Failed workflow actions in HubSpot are easy to miss because a failure doesn't always stop the workflow. When a Send email action skips a non-marketing contact, for example, the later actions still run and the email is never sent again. Three common errors are an Edit record action with no associated record to update, an email to someone who can't receive marketing email, and a lifecycle stage that would have to move backward.
To find them, go to Automation, then Workflows, and click Review automation issues. It lists each workflow with open problems, shows the records affected, and lets you mark each issue Fixed, Ignored or Deferred. The Needs review tab on the workflows list also shows every workflow with errors in the last seven days.
Where HubSpot shows workflow errors
Review automation issues, for the whole account
Set the Issues dropdown to Automations and filter Created in to the workflows tool. Hover over a workflow and click Review issues. Edit automation opens the workflow, and the record name opens the record. An issue marked Fixed comes back as Needs review if it happens again. HubSpot labels this tool beta (automation issues).
Action logs, for one workflow
Hover over the workflow, click More, then View details. The Action logs tab lists each result with the record, action, event and time. Set the Event filter to Errors to see only failures, and export the log to CSV for a list of affected records. Action logs are kept for 90 days.
One record's path
In the workflow editor, open Performance history, then Enrollments history, find the record and click View logs. The preview marks each step green for success and red for an error.
Common action errors and what they mean
| What the log says, roughly | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Property couldn't be set because the record has no associated record | An Edit record action points at an associated record that doesn't exist | Associate the record and re-enroll it, or add a trigger filter that requires the associated record, such as its Record ID is known |
| Lifecycle stage would move backward | Edit record can only move the default Lifecycle stage forward | Clear the property first, then set the new stage. See lifecycle stage won't change |
| Record not created because one with the same unique value exists | HubSpot deduplicates contacts by email and companies by domain | Check for an existing record with a branch first, or use the create associations action |
| Email not sent because the contact is non-marketing | Send email only goes to marketing contacts | Filter on Marketing contact status, or set the status before the email, which raises your marketing contact count and can affect billing |
| Previously unsubscribed, or previously bounced | The contact opted out of that subscription type, or an earlier email hard bounced | Let the contact resubscribe, or confirm the address and remove the hard bounce. See contacts not receiving marketing email |
| Recipient suppressed due to low engagement | Graymail suppression is on for the email or the account | Clear Don't send to unengaged contacts on the email's Send tab and the matching account setting, if you do want them emailed |
| Outside time window settings, action rescheduled | Run actions at specific times is on | Nothing failed. The action runs at the next allowed time |
HubSpot's list of common workflow errors covers the rest, including internal notifications and AI actions that ran out of credits.
Messages that retry on their own
Information logs are a separate group. A rotation that clashed with other updates, a custom code action that couldn't run yet, a connected app that rate limited HubSpot or answered too slowly, and a webhook that hit a server error are all retried automatically. If one keeps coming back, contact HubSpot support. Custom code and webhook actions need Data Hub Professional or Enterprise as of October 2026 (workflow actions), and HubSpot's developer docs say custom code actions that hit a 429 or 5XX error are retried for up to three days.
Failures that don't look like failures
- Rotate record to owner only works with activated, paid users. When someone leaves, check every rotation and every branch that names them.
- If a Create record action would make a record that meets the same workflow's triggers, HubSpot skips it to stop an endless loop.
- If you delete an action from a live workflow, records waiting for it skip it and an error appears in the history.
How to fix a failed action
- Open Review automation issues, pick the workflow and note which action the issue names.
- Open one affected record's logs to confirm the step and the message.
- Decide whether the workflow is wrong or the record data is wrong, and fix that.
- If some records will always lack the data, add a branch or trigger filter so they skip that action on purpose.
- Filter the action log to Errors and export it, so you know which records need to go through again.
- Put them through again. Re-enrolled records start at the top and repeat every action, so for a long workflow it is often safer to build a small one-off workflow with only the failed action. Enrolling a record a second time in the same workflow needs re-enrollment turned on.
- Mark the issue Fixed.
How to stop it happening again
Check the Needs review tab on the workflows list once a week, since it only shows the last seven days, and work through Review automation issues from there. On Enterprise, turn on Get notified when this workflow needs review in the workflow settings. Put a check in front of any action that depends on data the record might not have, such as an associated company or an email address. Review rotations before you deactivate a user. If a fix changes when actions run, read workflow delays and timing.
From client work
In a workflow audit for Conference Badge I found four workflows failing silently and fixed all four. Read the Conference Badge case study.
At PICO IV, the lead routing still had branches pointing at deactivated reps. I fixed the three branches and added fallback rules, so a lead with no rep or a deactivated rep goes to a default rep. Read the PICO IV case study.
If you'd rather have someone go through your workflows with you, I can audit and fix them.
Questions
Does a failed action stop the workflow?
Not always. A skipped marketing email doesn't stop the actions after it, which is why these errors are easy to miss.
How long does HubSpot keep workflow errors?
Action logs are kept for 90 days and enrollment history for six months. Error logs keep recording even on days when the limit of 100,000 success logs is reached.
Will HubSpot email me when a workflow fails?
On Enterprise you can turn on a notification for when a workflow needs review. On Professional, check Review automation issues yourself.
Did this fix it?
Good to hear. If something else in the portal looks off, the help centre has more fixes.
Some problems need someone to look inside the portal. Book a free 30-minute call and show me what's happening. If it needs work, you get a written scope and one fixed price.