--- title: "Understand when people can’t be added to flows" slug: "understand-when-people-cant-be-added-to-flows" updated: 2026-04-15T07:50:48Z published: 2026-04-15T07:50:48Z --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gong.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Understand when people can’t be added to flows > **Who can use this**: Any team member > > **Available on**: Gong Engage > > **Ideal for**: Sales rep, Sales manager In some cases, flows are configured to prevent adding people, so you may not be able to add a person to a flow. Flows have rulesets that define how they behave, and company settings define what is allowed across all flows. Together, these determine when people can be added to flows. For example, an exclusive flow prevents a person from being added to other flows while they are in that flow. A company cool-off period may also prevent adding a person to a new flow after they complete or are removed from a previous flow. These rules apply to both company and personal flows. ### Configure flow ruleset properties Flow properties are set in a flow’s ruleset. These settings control whether people can be added to other flows or re-added after completing a flow. To configure flow properties: 1. Access the ruleset through **Engage > Flows** or **Engage > Rulesets**. 2. Do one of the following: - **From Flows:** 1. Select the flow you want to update and click **Settings**. 2. Expand the **Ruleset** section. - **From Rulesets:** Select the ruleset you want to edit. 3. Under **Flow properties**, configure the following: - **This flow is exclusive**: Prevents a person from being added to other flows at the same time. This option is disabled and set to exclusive by default if your company flow settings do not allow people to be added to multiple flows. - **Apply the cool-off period**: Choose whether to apply or ignore the company cool-off period. If your company enabled this setting, you can choose whether to apply or ignore it. If it is disabled in company flow settings, this option does not appear. ### How exclusivity works #### With automation rules - If a contact is in one or more non-exclusive flows and matches another non-exclusive flow, they are added to that flow. - If a contact is not in any flow but matches both an exclusive and a non-exclusive flow, the exclusive flow takes priority. - If a contact matches multiple exclusive flows at the same time, they are added to one of them. Exclusivity does not remove people from flows they are already in. #### When adding people manually - If an exclusive flow is selected, no other flows can be selected. - If a person is already in an exclusive flow, they must be removed from that flow before being added to another flow. - People in non-exclusive flows can be added to additional non-exclusive flows. #### When adding people in bulk After selecting people in the **People**, **Accounts**, or **Flows** page and clicking **Add to flow**: - You can see who is already in flows, in exclusive flows, or marked as **Do not contact**. - You can remove people from their current flows before adding them to another flow. - Changes take effect after clicking **Save**. #### With third-party integrations The same rules apply when adding people to flows through integrations such as LeadIQ or ZoomInfo. The API recognizes and applies exclusivity when adding people to flows. ### How cool-off periods work - A cool-off period starts when a person exits a flow, whether they completed it or were removed from it. - While a person is in a cool-off period, they can’t be added to another flow. - If you try to add someone during this period, you’ll see a message explaining that they can’t be added yet. - Some flows may allow adding people even during a cool-off period, if the flow’s ruleset is set to ignore the cool-off period. - You can see if a person is in a cool-off period on the **People** page and in the contact panel, including how much time remains. - Once the cool-off period ends, the person can be added to a flow again. - Manual outreach, such as one-off emails or calls, doesn’t start or reset the cool-off period. Any team member can access this feature if they have the required permissions. Gong’s AI-driven sales engagement solution that helps sales teams prioritize, personalize, and automate outreach activities to accelerate their pipelines. Access to features depends on your [company’s plan and your assigned seat](/v1/docs/plans-and-seats). A quota-carrying sales representative who manages client relationships. Reps can be Account executives (AEs) or Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). A team member who manages a team of sales reps.