> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/field-operations/workflows/fix-a-failed-workflow.md).

# Fix a failed workflow

When a workflow run fails — or a safety guardrail stops one — Essential files the problem in a **Needs attention** list on the Workflows page instead of failing silently. Repeats of the same problem stack onto one entry, so ten identical failures read as one problem with a count, not ten alarms.

> **Where to find it:** Open **Automations**, then select **Workflows**, once Workflows is enabled for your business. The **Needs attention** section appears under the workflow table whenever something needs a look; a healthy account doesn't show it.

## What an entry tells you

Each entry names the workflow, the kind of problem, how many times it happened, when it was last seen, and the customer involved when there is one. Shortly after a new problem appears, Essential also reviews it and adds a diagnosis: what went wrong, how serious it is, what it meant for your customer (for example, "the customer did not receive the renewal reminder"), and the suggested next step. Essential reviews up to 10 new problems per business per day; on a very bursty day, the newest entries may sit without a diagnosis until the next day.

## Actions

* **Retry run** — runs the failed run again. Actions that already completed are never repeated; only the missing ones are attempted. Essential refuses a retry when it can't do it safely — for example when the triggering event is more than 7 days old, or the workflow is paused.
* **Resolve** — closes the entry once you've dealt with it. If the same problem happens again later, a fresh entry appears.
* **Mute 7 days** — parks a known, low-priority entry. It keeps counting repeats but stays out of your way.
* **Pause workflow / Un-pause workflow** — stops the workflow from running at all until someone un-pauses it. Use this when a workflow is misbehaving and you want it off while you fix it.

## Automatic protection

If one workflow reaches 10 failed runs within an hour, Essential pauses it automatically and files a single entry telling you so. This stops a broken workflow from acting on more customers. Un-pausing is always a human decision — fix or edit the workflow, then select **Un-pause workflow**.

Guardrail entries — a spend budget reached, a rate limit — mean the system protected you, not that something broke. A declined approval, by contrast, doesn't file an entry here at all; it's a deliberate human decision, tracked on the run itself. Resolve guardrail entries once you've read them; the budget or rate limit behind one is an Essential-managed setting, so contact Essential if you need it raised.


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