Understand Opt-Out and Mailable Status Behavior Between Bullhorn ATS and Bullhorn Automation

Bullhorn ATS and Bullhorn Automation each manage opt-out status independently. Knowing how the two systems interact, and when they do not, helps you understand why a candidate or contact's mailable status changed, or why it did not change when you expected it to.

Common Reasons You Might Need This Article

• A candidate clicked Unsubscribe in an automation email, but their opt-out field in the ATS did not update.

• A contact's ATS massMailOptOut field was updated, but their Bullhorn Automation mailable status does not reflect the change.

• A candidate or contact's email address was updated after an opt-out, but their mailable status did not reset the way you expected.

• A contact hard-bounced on an automation email but is still showing activity in a running automation.

• An Update step in an automation changed Subscription Status, and you are not sure whether it also affected the ATS opt-out field.

• A contact shows as opted out in Bullhorn Automation but has no opt-out recorded in the ATS, or the reverse.

Why Opt-Out Changes Don't Always Sync Between ATS and Bullhorn Automation

Bullhorn ATS and Bullhorn Automation each maintain their own opt-out records. By default, a change in one system does not automatically update the other. The ATS uses the massMailOptOut field to indicate whether a candidate or contact should receive mass email. Bullhorn Automation uses the Mailable Status field, which tracks opt-out status and records the reason for it.

The two systems do interact under certain conditions, which the table below describes. Your organization can also enable the Update Mass Mail Opt Out setting in Bullhorn Automation to extend how changes sync between the systems. See Bullhorn Automation Optional Settings for more information on that setting.

How Each Opt-Out Scenario Affects ATS and Bullhorn Automation

The table below shows each scenario, what it triggers in the ATS, and what it triggers in Bullhorn Automation (BHA).

What triggers the change	ATS massMailOptOut changes to (If sync MassMailOptOut is not enabled)	BHA Mailable Status changes to
A candidate or contact clicks Unsubscribe in a Bullhorn Automation email.	No change	No (Opt Out By Contact)
A candidate or contact's email address is updated after they previously clicked Unsubscribe in a Bullhorn Automation email.	No change	No change: the opt-out remains active
A candidate or contact clicks Unsubscribe in a mass email sent through the ATS.	True	No (Opt Out From ATS)
Subscription Status is set to Unsubscribed via an Update step in an automation.	True	No (Opt Out From Step)
A Bullhorn Automation email hard bounces, or soft bounces three times.	No change	No (Unsubscribed By Bounce)
A candidate or contact's email address is updated after their email previously hard bounced.	No change	Yes: mailable status resets on the next sync
A candidate or contact has a hard bounce on record but is still enrolled in an active automation.	No change	No change: automation steps run and are logged, but emails do not send.

Why Updating an Email Address Does Not Always Reset Mailable Status

Updating a candidate or contact's email address resets mailable status in some scenarios but not others. The difference depends on why they were opted out in the first place.

Bullhorn Automation tracks opt-outs by email address. When someone clicks Unsubscribe, the opt-out applies to that email address across all automations and emails. If the email address on the record is later updated, the opt-out does not clear. The person made an active choice to unsubscribe, and Bullhorn Automation applies that choice regardless of which email address you use to reach them.

A hard bounce works differently. A hard bounce means the email address itself was undeliverable for a permanent reason. Updating the record with a valid address removes the barrier to delivery, so Bullhorn Automation resets the mailable status on the next sync.

How the Update Step Interacts With the ATS OptOut Field

An Update step in a Bullhorn Automation workflow can set the Subscription Status field to Unsubscribed. When this happens, the ATS massMailOptOut field is also set to True. This is because the Subscription Status field in Bullhorn Automation is linked to the ATS OptOut field.

If you are building automations that include Update steps targeting Subscription Status, be aware that this may affect opt-out records in the ATS. Review your automation logic carefully before enabling this step at scale.

What Happens When a Hard-Bounced Contact Is Still in an Active Automation

If a candidate or contact experiences a hard bounce but is not excluded from an automation list, they continue through the automation. Each step runs and is logged as expected. However, any Send Email steps do not deliver a message because the contact's mailable status prevents it.

If you want to stop the automation from processing hard-bounced contacts entirely, add a list condition that excludes contacts with Hard Bounce An email that cannot be delivered for a permanent reason, such as an email or domain name that doesn't exist. activity. Without that condition, the automation logs the steps as completed even though no email was sent.

Troubleshooting

A candidate clicked Unsubscribe in an automation email, but their ATS massMailOptOut field did not update.

By default, clicking Unsubscribe in a Bullhorn Automation email does not change the ATS massMailOptOut field. This is expected behavior. If you want unsubscribes in Bullhorn Automation to also update the ATS, enable the Update Mass Mail Opt Out setting. See Bullhorn Automation Optional Settings.

A contact's massMailOptOut field was set to True in the ATS, but their Bullhorn Automation mailable status still shows as mailable.

The sync from ATS to Bullhorn Automation runs on a schedule. If the change was just made in the ATS, wait for the next sync cycle and check the mailable status again. If the status has not updated after a full sync cycle, contact Bullhorn Support.

A candidate's email address was updated, but their mailable status is still No (Opt Out By Contact).

Updating an email address does not clear an opt-out by contact. Bullhorn Automation applies the opt-out because the contact chose to unsubscribe, and that applies regardless of the email address on the record.

