Automation is meant to save time. But when it breaks? It costs you leads, sales, and peace of mind.

If you're a small business owner, coach, content creator, or digital marketer using GoHighLevel in 2025, chances are you've faced an automation failure. Maybe your email didn’t send. Your lead didn’t move. Or the workflow simply didn’t fire.

You're not alone.

With GoHighLevel’s user base rapidly growing, more users means more workflows—and more complexity. And with complexity come more chances for errors. The good news? Most automation issues can be solved once you know what to look for.

Also Read👉 Top 10 GoHighLevel Features You Must Know to Boost Your Business Efficiency

We’ll walk through a step-by-step process to fix broken workflows in GoHighLevel with practical tips that actually work.

Why Automations Break in 2025

Before we jump into solutions, let’s understand the why. Here are the most common reasons:

• Trigger not firing — for example, form submission or tag isn’t connected properly

• Wrong conditions — the workflow logic has errors or conflicts

• Timing issues — delays, time zones, or misconfigured wait steps

• Incomplete fields — missing or blank data fields that prevent the next action

• Platform bugs or updates — new features sometimes cause old ones to glitch
  

These aren’t just technical issues. They impact real business outcomes. Missed follow-ups lead to lost sales. Broken nurture sequences reduce engagement.

In 2025, GoHighLevel is more powerful than ever. But that also means workflows are deeper, often with nested branches and custom conditions. One tiny misstep can break the chain.

Step 1: Start With a Strategy Check

Before digging into tech, step back and ask:

What is this workflow trying to do?

Is it for lead capture? Sales follow-up? Appointment booking? A lot of times, automations break because they were built without a clear strategy.

Tip: Book a 15-minute strategy call with your team or VA. Define the goal. Then map the journey backward.

Step 2: Check Trigger Conditions

In GoHighLevel, every workflow starts with a trigger. If the trigger doesn't fire, the workflow won’t even start.

Common trigger issues:

• Wrong form selected

• Incorrect tag added

• Trigger only set to fire once per contact

• Contact doesn’t meet the condition at all
  
  

Fix: Go to “Workflows” → Open the broken one → Click the trigger at the top → Review and test each element

Pro Tip: Test it with your own email and SmS. Submit the form or action, then watch if it enters the workflow.

Step 3: Watch the Workflow History

GoHighLevel has a Workflow History tab for each contact. It’s like the black box on an airplane.

You can see:

• If the workflow started

• Which steps fired

• Where it stopped
  
  

Fix: Open the contact → Go to “Workflow” → Check for skipped or failed steps → Hover over the red icons for error messages

This is one of the fastest ways to troubleshoot broken automations.

Step 4: Review All Workflow Conditions

Even if the trigger fires, logic inside the workflow might prevent actions from happening.

Examples:

• An “If/Else” step with incorrect logic

• A delay set too long (like 30 days instead of 30 minutes)

• Time-based conditions that don’t match user behavior
  

Fix: Carefully re-read each condition step. Simplify where possible. Ask: "If I were the contact, would this logic include me?"

Pro Tip: Use a test contact with known values. Watch how far they move through the workflow.

Step 5: Check for Missing Data

Some automation actions depend on specific data fields. If the contact is missing that info, the action may silently fail.

Example:
You have a “Send SMS” step but the contact has no phone number. Nothing happens.

Fix: Use filters to show contacts missing required fields. Add fallback values or set conditions to check data before sending.

Step 6: Look at Recent Platform Changes

GoHighLevel is improving fast. That’s great—but it also means things move or change.

New releases may cause temporary glitches. Occasionally, a plugin or third-party integration breaks due to updates.

Fix: Check GoHighLevel’s official Facebook group or status page. If others report the same issue, it’s likely a platform-side fix is coming.

Step 7: Use Debug Mode

In 2025, GoHighLevel has introduced an improved Debug Mode inside workflows.

Here’s how to use it:

• Toggle “Debug Mode” on from the top right

• Run the workflow manually

• Watch a visual map of which steps fire and which don’t
  

This tool is a game-changer for diagnosing complex workflows. It shows real-time path tracking like a GPS for your automation.

Step 8: Keep Your Workflows Lean

Sometimes, less is more.

Overly complicated workflows are harder to debug and more likely to break. Instead of stuffing everything into one monster automation, break it up:

• One workflow for opt-in

• Another for nurture

• A third for booking
  

Bonus Tip: Use “Goals” inside workflows to stop or shift contacts based on actions like booking a call or replying to a message.

Real-World Example

Sarah runs a digital course business through GoHighLevel. She noticed her welcome emails weren’t going out after someone signed up.

After checking her workflow history, she found:

• The trigger was set to “Tag added: new_lead”

• But the signup form added a tag named “lead_new” instead
  

A tiny naming error. Easily missed—but costly. She fixed the tag and all emails went out as planned.

Lesson: Always double-check naming and use naming conventions across your team.

When to Ask for Help

If you're stuck after all this, don’t hesitate to ask for support. You can:

• Message GoHighLevel chat support

• Ask in Facebook groups

• Hire a GoHighLevel VA or expert

Automation is a team sport. Don’t try to fix everything alone.

Broken automations can feel like a nightmare. But they’re usually fixable. With the right process, you can turn chaos into clarity.

As more small business owners and marketers use GoHighLevel in 2025, debugging skills will become just as important as building skills.

Remember:
Start with strategy
Check triggers and logic
Use workflow history and debug tools
Keep it clean
And never stop testing

With that, your workflows will run like clockwork again—and your leads, customers, and business will thank you for it.

Need Help Auditing Your Workflows?
Whether you’re a coach, creator, or agency using GHL or Kajabi, we offer done-for-you automation audits and workflow fixes. Let’s fix what’s broken—together.