drift playbook failed to fire: targeting rules

TL;DR

A playbook fires only when every targeting rule passes: page URL, visitor segment, timing, and display conditions all have to agree. 'Failed to fire' almost always means one rule silently excludes your test visitor. Read the rules like a checklist against a real visitor session, find the failing rule, and fix the rule or the visitor data it depends on.

The query

drift playbook failed to fire: targeting rules

Use this when

• A Drift playbook doesn't fire for anyone
• It fires for some visitors but not others
• It stopped firing after a site or code change

Not for

• Playbook message content errors
• Drift API issues
• Chat routing to agents after firing

Steps

1. List every targeting rule on the playbook

Open the playbook's targeting tab and write down each rule: URL patterns, audience, timing, frequency caps, and exclusions. You need the full list; the failing rule hides among the ones you forgot about.

Expected output: the complete rule list in one place.

2. Test as a real visitor session

Open the target page in a fresh incognito session matching the audience: right geography, right referrer, no ad blockers. Check each rule against this session. The URL pattern is the usual culprit: a trailing slash or a changed slug breaks the match silently.

Expected output: each rule marked pass or fail for the test session.

3. Check frequency caps and exclusions

Frequency caps ('once per session', 'once ever') and exclusion lists silently suppress firing for repeat testers. If it fired once for you last week, the cap remembers. Test in a truly fresh session or temporarily lift the cap.

Expected output: the playbook firing in a fresh session with caps noted.

4. Verify the Drift snippet and page

Confirm the Drift snippet loads on the page you're testing and that no deploy removed it or broke the URL structure. A playbook can't fire where Drift isn't installed.

Expected output: the snippet present and the playbook listed as eligible on the page.

Variant phrasings

drift playbook not showing

Steps 1 and 2: rule list first, then the session check.

drift targeting url pattern not matching

Step 2's URL pattern check; watch trailing slashes and query strings.

Why it happens

Targeting rules are ANDed, so one wrong rule vetoes the whole playbook and there's no error, just silence. Builders test as themselves: cookied, internal IP, ad blocker on, having seen the playbook already. Every one of those is a targeting signal, so the builder is the least representative test visitor possible.

Edge cases

• Single-page apps need the snippet to handle route changes. A playbook bound to initial page load misses client-side navigation.
• IP exclusions for your office also exclude your testing. Use incognito plus a VPN for honest tests.
• Playbook scheduling (date ranges) silently expires campaigns. Check the dates.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_axNE6X0ZvuGjKnHVSaKOOQ