What Does This Error Mean?

Amazon Echo skills not working is usually caused by the skill being disabled, a required account link expiring, or the skill developer's servers being down. Open the Alexa app → Skills & Games to check if the skill is still enabled and linked.

Affected Models

Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo Dot
Amazon Echo Show
Amazon Echo Pop
All Amazon Echo models

Common Causes

Skill disabled — Amazon occasionally disables skills that violate policy or are abandoned by developers
Account linking expired — skills that connect to third-party services need periodic re-authorization
Third-party skill service is down — the skill's backend servers are unavailable
Incorrect invocation phrase — Alexa requires exact phrases to open skills
Alexa app skill permissions not granted — microphone, lists, or other permissions needed by the skill

How to Fix It

Check if the skill is still enabled.

Open the Alexa app → More → Skills & Games → Your Skills. Find the skill and confirm it shows as Enabled. If it shows as Disabled or is missing entirely, re-enable it from the Alexa Skills store. Amazon occasionally removes or disables third-party skills without notice.
Re-link the skill account if required.

In the Alexa app under Your Skills, open the skill and look for an Account Linking or Link Account option. Many skills connect to third-party accounts (Spotify, smart home services, etc.) and require re-authorization periodically. Re-link the account and grant any requested permissions.
Check the exact invocation phrase.

Every Alexa skill has a specific invocation name — you must say it exactly as the developer registered it. Open the skill page in the Alexa app to find the correct phrase, such as 'Alexa, open [skill name].' Using a slightly different phrase (a synonym or abbreviation) may cause Alexa to say she cannot find the skill.
Check skill permissions in the Alexa app.

In the Alexa app, open the skill → Settings → Permissions. Grant any permissions the skill requests — location, lists, name, or device address. Some skills fail silently when permissions are not granted rather than explicitly asking again.
Disable and re-enable the skill.

In Your Skills, open the skill and tap Disable Skill. Wait 30 seconds, then find it in the Alexa Skills store and re-enable it. Sign in to any required third-party account during the re-enable process. This clears cached state that sometimes causes a previously working skill to stop responding.

When to Call a Professional

If a third-party skill is completely unresponsive, the issue is usually with the skill developer's servers, not your Echo. Check the skill developer's support page or social media for outage reports.