Overview

Workflows are one of AskElephant's most powerful features. They automate tasks so you don't have to repeat the same steps over and over. But like any automation, things can go wrong. A workflow might not run, produce incomplete results, show errors, or behave unexpectedly.

The good news: most workflow problems are fixable, and they usually fall into a few predictable categories. This guide walks you through diagnosing and solving workflow issues so you can get back to automating your work.

Key Terms to Know

Workflow: An automated process you build that runs AI-powered tasks without you doing them manually each time.
Node: A single step or action in your workflow. Think of nodes as building blocks stacked together to accomplish a goal.
Trigger: The event that starts your workflow. Examples: a new meeting is recorded, a deal is updated in HubSpot, or a specific word is mentioned in a call.
Variable: A container that holds information from one node and passes it to the next. Variables let your workflow remember and use data throughout its steps.
Prompt Node: A step in your workflow where you give AI instructions to analyze or process information.
Workflow History: A log showing every time your workflow has run, whether it succeeded or failed, and details about what happened.

Before You Troubleshoot: Save Your Work

This is critical. Workflows exist in your browser as you build them. If you close your browser, turn off your computer, or navigate away from the page, unsaved work will be lost.

Save frequently:

Every time you make a change, click the Save button in the top right corner
You'll see a number next to "Save" (like "Save 5")—that number shows how many changes haven't been saved yet
Once saved, your workflow is safe in the cloud

Pro tip: If you see the Save button showing a high number (like "Save (25)" or higher), you're not saving frequently enough. Save after every few changes.

The Most Common Workflow Problem: Missing or Incorrect Variables

This is the #1 reason workflows fail or produce empty results.

What variables are and why they matter:

Each node in your workflow produces output—information that the next node might need
A variable is how you reference that output
If you don't include variables in your prompts, the AI has no data to analyze

Example of what goes wrong:

You create a workflow that should summarize a meeting
You set up a "New Meeting" trigger (this gives you access to the meeting)
You add a "Run Prompt" node with instructions like "Summarize this meeting"
But you never tell the prompt which meeting to summarize
Result: The AI generates a summary with no actual content

How to fix it:

Identify what data you need

What information should your workflow analyze or use?
Is it from the trigger (like a meeting transcript)?
Is it from another node (like data pulled from HubSpot)?

Find the variable name

In your workflow, click on each node
Look at the output section—it shows what variable names are available
For a "New Meeting" trigger, you might see variables like meeting_transcript, meeting_title, attendees, etc.

Add the variable to your prompt

In your "Run Prompt" node, write your instructions
When you want to reference data, hit the curly brackets key twice: {{
A menu will appear showing available variables
Select the variable you need
The variable will be inserted into your prompt like: {{meeting_transcript}}

Double-check all your prompts

Go through every prompt node in your workflow
Make sure each one includes the variables it needs
If a prompt is supposed to analyze data, that data should be referenced with variables

Red flag: If your workflow produces an email that just says "I don't have the information to process this" or similar empty output, you're missing variables in your prompts.

Workflow Won't Save or Shows Errors

Problem: You see error messages when you try to save, or your workflow won't save at all.

What to check:

Look at the error message

AskElephant will tell you what's wrong
Common issues: a node isn't fully set up, a connection is missing, or required fields are blank
Read the error carefully—it usually points to the exact problem

Use "Fix with AI"

Click the "Fix with AI" button (usually near the error message)
AskElephant will analyze the problem and attempt to fix it automatically
Review the changes it made to make sure they make sense

Check each node

Click on each node individually
Make sure all required fields are filled in
For prompt nodes, make sure you've written actual instructions
For integration nodes (sending to HubSpot, Slack, etc.), make sure you've selected the correct destination

Verify connections are set up

If your workflow sends to Slack, make sure Slack is integrated at both the workspace and personal level
If it sends to HubSpot or Salesforce, verify those integrations exist
If it uses a web search or accesses your CRM, make sure those tools are enabled

Save after each major change

Don't make 20 changes and then save once
Save after setting up each node or making significant changes
This helps you pinpoint which change caused an error

Workflow Runs But Produces Empty or Incorrect Output

Problem: Your workflow completes without errors, but the results are blank, incomplete, or wrong.

