--- title: "Debug a Flow failure" slug: "debug-a-flow-failure" updated: 2026-08-11T09:16:13Z published: 2026-08-11T09:16:13Z canonical: "support.whatfix.com/debug-a-flow-failure" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.whatfix.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Debug a Flow failure If a Flow does not work as expected after launch, use Whatfix debugging commands to identify why a particular step failed. You may need to debug a Flow failure in the following scenarios: - [Flow does not run correctly](/studio/docs/flow-does-not-run-correctly) - [Flow tooltip flickers or appears at different position](/studio/docs/flow-tooltip-flickers-or-appears-at-different-position) - [Flow could not detect the element for the next step](/studio/docs/flow-couldnt-detect-the-element-for-the-next-step) - [Flow steps skip while you run the Flow](/studio/docs/flow-steps-skip) --- ### Debug a Flow Failure Follow these steps to debug a Flow failure: 1. Launch the Flow you want to debug. 2. Play the Flow until it fails. 3. Open your browser's [**Developer Tools**](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/open). ![debug_flow_devtools.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_flow_devtools.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) 4. Go to the **Console** tab. ![debug_console.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_console.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) 5. Type the following command in the Console and press **Enter**: ```plaintext _wfx_debug_finder('flow'); ``` ![debug_flow_finder.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_flow_finder.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) Info The **_wfx_debug_finder();** command returns debug logs for all content loaded on the page. To view logs for a specific content type, specify the content type as a parameter in the command. 1. Click **Finder Summary Logs** to expand the details. ![debug_flow_steps.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_flow_steps.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) The output displays the Flow ID and step numbers in the following format: **:**. 2. Click the failed step number to view its details. ![debug_flow_failed_step.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_flow_failed_step.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) The step object contains fields that help you identify the cause of the Flow failure. --- ### Determine Whether a Flow Step Succeeded or Failed Check the **result** field to determine whether the step succeeded or failed. ![debug_flow_result.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_flow_result.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) --- ### View a Summary of the Failure Check the **customer_facing_reason** field to view a summary of the issue and a recommended resolution. ![debug_flow_customer_reasons.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_flow_customer_reasons%281%29.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) This field contains the following sub-fields: - **failure_reason:** Identifies the reason the step failed. - **possible_action**: Recommends an action to resolve the issue. The following table lists common failure reasons and their recommended actions: | failure_reason | possible_action | | --- | --- | | Display rules provided for the step failed to find the element. | Verify the display rule and update it if necessary. | | CSS Selector provided for the step failed to find the element. | Verify the CSS selector and update it if necessary. | | Step is not created on the page where the flow was played. | Check whether previous steps navigate to the correct page before the failed step. | | Smart Detect configuration issue. The trusted HTML property defined in the configuration could not be found. | Contact Support for help fine-tuning the Smart Detect configuration. | | Whatfix cannot find the original element that was selected when the content was created. | Ensure that the element is visible to users and verify that the Flow navigation is correct. | | Whatfix could not find the element because one or more properties captured during content creation have changed. | Reselect the element to resolve the issue. | --- ### View Information About a Flow Step Check the **step_info** field. ![debug_flow_step_info.png](https://cdn.document360.io/a268766e-d74d-4619-9613-e2472f809ffb/Images/Documentation/debug_flow_step_info.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-12T07%3A33%3A26Z&se=2026-11-12T08%3A33%3A26Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=MnBTcZrrBXsnbxCVyZuWf6ujTtwFXxKJp6C7la1feuo%3D) This field contains the following sub-fields: - **element_tag:** The HTML tag of the element the Flow step is latched to. - **flow_title:** The title of the Flow. - **is_step_optional:** Indicates whether the Flow step is [optional](/studio/docs/defining-a-step-as-optional) or not. ## Related - [Why do I get a Flow Failure email when the Flow is running properly?](/why-do-i-get-flow-failure-email-even-when-the-flow-is-running-properly.md)