Start with the Salesforce flow failure email: note the exact error, flow name and version, and named element. Then open that version in Flow Builder and trace the element with Debug or Test Mode. Use a Salesforce debug log when you need transaction-level context such as Apex, SOQL, DML, or governor-limit activity. Before running a debug session, check rollback mode—without it, the flow can make real changes.
Start with the failure email
Read the full notification before opening Flow Builder. Salesforce says a flow error email can include the error message, flow name and version, failed element, and stack trace. Record those details, including the element’s label or API name, and use the literal error wording to guide the investigation. Salesforce’s flow troubleshooting guidance explains how to use these details to locate the failure.
Open the referenced flow version and find the named element. Check its required inputs, the values of the records or resources it uses, and any entry criteria that determine whether the flow reaches it. For example, if a Send Email element reports a missing RecipientId input, inspect the recipient input rather than treating the notification as a generic email problem.
A flow run with failures at multiple elements, or failures across a batch, may produce multiple emails or one email containing an error for each failure. Follow each reported element and message separately; do not assume one notification necessarily means one failed operation.
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Choose the diagnostic tool for the question
| Tool | Best for | What it shows | Important consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failure email | Identifying where to start | Flow name and version, failed element, error text, and potentially a stack trace | May include data involved in the flow, including user-entered data; consider who receives it. |
| Flow Builder Debug or Test Mode | Following the flow’s path and inspecting values | Step-by-step run details, with options to set input variables and debug behavior | Without rollback mode, actions including DML and Apex can execute and make changes. |
| Setup debug log | Understanding transaction activity | Flow events alongside SOQL, DML, Apex, and limit information | Logs can contain processed data; handle and share them according to your organization’s practices. |
Trace the run in Flow Builder safely
Open the relevant flow version in Flow Builder and use its Debug feature where supported. For autolaunched and record-triggered flows, Salesforce’s current debugger guidance directs users to use Test Mode rather than the Debug option. Debugging as another user requires org setup and, under the current guidance, is limited to a sandbox environment. See Salesforce’s Flow Builder debugger guidance for the applicable setup and flow types.
Use the step-by-step details to identify the path taken and inspect the values passed into the failing element. Check whether the inputs match what the element requires and whether the flow’s conditions sent the run down an unexpected branch.
Pay particular attention to rollback mode. Salesforce warns: “If you debug a flow without selecting Run flow in rollback mode, the flow performs its actions, including any Data Manipulation Language (DML) operations and Apex code execution.” Closing or restarting a run does not roll back changes that were already committed. Reproduce risky cases in a sandbox, and test boundary conditions, error handling, and permissions before activating changes.
Capture and read a Salesforce debug log
When the flow trace alone does not explain a failure, capture a log for the relevant user and transaction. Salesforce Help’s article dated June 15, 2026 gives this Setup path: Setup → Debug Logs, then create a new debug level. For flows and Process Builder, set Workflow to Finer. When investigating Apex or triggers as well, set Apex Code to Finest. These are the settings described in Salesforce Help’s debug-log guidance; Setup labels can change over time.
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FLOW_CREATE_INTERVIEW_BEGINmarks the beginning of a flow interaction.FLOW_INTERVIEW_FINISHED_LIMIT_USAGEcan help inspect governor-limit use at the end of a record-triggered flow transaction.SOQL_EXECUTE_BEGINmarks a query;SOQL_EXECUTE_ENDincludes the number of rows returned. A zero-row result means the query found no records.DML_BEGINmarks an insert or update operation.LIMIT_USAGE_FOR_NSis followed by limit information for a namespace.FATAL_ERRORsignals a fatal error, but may not identify its cause by itself. Inspect the preceding events for the earlier failure.
The standard Debug Logs page does not support trace flags for some automated users. If the failing flow runs as such a user, follow Salesforce’s linked guidance for system-user debugging from the debug-log article.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fix common Flow errors
REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING
This error means a flow tried to create or update a record without supplying a value for a required field. Read the message for the field’s API name, then check the inputs and record values provided by the flow. Include both system-defined and organization-specific required fields in that check. Reproduce the issue in debug mode, and search the Apex debug log for REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING when applicable. Salesforce’s guidance on resolving this error recommends using a fault path to present a useful message or log the problem for admin review.
Send Email or Email Alert: “Probably Limit Exceeded or 0 recipients”
Salesforce identifies a blank or invalid email address, an inactive user, or a derived recipient field as possible causes. For a Send Email element, inspect Recipient ID, Recipient Address Collection, Recipient Address List, CC, and BCC. For an Email Alert, review its selected recipients and the source email field. Gate the action on a valid address or correct the source field, as appropriate. See Salesforce Help’s zero-recipient troubleshooting.
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Other element failures
For database-facing or otherwise failure-prone elements, add a fault connector so the flow can route the error instead of leaving it unexplained. Salesforce recommends notifying the right people and including useful current flow resource values in the notification. If the last person who modified the flow is not the right responder, configure recipients in Process Automation Settings. See Salesforce’s flow troubleshooting guidance.
Route error emails to the right people
In Process Automation Settings, Salesforce lets an administrator choose whether flow error emails go to the user who last modified the process or flow, or to the Apex exception email recipients configured in Setup. Choose the destination that will get the failure to someone able to investigate it. Because the notification can contain data used in the flow, limit recipients accordingly. Salesforce describes these options in its error-email guidance.
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