Test, Save, and Publish a Workflow

A workflow does nothing for real until you publish it, and a few simple habits keep you from sending the wrong message to the wrong people.

Test it first

1. Click Test Workflow at the top right.
2. Choose a contact to use as a stand-in.
3. Click Run Test.

Test runs are a helpful check but not perfect, especially if you reuse the same contact repeatedly. The most reliable check is a small live run after publishing. If a test fails, look for triggers or actions that are only partly filled in.

Save versus publish

These are separate controls:

• Save stores your edits. A red dot means something is unsaved. If saving fails, finish any required fields.
• Draft/Publish decides whether contacts actually enter and receive actions. In Draft, nothing runs for real.

You can have unsaved changes on a published workflow, or a saved workflow that remains in draft.

What happens to contacts already inside

• Changes to steps that come after a contact's current position take effect when the contact arrives.
• New steps added after a Wait will run for contacts still waiting.
• Editing the wait itself does not shorten or extend a wait already in progress.
• Switching to draft pauses movement. Contacts sitting in waiting steps stay put and continue when you republish.

Recommended routine

1. Build in draft.
2. Test with an internal contact.
3. Save, then publish.
4. Enrol one real contact and read the execution log.

Good to know: Switching a workflow to draft is the safest emergency brake if you notice a mistake in a live automation.