## TL;DR
A channel in Front is a live connection to an inbox: Gmail, SMS, voice, and the rest. 'Channel disconnected' means that connection broke, usually because the underlying credential expired or was revoked. The API can't use a dead channel, so the fix is always on the channel itself: reconnect it in Front, then retry. No API parameter fixes a disconnected channel.

## The query

```text
front api 'channel disconnected'
```

## Use this when

- Front API calls fail with 'channel disconnected'
- A channel works in the UI but the API reports it down
- Messages stop flowing through a previously working channel


## Not for

- Front API authentication errors
- Front rule (not channel) failures
- Teammate permission issues


## Steps

### 1. Find the channel's status in Front

Open Settings, Channels, and read the channel's status. Disconnected channels say so plainly, often with the reason: expired credential, revoked access, or a provider-side change. Note which channel and why.

Expected output: the channel identified with its disconnect reason.

### 2. Reconnect the channel

Use the reconnect flow in the channel settings. For OAuth channels this means re-authorizing; for SMTP or custom channels it means re-entering credentials. Test with a real message after reconnecting.

Expected output: the channel showing connected and a test message flowing.

### 3. Retry the failed API calls

Once the channel is connected, replay the API calls that failed. They should succeed unchanged. If they still fail, the problem was never the channel; go back to the request itself.

Expected output: the previously failing calls returning success.

### 4. Prevent the next disconnect

Credential expiry is the repeat offender. Put channel health on a monitoring checklist, and use a service-owned credential (not a personal OAuth grant) so one person's departure can't disconnect a shared channel.

Expected output: channel health checked on a schedule with service-owned credentials.

## Variant phrasings

### front channel disconnected gmail

Steps 1 and 2: status first, then the reconnect flow.

### front api channel error

Step 3's replay distinguishes channel problems from request problems.

## Why it happens

Channels depend on third-party credentials that expire, get revoked, or break when providers change their auth. Front detects the break and marks the channel, but integrations keep calling the API and get the disconnected error. The API is the messenger; the channel's credential is the problem.

## Edge cases

- Some channels disconnect silently until used. Health checks beat hoping.
- Reconnecting can change channel ids in rare cases. Verify the id your API calls use.
- Shared channels disconnected by one teammate's revoked grant affect everyone. Use service identities.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_NvWl2INYbdCVbfvewHhTEQ