# campaign_has_no_recipients

- HTTP status: 409
- Retry: No
- Execution: not started
- Admin needed: no

**Campaign has no recipients.** A campaign needs at least one recipient before it can start.

## What it means

The API returns HTTP 409 with `error.code` set to `campaign_has_no_recipients`. The default message is: "This campaign has no recipients to call."

## Common causes

- No recipients were added.

## How to identify it

Check the response status (`409`) and `error.code` (`campaign_has_no_recipients`). Branch on `error.code`, not on the message text: messages can be reworded, codes do not change within v1. Log `error.request_id` (also sent as the `X-Request-Id` header) so support can find the request.

## How to fix it

- Add recipients with POST /v1/campaigns/{campaign_id}/recipients, then start it.

## Retry guidance

Sending the request unchanged fails the same way. Fix the cause first (see How to fix it), then send it again.

## Did anything happen?

This request was refused before any call was placed and before anything was charged.

## Idempotency

Nothing was done and the refusal is not stored under the Idempotency-Key. Fix the cause, then send the same request (with the same key if you sent one).

## Who can fix it

The developer who sends the request can fix it; no administrator action is normally needed.

## When to contact support

If the error persists after the steps above, contact [support@relationsai.com](mailto:support@relationsai.com). See [Support](/resources/support) for what to include (the `request_id`, the time in UTC, the operation, and whether you used a test or live key) and what never to send (API keys, Authorization headers, webhook signing secrets, recording links, transcripts or customer data).

## Example error response

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "campaign_has_no_recipients",
    "message": "This campaign has no recipients to call.",
    "details": {},
    "request_id": "req_kuitjbjm7koe3f5m6z2wnbff",
    "retry": "no",
    "doc_url": "https://docs.relationsai.com/errors/campaign_has_no_recipients"
  }
}
```

## Incorrect and corrected request

Incorrect: The campaign has no recipients.

```http
POST /v1/campaigns/cmp_2Kd7Fg4Hj9Lz3Xc8Vb5Nm1/start
```

Corrected: Add recipients while it is a draft, then start it with a new Idempotency-Key.

```http
POST /v1/campaigns/cmp_2Kd7Fg4Hj9Lz3Xc8Vb5Nm1/recipients

{
  "contact_ids": [
    "ct_8Rw2Tq5Lm9Xc3Vb7Nz4Kp1"
  ]
}
```

## Operations that can return this error

- [`POST /campaigns/{campaign_id}/start`](/api/campaigns#start-a-campaign): Start a campaign

See all codes in the [error-code reference](/fundamentals/error-codes).