minutes between steps.                                                                                  |
| **Action**                   | **SMS task**, **Email**, or **Call task**.                                                                                                                                                |
| **Conversation context**     | **New Conversation** (opens a thread) or **Existing Conversation** (continues one). Later steps pick their own context; a second touch on the same channel must be Existing Conversation. |
| **Follow-up / New Property** | For Existing Conversation steps: **Follow-up** means same agent and property; **New Property** means same agent, different property. This decides which templates you can pick.           |
| **Template**                 | The SMS or email template the step sends. Only templates matching the step's channel and context appear.                                                                                  |
| **Delivery** (email only)    | **Auto-sends on schedule**, or **You review before sending** through Review & Send.                                                                                                       |
| **Call script**              | Optional talking points shown when a call task goes due.                                                                                                                                  |
| **Discount**                 | A per-step offer discount off list price; leave it alone to inherit your organization's default.                                                                                          |

<Note>
  Templates come from your message template library. If the template dropdown is empty, create
  a template (or assign the right type to an existing one) first - see
  [Message Templates](/features/message-templates) and
  [Advanced Settings > Communication](/settings/advanced-settings/communication).
</Note>

## Example: a 4-step cold outreach cadence

<Steps>
  <Step title="Step 1: SMS task, New Conversation">
    Your opener. Pick a New Conversation SMS template. The wait on the first step is the delay
    after enrollment before it goes due.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Step 2: Email, New Conversation, wait 1 day">
    Email is a separate channel, so it can also open a conversation - one New Conversation
    step per channel is allowed. Set delivery to **Auto** if you want it to send itself.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Step 3: Call task, wait 2 days">
    Add talking points in the **Call script** so whoever works the step knows what to say.
    Call tasks have no conversation context.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Step 4: SMS task, Existing Conversation, wait 2 days">
    Your second (and last possible) SMS. It must be Existing Conversation, because it
    continues the thread step 1 opened, and it must be at least 24 hours after step 1.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Build rules the validator enforces

* Up to **10 steps** per sequence.
* At most **2 SMS steps**.
* Every step after the first must wait at least **10 minutes**.
* Two SMS steps, or two email steps, must be at least **24 hours** apart (counting the total
  wait between them, even with other steps in between).
* Only one **New Conversation** step per channel; a second SMS or email touch must be
  **Existing Conversation**.
* Every SMS and email step needs a template; Existing Conversation steps must pick
  **Follow-up** or **New Property**.
* The sequence needs a name that isn't already used in your organization.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why can't I add a third SMS step?">
    Sequences allow at most 2 SMS steps. Texting is the most intrusive channel, so the cadence
    pushes extra touches to email or call tasks instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does validation say only one New Conversation SMS is allowed?">
    The first SMS opens the conversation; a second SMS by definition continues it. Set the
    second SMS step's context to **Existing Conversation** and the issue clears.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why must my two email steps be 24 hours apart?">
    No channel may message the same contact twice within 24 hours. Increase the total wait
    between the two email steps to at least 24 hours - the validator counts all the waits in
    between, not just the gap to the previous step.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I keep editing while there are validation issues?">
    Yes. The builder never blocks you mid-edit - issues just stack up in the floating
    **Validation** widget. Only **Save Active Sequence** is blocked while errors remain.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I change the conversation type after saving?">
    The conversation type decides who can be enrolled, so changing it on a live sequence would
    invalidate existing enrollments. Use **Duplicate** or **Duplicate & Edit** and set the
    type on the copy.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is the template dropdown empty for my step?">
    Each step only shows templates matching its channel (SMS or email) and its conversation
    context (and, for Existing Conversation, its Follow-up or New Property type). Create a
    matching template or assign the right type to an existing one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do call steps need a script?">
    No - the script is optional. A call task without a script still goes due; you place the
    call however you like and click **Mark Done**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>