Flow Draft vs Published: Why Can't I Trigger My Flow?

Every flow in Aitomic Flow exists in one of two states: Draft or Published. Only published flows can be triggered. This is the most common reason a flow cannot be started.

Draft state

A flow is in Draft when you first create it or any time you make changes after publishing. In Draft:

• The flow is visible only to admins inside the Flow Builder
• It cannot be triggered by anyone, including admins
• You can freely edit steps, form fields, branch conditions, and assignee rules
• The flow does not appear in the trigger list on the /flows page for any user

A newly created flow is always a draft. You must explicitly publish it before anyone can use it.

Published state

When you click Publish, the flow:

• Becomes visible on the /flows page for all eligible users
• Can be triggered by users whose department is allowed (if trigger restrictions are configured)
• Gets a new version number — version 1 for first publish, then 2, 3, and so on

Publishing is non-destructive. Any instances already running are not affected.

How to publish a flow

1. Open the flow in the builder
2. Click the Publish panel in the top-right toolbar
3. Click Publish to confirm

If the Publish button is disabled, the flow has a validation error — most commonly a Branch node with an unconnected Yes or No handle.

Unpublishing a flow

Admins can unpublish a flow from the Publish panel. After unpublishing:

• The flow returns to Draft and no new instances can be triggered
• Existing running instances are not cancelled — they continue to completion on the version they started

Why a published flow might still not appear for a user

Even after publishing, a specific user might not see the flow because:

1. Trigger restrictions — the flow has a department allowlist and the user's department is not on it
2. No department assigned — the user has no department and the flow is restricted to specific departments
3. Deactivated account — an inactive account cannot see or trigger flows

See Why a Flow Is Not Visible or Not Available to Trigger.

See also

• How to Create a Workflow
• Understanding Workflow Versions
• Why a Flow Is Not Visible or Not Available to Trigger