> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nectarclimate.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reconnecting a connection

> How to update credentials or reconnect a failed utility connection.

<Tip>Need help in this area? See [Data Input FAQ](/platform/data-input/faq).</Tip>

When a connection encounters an issue, its status changes to an error state. Common error statuses include:

| Status                  | Meaning                                                                                          |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Password Incorrect**  | The stored credentials no longer work. The password may have been changed on the utility portal. |
| **MFA Token Expired**   | Automated logins can’t complete MFA — forwarding or the MFA session needs to be refreshed.       |
| **New Password Needed** | The utility portal is requiring a password reset before allowing login.                          |
| **Website Down**        | The utility provider's website is temporarily unavailable.                                       |

## How reconnect works

What you see after **Reconnect** depends on the **status**:

### Credential errors (password and security prompts)

For **Password incorrect**, **New password needed**, **Additional credentials needed**, and similar, **Reconnect** opens the **sign-in** flow: confirm the provider, then enter credentials (and any prompts) in the embedded browser. After verification, Nectar resumes collection.

### MFA token expired

For **MFA token expired**, **Reconnect** does **not** start with the username and password screen. **Nectar opens MFA forwarding setup** — the same kind of **email or SMS forwarding** configuration you use when MFA is required on a new connection. You choose how login codes reach Nectar, confirm the setup, and you can **turn off MFA** for this connection if the utility portal no longer requires multi-factor (optional escape hatch).

<Tip>
  **Need utility-specific instructions?** See the [MFA overview](/platform/data-input/mfa) for
  detailed setup guides per utility provider — some utilities (like PG\&E) require a different
  approach than standard email forwarding.
</Tip>

## Steps

1. Open the connection from [Connections](/platform/data-input/connections) and click **Reconnect**.
2. Follow the wizard: for credential errors, update login details; for **MFA token expired**, complete **MFA forwarding** (and confirm or disable MFA as appropriate).
3. After you finish, Nectar retries collection.

The reconnect flow works for both **online connections** (portal-based) and **email connections** (forwarding-based).

### Reconnect invitations (delegated reconnect)

If someone else owns the utility credentials — a client, building manager, or account owner — send them a **reconnect invitation** instead of running the flow yourself. The recipient gets a link to Nectar's hosted reconnect page where they can update the password or refresh MFA forwarding on their own. See [Invitations](/platform/data-input/invitations).

<Tip>
  For a complete reference of all connection statuses and API values, see the [Connection
  statuses](/developer-guide/connection-statuses) in the developer guide.
</Tip>

## Preventing disconnections

To reduce the chance of a connection breaking:

* **Avoid changing your utility portal password** without updating it in Nectar.
* **Keep MFA forwarding current** if the portal requires MFA on every login — when codes stop reaching Nectar, the connection will show **MFA token expired** until you reconnect and refresh forwarding.
* **Check the Needs Attention tab** on the Connections page regularly to catch issues early.