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How to troubleshoot RTB no-bid responses

Use RTB Logs to diagnose no-bid responses by checking request quality, buyer eligibility, bid economics, response status, timeouts, and routing setup.

Written by Moja Bot

No-bid responses usually mean buyers received or were considered for an RTB request but did not return a usable bid and destination for that traffic. A no-bid does not always mean something is broken. It often means the request did not match buyer requirements, required data was missing, economics did not work, or the buyer was unavailable.

A no-bid is different from a failed call transfer. If a buyer returned a bid but the call did not connect, troubleshoot the call in Call Logs and transfer/SIP details instead.

No-bid layers

Layer

What it means

Request quality

Missing or invalid fields, bad formatting, wrong field names, or unmapped custom tags.

Buyer eligibility

Buyer inactive, outside hours, capped, duplicate-blocked, or mismatched on geography/vertical.

Economics

Required minimum payout or bid floor is above what buyers are willing to pay.

Buyer response

Buyer returned an explicit no-bid or reject reason.

Timeout or error

Buyer did not respond in time, endpoint failed, or an API/network error occurred.

Routing setup

The request did not reach the expected RTB target, group, or buyer set.

What good looks like

A healthy RTB request should show the inbound request payload, the buyers attempted, buyer responses within timeout, and at least one valid bid with a routable destination when buyer demand exists.

If a buyer bids, the response should include the information Moja AI needs to route the call, such as a valid destination or transfer instruction.

A bid amount alone is not enough; the response also needs a valid destination or transfer instruction.

Key RTB Log fields to review

Field

Why it matters

Inbound request payload

Shows what the publisher/source sent into Moja AI.

Buyers attempted

Confirms which buyers were eligible or queried.

Buyer response status

Shows bid, no-bid, timeout, error, or other response outcome.

Reject reason

Explains why a buyer declined, if the buyer provided a reason.

Bid amount

Confirms whether the bid met the required economics or floor.

Destination / transfer number

Confirms whether a bid included a routable destination.

Processing time

Shows whether buyers responded before timeout.

Required parameters

Helps find missing ZIP, state, vertical, caller ID, publisher ID, or custom tags.

Field names matter

A value can be present but still unusable if it is sent under the wrong field name or is not mapped into the custom tag or filter the buyer expects.

For example, sending a ZIP value in one field may not help if the buyer filter expects a different field name or a mapped custom tag. Check both the value and the field name.

Where to start

  1. Open the relevant RTB Log.

  2. Review the inbound request payload.

  3. Confirm which buyers were attempted.

  4. Check each buyer response status, reject reason, bid amount, destination, and processing time.

  5. Compare missing or rejected fields against the buyer’s required parameters.

  6. If a bid was returned but the call failed, move to Call Logs and transfer/SIP troubleshooting.

Common reasons for no bids

  • Missing required parameters. Common examples include caller ID, ZIP/postal code, state, vertical, publisher ID, or custom tags.

  • Data formatting issues. A buyer may reject values that are blank, malformed, or sent under the wrong field name.

  • Traffic does not match buyer filters. Buyers may filter by geography, vertical, hours, caller profile, TCPA requirements, or campaign rules.

  • Buyer is capped or outside hours. Even active buyers may stop bidding when caps, schedules, or budgets are reached.

  • Bid floor or payout mismatch. A buyer may not bid if the required minimum payout or bid floor is above what they are willing to pay.

  • Buyer endpoint is slow or unavailable. Timeouts can look like no demand if buyers do not respond in time.

  • Routing setup is not reaching the expected buyer. The request may be attached to the wrong RTB target, group, campaign, or buyer set.

Troubleshooting table

What you see

Likely cause

What to check

Missing ZIP/state/vertical reject

Required field missing

Inbound payload, field mapping, and custom tags.

All buyers reject for the same reason

Request quality issue

Required fields, formatting, and field names.

Only one buyer no-bids

Buyer-specific filter, cap, or hours issue

Buyer rules, caps, hours/timezone, duplicate rules, and buyer-side criteria.

All buyers time out

Endpoint/network or timeout issue

Buyer endpoint health, processing time, and timeout settings.

No buyers attempted

Routing or group setup issue

RTB target/group assignment, campaign setup, and buyer eligibility.

Bid returned but no destination

Invalid buyer response

Response payload and destination/transfer field.

Bid returned but call failed

Downstream transfer issue

Call Logs, transfer status, and SIP response details.

No bids only after volume rises

Caps, budget, pacing, or concurrency

Buyer caps, budgets, pacing rules, and concurrency limits.

No bids only in certain states or ZIPs

Geographic coverage issue

State/ZIP filters and buyer coverage.

Previously working traffic stops bidding

Caps reached, buyer-side rules changed, or endpoint issue

Recent buyer changes, cap usage, budgets, duplicate rules, and endpoint health.

If every buyer returns no bid

When every buyer rejects the same request, start with request quality and required fields. A single missing, incorrectly named, or incorrectly formatted field can cause every buyer to reject the traffic.

If the request data looks correct, check whether buyers are active, within hours, under cap, configured to accept that geography/vertical, and willing to meet the bid economics.

When to compare with Call Logs

Use Call Logs when a bid was returned but the call did not connect, connected to the wrong destination, disconnected quickly, or connected but did not generate revenue.

RTB Logs explain the bidding side. Call Logs explain what happened once an actual call entered Moja AI.

Related articles

What to send support

When contacting support, include:

  • RTB request or log ID

  • Campaign, RTB endpoint, or RTB group name

  • Approximate time range

  • Publisher or source

  • Example payload or key fields sent

  • Expected buyer or buyer group

  • Buyer reject reason, timeout, or response shown

  • Whether the issue affects all buyers or only specific buyers

These details help support determine whether the issue is request quality, buyer eligibility, economics, timeout behavior, or routing setup.

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