# Email or SMS provider template broken: first 30 minutes checklist

Source: https://releasefailures.com/incidents/email-or-sms-provider-template-broken/
Content version: 1.0.0
Verified on: 2026-10-22
Licence: CC BY 4.0

Definition: Transactional messages are sent with broken templates or to wrong recipients after a template change.
- [ ] FM-01 Search the email log for errors and unreplaced template variables since the release.
- [ ] FM-02 Send a password reset or signing invitation to an internal address and read the received body.
- [ ] FM-03 Queue new outgoing messages from the affected template until a version with a working template is confirmed.
- [ ] FM-04 Roll back the email script or template version, then send another internal test message to confirm the rollback restored correct content.
- [ ] FM-05 If the test message after the first rollback is still broken, roll back further to the last version whose templates rendered correctly.
- [ ] FM-06 List the recipients of broken messages since the release so correct messages can be resent after the fix.
- [ ] FM-07 Tell affected customers which message type went out without its link, the time window and when correct messages will be resent.