Step 1: Check for missing variables (see section above)

This is the #1 cause of empty output
Review all your prompt nodes and verify they include the variables they need

Step 2: Verify your trigger is working

Make sure your workflow is actually being triggered
For a "New Meeting" trigger: record a test meeting and confirm the workflow runs
For a "Deal Updated" trigger: go into HubSpot and update a test deal to trigger it
For a signal trigger: make sure the signal is set up correctly

Step 3: Check your data exists

If your workflow pulls information from HubSpot or Salesforce, make sure that data actually exists there
The AI can't create data from nothing—it can only pull what's already in your systems
Example: If your prompt asks "What company is this from?" but the contact doesn't have a company assigned, the AI will say it doesn't have that information

Step 4: Review your prompt instructions

Is your prompt clear and specific?
Are you asking for something realistic?
Vague instructions produce vague results
Example of vague: "Tell me about this deal"
Example of specific: "Summarize the deal size, expected close date, and next steps from our last meeting with this customer"

Step 5: Check your workflow history

Click "Workflow History" in the top right
Look at recent runs and check their status
If a run shows "Failed," click on it to see which node failed and why
If a run shows "Completed" but output looks wrong, the issue is likely with your prompt (not the workflow itself)

Workflow Runs Partially Then Stops

Problem: Your workflow starts running but stops partway through and shows a "Failed" status.

How to diagnose:

Go to Workflow History

Click the "Workflow History" button
Find the failed run
Click on it to expand the details

Identify which node failed

You'll see a list of all nodes in that run
Look for the one marked as "Failed" or showing an error
Click on that node to see the specific error message

Common failure points:

Incorrect node configuration:

You're sending a message to Slack but didn't select which channel
You're creating a HubSpot record but didn't fill in required fields
Fix: Open the failed node and double-check all settings

AI can't access required data:

Your prompt asks the AI to do something, but the data isn't available
Fix: Make sure you're passing the right variables to the prompt

Use the error message

AskElephant will tell you what went wrong
Read it carefully—it usually explains what to fix

Your Workflow Output Isn't Going Where You Expected

Problem: Your workflow completes but the output isn't in Slack, the email doesn't arrive, or the HubSpot field isn't updating.

Step 1: Verify the output node is set up correctly

For Email:

Did you specify which email address to send to?
Is it spelled correctly?
Does that email account exist?

For Slack:

Did you select the correct channel?
Did you make sure AskElephant is added to that channel?
(AskElephant won't send to channels it's not a member of)
Is the Slack integration actually connected?

For HubSpot or Salesforce:

Did you select which object type (Deal, Contact, Company, etc.)?
Did you select which record to update?
Do you have permission to update that type of record?
Ask your workspace owner or CRM admin to verify permissions

For Conversation:

The output should appear in AskElephant chat
Check the conversation you specified
Refresh the page if you don't see it

Step 2: Check your workflow history

Did the output node actually complete?
Or did the workflow stop before reaching the output node?
Look at "Workflow History" to confirm it reached the final step

Step 3: Verify integrations

Go to Workspace Settings and check integrations
Go to your Preferences and check personal connected accounts
Make sure the service you're sending to is connected

Performance Issues: Workflow Is Too Slow

Problem: Your workflow takes a long time to run or seems stuck.

