Publish, pause, and version a workflow

Publish a reviewed journey when you are ready for customers to enter it. For example, after checking a repeat-purchase reminder, publication turns its order trigger, delay, decision and email into the version that handles new qualifying events.

Later edits stay in the draft until you publish again. Existing runs retain their original version. Use Pause when you need to hold both new enrollment and further execution while investigating a problem.

Editing versus publishing

A workflow has an editable draft and, after publication, a saved live version. Adding a step, changing its email or rewiring a branch changes the draft. Those edits do not replace the configuration used by existing runs.

You need Write permission to publish, stop new enrollment, pause, resume, duplicate, delete or terminate a run. Before a first publication, follow build your first workflow and inspect a controlled execution.

What publishing does

1. Review the draft

   Open the workflow and inspect the trigger, customer match, timing and branches. Every non-trigger step except Note needs an incoming link. Check the email's sender, recipient, topic, data and preview, plus list sizes and external actions.

2. Save the published version

   Choose Publish, resolve blocking errors and read warnings. Confirm publication to save the version. A successful validation does not establish that the customer decision is the one you intended.

3. Check the execution

   Inspect Live / Paused and the separate new-enrollment control. Open Runs after a qualifying trigger and inspect what actually executed.

Validation checks the configuration, including a trigger, connected steps, no cycles and required fields. It does not establish that the audience or business decision is the one you intended.

Publishing also resumes a paused workflow. That can release waiting runs on older versions, so inspect them before publishing a fix. An existing Stop new runs setting remains in place after publication.

The unpublished-changes indicator

Draft means the canvas has unpublished work. A previously published version may still be live underneath it. When there are no unpublished changes, the Composer matches the latest published version; an older run can still show an earlier canvas in Runs.

Versions and in-flight runs

Publication copies the steps, links and step-owned email templates into a version:

• New triggers use the latest published version.
• An existing run keeps its original version, including after a long Delay.
• Publishing a corrected email or condition does not repair a run already on an older version.

The version fixes configuration. Ordinary records can still be read as steps need them, and permissions, credits and sending eligibility are checked during execution. Published Scheduled evaluation generations can be pinned to a run. A version is not a promise that all customer data stays unchanged.

Pause and resume

Pause prevents new runs and parks existing runs before they execute more steps. Use it when a reminder is targeting the wrong customers or an external action needs investigation. It keeps the workflow and its history available.

A pause cannot undo completed writes or recall an email or request already in flight. Use Terminate run in Runs to end a selected run, its children and pending continuations. There is no skip or rewind control.

Resume allows waiting execution to continue. New enrollment also requires that Stop new runs is inactive. A Delay keeps its saved deadline: if the deadline passed during the pause, the run can proceed when resumed. Publishing also resumes the workflow, including waiting runs on old versions.

Use Live / Paused in the workflow header or Pause / Resume in its list menu. Inspect the waiting runs' versions and current steps before resuming. Events missed during a pause are not all replayed as a backfill.

Stop new enrollment while existing runs finish

Click Stop new runs in the published workflow's editor. The control changes to Resume new runs. Existing runs continue on their original versions. Use this when retiring a reminder or moving future enrollment to another journey while completing the enrolled cohort.

Resume new runs keeps a separate pause intact. If the workflow is still paused, it remains held. Publishing preserves the enrollment-stop setting but clears the pause; check both controls before a release.

Already accepted trigger work and setup-change entries can have their own pending history. Inspect Runs and any setup review status when retiring a workflow. Stopping enrollment does not erase that evidence or recall accepted actions, and resuming is not a general backfill of activity missed during the gap.

The workflow list's Published badge does not show whether Stop new runs is active. Open the editor and inspect the control. Draft can appear beside Published or Paused, since unpublished edits and execution state are separate.

Release a corrected journey

Suppose the reminder's lookup selected a teammate instead of the buyer. Publishing a corrected lookup repairs future enrollment, while older runs retain the faulty version.

1. Contain and inspect

   Pause the workflow. Open affected runs, inspect their versions and accepted effects, and terminate journeys that must not continue on the old version.

2. Verify the corrected draft

   Correct the customer lookup and test one customer who should continue and one who should exit. Inspect the actual Query result and branch in the test copy's Runs.

3. Publish with deliberate enrollment

   Set Stop new runs if enrollment should remain closed during release review. Publish the correction, then inspect surviving old runs because publication resumes their execution. Use Resume new runs when new enrollment is ready.

Termination cannot undo an accepted send or external request. Read the recovery reason on a run marked Needs attention before arranging replacement work. See run inspection and termination.

Duplicate a workflow

Choose Duplicate from the workflow's ⋯ list menu to create an unpublished copy. Use it to test a change with a narrow trigger or reuse the journey for another audience.

The copy uses the original's current draft, including unpublished edits and step-owned emails. It does not copy run history. Keep its enrollment distinct from the original; publishing both with overlapping triggers can give the same customer two journeys. For an Incoming Webhook, the copy has a different URL.

Delete unused configuration

Delete in the workflow's list menu permanently removes eligible configuration. It is refused when the workflow has run history, retained entry history, setup holds, published collected-event triggers or accepted automation awaiting completion.

For an already-used workflow, stop new enrollment and retain it for history. Resolve current runs separately. Deletion can also fail during step-owned preview cleanup or when the draft changes during cleanup; inspect the reason and check the workflow's state.

How publishing affects triggers

Choose the launch behavior deliberately:

• Scheduled Timestamp creates one scheduled execution per publication. A blank timestamp starts immediately; a timestamp already in the past does not start. Republishing before a future time can leave several version-specific runs waiting for that time.
• Event Fired handles qualifying events while live. Publication does not replay all historical events. Collected-event triggers pin their definition revision and source frontier.
• Evaluated attribute threshold establishes a baseline. Later calculations can produce crossings; customers already above the threshold do not all enter at launch.
• Incoming Webhook needs the published URL, an API key and JSON matching its payload shape. A draft or paused workflow does not start a run from that call.
• Record and email triggers enroll qualifying new activity while live. Review the trigger's condition and scope before a bulk data change.

Scheduled Timestamp has no recurring schedule. Use an appropriate event or record trigger for repeated activity. If you need to process customers who qualified before launch or during a gap, define and review that audience separately.

Where run data and metrics live

The first publication enables Runs and Metrics. In Runs, inspect the selected version, path, Received and Produced values, and email activity. That establishes what one customer experienced; see understand workflow runs and fix failures.

Metrics summarizes a selected published version. Use completion and failure figures to find operational problems, then inspect the responsible steps. Email delivery and engagement are separate from your business outcome: for a repeat-purchase journey, check subsequent completed orders in your business data as well.

For workspace-wide sending results, see track email performance.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Pause and Stop new runs?

Pause also parks further existing execution. Stop new runs prevents new enrollment while existing journeys continue. Both retain history and completed effects.

Does publishing clear both stopping controls?

Publication resumes a paused workflow. It preserves a separate Stop new runs setting. Review old waiting runs and both controls before publishing a correction.

Can I delete a workflow that already ran?

Deletion is refused when run history or other retained automation exists. Stop new enrollment and keep the workflow for history. Pause or terminate current execution separately.

Does Duplicate copy the live version?

It copies the current draft and its step-owned emails, including unpublished edits. It creates an unpublished workflow without copied run history. Inspect the new copy before publication.