Even well-designed flows can encounter problems. This guide covers the most common issues that arise in Zoho Flow and the steps you can take to diagnose and resolve them. The starting point for any problem is always the flow's run history, which provides detailed logs of what happened during each execution.

How to Read Run History

Open the flow that is experiencing issues, then click Run History. Each row represents a single execution. A green indicator means the run succeeded; a red indicator means it failed. Click on a failed run to expand the detail, which shows each step's status, the data that entered the step, and the error message returned. The error message is typically the most direct clue about what went wrong.

Common Issue: Flow Is Not Triggering

If your flow is not starting when expected, check the following:

• Is the flow active? Confirm the toggle on the flow is set to active. A flow that has been deactivated will not run.
• Is the trigger connection working? Navigate to Connections and check whether the app used for the trigger shows an error. A broken connection means the trigger cannot receive events.
• Is the trigger event actually occurring? Test by manually performing the trigger action in the source app (for example, creating a new contact in Zoho CRM) and then checking the run history to see if Flow received the event.
• Does the trigger have filters set? If the flow uses filters on the trigger, check whether the test data meets those filter conditions. If the conditions are not met, the flow will not run.

Common Issue: Action Failing with an API Error

When an action fails, the run history will show an error message from the connected app's API. Common causes include:

• Authentication failure: The OAuth token for the connection has expired. Open Connections and reconnect the affected app.
• Missing required field: The action requires a field that is not being mapped from the trigger. Review the action's field mapping and ensure all required fields have a value.
• Invalid data format: The value being passed into a field does not match the expected format (for example, a date field receiving a value in the wrong format). Use a custom function or formula to reformat the data before it reaches the action.
• API rate limit reached: The connected app has imposed a rate limit that Flow has hit. Check the app's API documentation for its rate limits and consider adding a delay between actions if you process large volumes.

Common Issue: Broken Connection

Connections can break if a user's password is changed, OAuth tokens expire, or the app revokes access. In the Connections panel, broken connections are flagged. Click the connection and follow the re-authentication steps to restore it. Once reconnected, all flows that use that connection will resume functioning without needing individual edits.

Common Issue: Flow Running Too Often or Duplicating Data

If a flow is creating duplicate records in the destination app, the trigger may be firing multiple times for the same event. Check whether the source app sends multiple webhook or polling events for a single record change. You can add a condition to the flow to check whether a record already exists before creating a new one, which prevents duplicates.

Common Issue: On-Premise Agent Offline

If flows that use on-premise connections are failing, check the agent status in Settings. If the agent is offline, log into the server where it is installed, confirm the agent service is running, and restart it if necessary. Flows will resume once the agent re-establishes its connection to Zoho Flow.

Getting Further Help

If you are unable to resolve an issue using the run history and the guidance above, Zoho Flow's support team can be contacted through the Zoho support portal. When raising a support case, include the flow name, the time of the failed run, and the error message from the run history to speed up the investigation.