Normal wait times:

Most workflows complete in 30 seconds to 2 minutes
If your workflow processes lots of data (like 50+ meetings), it may take longer
AI processing itself takes a few seconds per step

If it's taking longer than expected:

Check if it's actually running

Go to Workflow History
Is there a run marked as "In Progress"?
If yes, it's still working—give it a few more minutes

Simplify your workflow

Do you have multiple prompt nodes doing similar analysis?
Can you combine them into one?
Fewer nodes = faster execution

Optimize your prompts

Long, complex prompts take longer to process
Break down complex analysis into multiple simpler prompts
Be specific (vague prompts require the AI to think longer)

Reduce data volume

Are you processing 100 meetings when you could filter to 10?
Use triggers and filters to process only the data you need
Smaller datasets = faster processing

Testing Your Workflow: Best Practices

Before you run your workflow on real, important data, test it thoroughly.

Step 1: Choose a low-stakes test case

Don't test on your most important client meeting or deal
Use a practice recording, old meeting, or test data
If something goes wrong, it won't affect real work

Step 2: Run the full workflow

Click "Test"
Select your test data (meeting, deal, etc.)
Check the output carefully
Look at Workflow History to make sure all nodes completed

Step 3: Verify the output

Did the email send to the right address?
Does the summary in HubSpot look correct?
Is the Slack message formatted properly?
Check every aspect of the output

Step 4: Make adjustments

If something isn't right, edit the workflow
Save your changes
Test again
Repeat until you're happy with the results

Step 5: Activate it

Once testing is complete, turn on the workflow for real use
Monitor it for the first few runs to make sure it behaves correctly

Workflow Setup Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Not understanding your trigger

Before building anything, write down: "This workflow should start when [specific thing happens]"
Make sure your trigger matches that description
Test it to confirm it triggers at the right time

Mistake 2: Forgetting to consider your output destination

Before building, know exactly where the output should go
Make sure that destination (email, Slack, CRM) is set up and integrated
Don't build a workflow that sends to a tool you haven't integrated yet

Mistake 3: Assuming the AI knows what you mean

AI needs clear, specific instructions
"Summarize the meeting" is vague
"Create a 3-sentence summary of the customer's main pain points discussed in this meeting" is clear
Vague prompts = vague results

Mistake 4: Not including required variables in prompts

Every prompt node should reference the data it's supposed to analyze
Use variables to pass data from node to node
Without variables, the AI has no context

When to Reach Out to Support

You've tried everything above, but your workflow still isn't working. Time to get help.

Contact support:

Email: support@askelephant.ai
Or use the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of AskElephant

Include in your message:

The name of your workflow
A link to the workflow (copy the URL from your browser)
What you're trying to accomplish
What you've already tried to fix it
Any error messages (screenshot them if possible)
When the issue started (was it working before?)

What support can do:

Review your workflow setup
Identify bugs or issues on our end
Help you reconfigure nodes correctly
Verify your integrations are set up properly
Suggest better approaches to what you're trying to build

Quick Troubleshooting Checklist

Before you dig deep, run through this checklist:

Have you saved your workflow?

Does your trigger actually trigger? (Test it)

Are all your prompt nodes including the variables they need?

Are all your integrations (HubSpot, Slack, email, etc.) connected?

Have you tested on a low-stakes piece of data first?

Does the data you're trying to analyze actually exist?

Are your prompts clear and specific (not vague)?

Does the workflow history show any failed nodes?

Is the output going to the right place?

Quick Recap

Workflow troubleshooting usually comes down to:

Variables: Make sure prompts include the data they need to analyze
Setup: Verify all nodes are configured correctly and integrations are connected
Testing: Always test on safe, practice data before going live
History: Use Workflow History to see exactly where things went wrong
Specificity: Give clear, detailed instructions to AI; vague prompts produce vague results

Most workflow issues are fixable with these tools. If you're still stuck, support is ready to help.

Need Additional Help?

If you have questions or need further assistance, the AskElephant support team is here to help!

You can reach our support team in several ways:

click the chat button in the bottom right corner of your screen,
email us at support@askelephant.ai
or use @askelephant support in your dedicated Slack channel.

We're committed to getting you the answers you need as quickly as possible.

Workflows