Automation is supposed to save you time. But when it stops working? It costs you leads, sales, and your sanity.

If you are a small business owner, coach, content creator, or digital marketer using GoHighLevel in 2025, I'm sure you have encountered an automation failure. Perhaps it was your email that didn't go out, you had a lead that didn't move, or the workflow just never fired.

You are not alone.

With GoHighLevel’s user base continuer to expand, we have more users, more workflows - more of everything. And with more workflows comes more complexity, which creates more opportunities for automation failures. The good news is, there are very few things that go wrong when it comes to automation, if 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 get into solutions, let’s take a moment to understand the why. The most likely reasons are:

Trigger not firing — for example, tag or form submission is not properly connected

Wrong conditions — workflow logic is erroneous or contradictory

Timing problems — delay, time zones, or wait steps are incorrectly set

Incomplete fields — a data field isn't filled in or is empty so you cannot take the next step

Platform bugs or updates — as they add new features, old features may start to break

These are not just technical issues. They lead to real business outputs. While missed follow-ups might lead to lost sales, broken nurture sequences lead to lower engagement.

GoHighLevel has never been more powerful. But what this also means is the workflows available are deeper now with several levels of nesting and custom conditions. A small error can break the chain..

Step 1: Start With a Strategy Check

Before diving into technology, ask yourself:

• What is the goal of the workflow?

• Are we trying to capture a lead?

• Are we following up on a sale?

• Are we booking an appointment with a client?

• Too frequently automation fails as it was built without considering strategy.

Pro Tip: Book a 15-minute strategy session with your team or VA and clearly define your desired end goal before mapping out a journey in reverse!

Step 2: Check Trigger Conditions

Every workflow begins with a trigger in GoHighLevel. If the trigger doesn't fire, the workflow isn't going to start.

Common trigger problems:

• Wrong form chosen

• Wrong tag added

• Trigger is only set to fire once per contact

• Contact doesn't satisfy the condition at all

Fix: "Workflows" → Open the mini workflow that is broken → Click the trigger at the top → Check and testing through each point

Pro Tip: Test it with your own email and SmS. Use the form or action, and watch to see if it goes into the workflow.

Step 3: Watch the Workflow History

GoHighLevel includes a Workflow History tab for each contact. It’s like the black box on a plane.

You can view:

• If the workflow started,

• Which steps fired,

• Where it stopped,

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

This is a very quick way to troubleshoot broken automations.

Step 4: Review All Workflow Conditions

Even if a trigger fires, logic in workflow may prevent any steps from happening.

Examples:

• An "If/Else" step with incorrectly defined logic.

• A delay with too long duration (30 days for 30-minutes).

• A time-based condition that would not align with user behavior.

Fix: re-read each condition step. Try to simplify. Ask yourself: "If I was the contact, would this logic include me?"

Pro tip: use a test contact with obvious known values. See how far they can go in the workflow.

Step 5: Check for Missing Data

Some automations will only work for certain data fields. If the contact doesn't have that information then the action will fail silently.

Example:

You have a "Send SMS" step but the contact had no phone number. Just nothing happens.

To fix this: Use filters to show contacts that are missing required fields. Add fallbacks or conditions to validate data prior to sending.

Step 6: Look at Recent Platform Changes

GoHighLevel is evolving quickly. This is good but that can also mean things are moving or changing.

New releases may cause temporary glitches. Occasionally, a plugin or third party may break due to the upgrade.

Fix: Investigate GoHighLevel’s official Facebook Group or status page. If others are reporting the same problem, it is possible they are working on a fix at the platform level.

Step 7: Use Debug Mode

GoHighLevel has rolled out a new and enhanced Debug Mode in workflows.

Here’s how to access it:

• Toggle "Debug Mode" on from the top right

• Run the workflow manually

• Watch a visual map of what fires and what does not

This tool is a world changer for troubleshooting complex workflows. There is some real-time path tracking, like GPS for your automation.

Step 8: Keep Your Workflows Lean

Ultimately less is more.

When you have overly complicated workflows, debugging is more difficult and they are more prone to breakage. When possible, avoid one giant automation, break it up:

• One workflow for opt-in

• One for nurture

• And a third for booking

Bonus Tip: Implement “Goals” inside your workflows to stop or redirect contacts based on their actions like booking a call or responding to a message.

Real-World Example

Sarah operates a digital course business via GoHighLevel. She realized that her welcome emails weren't being sent after someone signed up.

• When she inspecting the workflow history, she saw:

• The trigger read "Tag added: new_lead"

• Where the signup form added a tag called "lead_new"

A minor naming error. Easy to overlook - but highly expensive. She corrected the tag and all emails sent as expected.

Lesson learned: Always double check naming and ensure naming conventions are used across the 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.