Due to compliance requirements, contacts cannot be opted back in through Bullhorn Automation. If a contact explicitly requests to be re-subscribed, contact Bullhorn Automation Support with written confirmation from the contact's email address.

A candidate's email address was updated after a hard bounce, but their mailable status did not reset.

Mailable status resets on the next sync after the email address is updated. If it has not reset, confirm that the sync has run and that the new email address is saved correctly on the record in the ATS.

A contact hard-bounced but is still showing automation step activity in their record.

This is expected behavior. The automation continues to run and log steps even when a contact's mailable status prevents email delivery. To stop the automation from processing this contact entirely, add a Hard Bounce exclusion condition to the list criteria.

The mailable status shows No (Opt Out From Step), but you did not intend to opt the contact out.

This means an Update step in an automation set the Subscription Status to Unsubscribed for this contact. Review your active automations for Update steps that target Subscription Status and confirm whether the logic is applying as intended.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Opt Out By Contact and Opt Out From ATS?

Opt Out By Contact means the candidate or contact clicked Unsubscribe directly in a Bullhorn Automation email. The opt-out is recorded in Bullhorn Automation only, and the ATS massMailOptOut field is not changed unless the Update Mass Mail Opt Out setting is enabled. Opt Out From ATS means the massMailOptOut field was set to True in the ATS, and that change synced to Bullhorn Automation automatically.

When does updating an email address reset mailable status?

Only when the opt-out was caused by a hard bounce. If the mailable status is No (Unsubscribed By Bounce), updating to a valid email address resets the status on the next sync. If the status is No (Opt Out By Contact), updating the email address does not clear the opt-out.

Will an Update step in my automation affect the ATS opt-out field?

If an Update step sets Subscription Status to Unsubscribed, the ATS massMailOptOut field is also set to True. Review any automations that include Update steps targeting Subscription Status to confirm the behavior is intentional.

What happens if a contact re-engages or contacts us after opting out?

Due to compliance requirements, contacts cannot be opted back in through Bullhorn Automation. If a contact explicitly requests to be re-subscribed, contact Bullhorn Automation Support and provide written confirmation from the contact's email address.

Can a contact be opted out in the ATS but still receive automation emails?

By default, if the ATS massMailOptOut field is True, Bullhorn Automation will also reflect the opt-out once the sync runs. A contact opted out in the ATS should not receive automation emails after the sync completes. If they are still receiving emails, confirm the sync has run and check the Mailable Status field in their Bullhorn Automation record.

Key Scenarios

The following scenarios cover the situations customers ask about most. Each one describes what happens in both Bullhorn ATS and Bullhorn Automation so you can identify the right outcome regardless of where you start troubleshooting.

A candidate or contact clicks Unsubscribe in a Bullhorn Automation email

When a candidate or contact clicks Unsubscribe in a Bullhorn Automation email, their BHA Mailable Status changes to No (Opt Out By Contact). The ATS massMailOptOut field is not affected by this action. The opt-out applies to the email address across all automations and emails, not just the one they unsubscribed from. If your organization has enabled the Update Mass Mail Opt Out setting, the ATS massMailOptOut field will also be set to True.

The ATS massMailOptOut field is updated but Bullhorn Automation mailable status does not change right away

When the ATS massMailOptOut field is set to True, Bullhorn Automation will reflect the opt-out once the next sync runs. If the BHA Mailable Status has not updated after a full sync cycle, confirm the change was saved correctly in the ATS and contact Bullhorn Support if the issue continues.

A candidate or contact's email address is updated after they previously unsubscribed

Updating a candidate or contact's email address does not clear an opt-out by contact. When someone clicks Unsubscribe in a Bullhorn Automation email, the opt-out is applied because of their active choice to unsubscribe, and that choice applies regardless of which email address is on the record. The BHA Mailable Status remains No (Opt Out By Contact) after the email address is updated. If a contact wants to be re-subscribed, contact Bullhorn Automation Support with written confirmation from the contact's email address.

A candidate or contact's email address is updated after a hard bounce

Updating a candidate or contact's email address after a hard bounce does reset their mailable status. A hard bounce means the email address itself was undeliverable. Once a valid address is saved on the record, Bullhorn Automation resets the BHA Mailable Status to Yes on the next sync. The ATS massMailOptOut field is not affected by a hard bounce or by the email address update.

A Bullhorn Automation email hard bounces but the contact is still enrolled in an active automation

When a candidate or contact's email hard bounces, their BHA Mailable Status changes to No (Unsubscribed By Bounce). If they are still enrolled in an active automation and no list condition excludes hard-bounced contacts, the automation continues to run and logs each step as expected. Send Email steps do not deliver a message because the BHA Mailable Status prevents it. The ATS massMailOptOut field is not changed by a hard bounce. To stop the automation from processing hard-bounced contacts, add a Hard Bounce exclusion condition to the list criteria.

An Update step in an automation sets Subscription Status to Unsubscribed

When an Update step in a Bullhorn Automation workflow sets the Subscription Status field to Unsubscribed, the BHA Mailable Status changes to No (Opt Out From Step) and the ATS massMailOptOut field is set to True. This is because the Subscription Status field is linked to the ATS OptOut field. If you are building automations that include Update steps targeting Subscription Status, confirm whether this ATS opt-out behavior is intended before enabling the step at scale.