Fix a Broken Connection: Error Status, Sync Notes and Reconnecting
Updated
Open Connections and read the status and the amber note under your site's address. A red Error usually means your platform stopped accepting SEOmatic's access: click Edit and connect again. Nothing on your site was changed, and your tasks and history are kept.
Read Your Connection Card#
- In the sidebar, check the workspace at the top is the site you want. The page shows one workspace at a time.
- Under Setup, click Connections.
- Look at the dot under your site's address, any amber note next to it, and Last sync.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Green Active | The last check or change through the connection worked. | Nothing, unless an amber note says otherwise. |
| Amber Connected, Sync Blocked | Your access is fine, but your site refused to list its pages to SEOmatic, often a firewall or security plugin. Nothing syncs until it is fixed. | Read the amber note under the address and allow SEOmatic through (see below). |
| Red Error | Your platform refused SEOmatic's access (the password or key was changed or revoked, or the app was removed), or the last Test connection failed. | Reconnect, see below. It turns green again on its own after the next change or test that works. |
Read the amber note
If a firewall or security plugin blocks SEOmatic, the dot turns amber and says Connected, Sync Blocked. The amber note under the address says what was refused.
What the Amber Note Means#
| Note starts with | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sync could not list content: ... rejected the credentials (401) | Your access was revoked or changed. Reconnect. |
| Sync could not list content: Your web host is blocking SEOmatic's login | Your WordPress host removes SEOmatic's login before it reaches WordPress, so we can't read or change your pages. Reconnecting won't fix it: send your host the note on the Connections page (click Copy), then connect again. See connect WordPress. |
| Sync could not list content: Application passwords are turned off on your site | A security plugin or a setting usually does this. Turn them back on for your user in WordPress, then connect again. |
| Sync could not list content: ... refused to list its content (403) | The connected account lacks rights, or a firewall blocks SEOmatic. Connect with an admin account, or allow SEOmatic in your firewall. WordPress users: see the allowlist in connect WordPress. |
| Sync could not list content: ... API was not found (HTTP 404) | Your platform's API is switched off or moved. On WordPress, check Settings, Permalinks is not Plain and nothing disables the REST API. |
| Sync could not list content: ... answered with something other than its API | A security plugin, maintenance page or redirect answers instead of your platform. Let SEOmatic through. |
| Sync could not list content: ... did not answer or could not reach | Your site was down or slow. SEOmatic tries again at the next daily sync. Check your site loads. |
| Connected, but the CMS returned no content documents SEOmatic can work with | You connected an empty project, space, dataset or collection. Disconnect and connect the one with your live content, or publish content first. |
| Connected, but the CMS returned no content for part of the site | One type of content could not be read, often a missing permission. Follow the rest of the note, usually by reconnecting with that permission. |
| Heads up: this CMS is a different website | The platform you connected is not the site this workspace tracks, for example a staging copy. Your agents will not edit pages through it. Disconnect and connect the right site, or switch to the workspace for that site. |
| Authorization revoked - token deleted | The SEOmatic app was removed or access was revoked on your platform. Connect again from the platform's row. |
| Note: ... | Information about your platform's limits, for example on Squarespace, Framer or GitHub. Nothing to fix. |
Reconnect#
- On the connection card, click Edit.
- Sign in to your platform again, or paste a new key, the same way you first connected.
- Click Update, or the sign-in button in the dialog.
- Click Test connection. A green Active status means you are back.
To switch to another site or platform, click Disconnect instead, then Add Connection on the right row. Only workspace Admins and Owners see Edit and Disconnect. Members can connect a site that is not connected yet. Viewers can only look and test.
Reconnecting keeps your blog choice
Reconnecting the same site keeps the blog or collection you chose for new articles. If you connect a different site, or update a HubSpot private app token, the card says Choose where agent articles go: choose it again there.
What Test Connection Does#
Test connection checks your saved access against your platform. It changes nothing on your site and uses no credits. If it fails, a message says why and the status turns red. If your platform did not answer, the status is left as it was: try again in a few minutes.
Other Places You Hear About It#
- Email: the workspace owner gets an email like Your WordPress connection stopped. when SEOmatic finds dead access, at most once a week. Its Reconnect button (followed by your platform name) opens Connections: switch to the right workspace first if you have several.
- Needs you: a row Reconnect followed by your platform, or Check your platform connection, with a button to fix it. See the Needs you list.
- Top of every page: Your agent can't publish yet. means no site is connected in this workspace. Click Connect CMS.
- Was anything on my site changed or undone?
- No. A broken connection only stops new changes. Changes already live stay live. Changes you approve cannot be published until you reconnect.
- How often does SEOmatic re-read my site?
- Right after you connect, then once a day. There is no syncing indicator: check Last sync on the card. On Webflow, Shopify, Contentful, Sanity, Strapi, Ghost and Craft, an Owner or Admin can click Sync changes within minutes on the card and add the webhook address it shows to the platform's webhook settings (publish, update and delete events). Changes then reach SEOmatic within minutes.
- I disconnected. Does SEOmatic still have access to my platform?
- On HubSpot and Contentful (when you signed in), access is revoked for you. On Webflow, SEOmatic first removes its structured data scripts from every page, then revokes its access; publish your site so the removal goes live (see disconnect or uninstall). For WordPress, Shopify, Ghost and other key-based platforms, delete the key or Application Password in your platform. For Blogger, remove SEOmatic from your Google account.
- Still stuck?
- Email contact@seomatic.ai with the exact note from your card. A person replies, usually within one business day.
Was This Article Helpful?
Still need help?Email contact@seomatic.ai with your site address and a screenshot. A person replies, usually within one business day.