A Workflow Scheduler automation shows invalid, paused, or is not running
A Workflow Scheduler automation is not firing the way you expect: it has stopped running, carries an Invalid or Paused status with a warning banner, or the setup form refuses to save. This page explains what each state means and how to get the automation running again.
The Workflow Scheduler lives under Workflows, on the Workflow Scheduler card. That area only appears for full members; if you do not see it in the left navigation, you are signed in with restricted access and cannot create or change automations.
Symptom
Section titled “Symptom”On an automation’s status chip you may see one of three states:
- Active - the automation will run at its next scheduled time, or is actively watching for new matches.
- Paused - the automation is suspended and will not run until you resume it.
- Invalid - the automation cannot run, with a banner reading: This automation is invalid. followed by the specific reason (for example, that its audience can no longer be resolved), and a prompt to fix the audience to continue.
You may also see one of these banners on an automation’s page:
- Matched N, limit is L - raise the limit or narrow the audience, then resume. The audience matched more records than the automation’s cap allows, so it paused itself.
- Paused after repeated failed launches. Check the run history below; resuming retries queued records. A realtime automation failed to launch several times in a row and paused as a precaution.
- The saved view behind this automation was deleted. Pick a new audience to keep it running.
- N records queued - they launch on the next 5-minute check. Not an error - a realtime automation is holding some newly-matched records until its daily limit has room, or until its next check.
You may also see that a schedule-based automation simply never fires again. In that case the next-run indicator reads Workflow Scheduler ended instead of a future date.
When you try to create or edit an automation, the setup form may refuse to save and show one of these messages:
- Select a workflow.
- Pick a saved view.
- Add at least one filter.
- Pick accounts or contacts.
- Realtime needs a saved view or a filter.
- Frequency is required.
- End date is required.
- Time is required for daily frequency.
- Weekday is required for weekly frequency.
- Day of month is required for monthly frequency.
- Title is required.
Why this happens
Section titled “Why this happens”Invalid status. Each automation points at one workflow and one audience. If the workflow is later deleted or changed so it is no longer valid to schedule, or the audience behind it can no longer be resolved (for example a saved view built on filters the automation can no longer read), the automation can no longer run and the workspace marks it Invalid. Nothing is lost - the trigger, timing, goal, and limit are all still attached. It just has no valid workflow or audience to run against.
Paused from exceeding the limit. Every automation has a Never process more than cap - by default 10,000 records per run (or per day, for a realtime automation). If the audience ever matches more than that, the automation does not quietly process a partial batch; it pauses itself entirely and notifies you, so you always know exactly what did or did not run.
Paused after repeated realtime failures. A realtime automation checks its audience roughly every five minutes. If it fails to launch several times in a row, it pauses itself rather than retrying indefinitely; resuming it retries anything still queued.
The saved view was deleted. An automation using Existing Saved view as its audience depends on that view continuing to exist. If it is deleted, the automation cannot resolve who to run against until you pick a new audience.
Records queued. This is normal, expected behavior for a busy realtime automation, not an error - it is spending its daily budget gradually rather than firing on every match at once, and will work through the queue on its next few five-minute checks.
The automation ended. A schedule-based automation can be set to end on a specific date. Once that date has passed, there is no next run, so it stops firing and shows Workflow Scheduler ended. One set to Never instead keeps running indefinitely.
The save was rejected. The setup form validates each step as you reach it: a workflow must be selected; a saved-view audience needs a saved view picked; a custom-filter audience needs at least one filter condition and a choice of accounts or contacts; the realtime trigger requires a saved view or filter audience (it cannot be combined with a fixed record selection, since there would be nothing new to react to); a schedule trigger needs a frequency, and each frequency needs its own timing detail (a time for Daily, a weekday for Weekly, a day of the month for Monthly); ending On date needs a date; and the automation needs a title.
How to fix it
Section titled “How to fix it”If the status is Invalid:
- Open Workflows, then the Workflow Scheduler card, and find the automation with the warning banner.
- Open it and edit the workflow or audience the banner points to.
- Pick a workflow or audience that is currently valid, then save. The automation returns to Active.
If it paused from exceeding the limit:
- Open the automation and either raise its Never process more than cap, or narrow the audience (tighten the saved view or filter, or pick a smaller fixed set of records) so it matches fewer records than the cap.
- Resume the automation.
If a realtime automation paused after repeated failures:
- Open the automation’s Run history and check the failed entries for the underlying error.
- Once the cause is resolved, resume the automation - anything still queued will launch automatically.
If the saved view was deleted:
- Open the automation and pick a new Existing Saved view or switch to Apply custom filter.
- Save. The automation returns to Active.
If the status is Paused and you want it running:
- Open the automation.
- Select resume. The status returns to Active.
If a schedule has ended and you want it to keep running:
- Open the automation and edit it.
- Under End schedule, choose Never to remove the end date entirely, or choose On date and pick a future date.
- Save. The next-run indicator will again show an upcoming date instead of Workflow Scheduler ended.
If the setup form will not save:
- Make sure a workflow is selected.
- If the audience is a saved view, pick one; if it is a custom filter, choose accounts or contacts and add at least one filter condition.
- If the trigger is When a record enters the audience, make sure the audience is a saved view or filter, not a fixed record selection.
- If the trigger is On a schedule, fill in the timing detail the frequency needs (a time for Daily, a weekday for Weekly, a day of the month for Monthly), and pick a date if End schedule is set to On date.
- Make sure the automation has a title, then save again.
For the full walkthrough of setting one up, see Set up a Workflow Scheduler automation. Pausing, resuming, and deleting an automation do not remove any enrichment already gathered for the accounts or contacts involved.