Overview
Moving a lead to a new status does not stop the automation it was already in.
Both keep running. If you move a lead from Can't Reach to Follow-Up, the Can't Reach sequence carries on alongside the new one — which is how sellers end up getting two sets of messages.
If your process expects one sequence at a time, you have to stop the old one explicitly.
Steps
Step 1: Open the automation that should take over
The one for the new stage.
Step 2: Add Stop All Previous Automations as the first action
Before anything else in the sequence.
Step 3: Build the rest of the sequence after it
Step 4: Check your other automations
If a different automation moves leads into this stage, make sure it also starts this one where it should.
Step 5: Test with a sample lead
Step 6: Confirm
Review the lead's automation activity and check the old sequence stopped and the new one started.
Stopping an automation does not remove its tasks
Since 7 October 2026, when a lead enters an automation all of its tasks are created immediately — including ones scheduled for future dates.
If you then stop that automation, the tasks it already created stay on the lead. They are not deleted.
This is deliberate, so scheduled follow-up is not silently lost when an automation is stopped. But it means Stop All Previous Automations does not tidy up after the old sequence — the messages stop, the tasks remain, and someone has to clear them by hand if they are no longer wanted.
Important Notes
Status changes do not cancel automations. This is the behaviour people get caught by.
A lead can run several automations at once unless your workflow stops them.
Putting the stop action first is the guardrail — it runs before any of the new sequence's messages.
Stopping stops messages, not tasks. Tasks already created remain on the lead.
Overlap is sometimes what you want. A long-term nurture running alongside a short campaign can be deliberate. The stop action is only for when the new sequence should replace the old.
Frequently asked questions
If I move a lead from Can't Reach to Follow-Up, does the Can't Reach automation stop?
No. Both continue unless you stop the previous one.
Can I intentionally run more than one automation?
Yes. The stop action is only needed when the new sequence should replace the old.
Where should the stop action go?
First step of the new automation.
I stopped an automation but its tasks are still on the lead. Is that a bug?
No. Tasks created by an automation remain when it is stopped, so nothing scheduled is lost. Clear them manually if they are no longer needed.
Troubleshooting
A seller is getting messages from two sequences
Check the lead's active automation enrolments.
Confirm the new automation begins with Stop All Previous Automations.
Review the automation activity to see when each sequence started.
The old sequence stopped but the new one did not start
Check the stop action has the rest of the sequence after it, and that the automation is active.
A lead is covered in tasks from an automation you stopped
Expected since 7 October 2026. Tasks are created upfront and survive the automation being stopped. Clear the ones you do not want.
Related
Best Practice for Building Lead Follow-Up Automations
How to Troubleshoot an Automation That Didn't Run
How to Reactivate Leads From a Previous Drip Campaign in REsimpli