Reasons why automations can break

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Reasons Why Automations Can Break

Contribution by Troy Tessalone
Zapier Partner at Automation Ace.

So your Zap automation just broke.

Now you’re wondering why and how to troubleshoot for a fix.

Here’s a categorized list of common reasons why Zap automations can break...

Hint: There are a lot of potential root causes!

Platform Downtime or Outage
Zapier may experience outages, maintenance, or degraded service.
Rate Limits or Throttling
The automation platform may hit limits or slow down due to too many operations.
Deprecated or Removed Features
Changes to built-in apps, filters, or functions may invalidate your workflow.

Third-Party App Downtime or Outage
The connected app (e.g. Google Sheets, Slack) is temporarily unavailable.
API Changes or Deprecations
Fields, endpoints, or behaviors change without backward compatibility.
Authentication Errors
Expired tokens, revoked access, or permission changes.
Missing App Connections
A required account was disconnected or deleted.
App-Specific Rate Limits
The external app limits how many requests can be made in a given period.

Missing or Unexpected Data
Required fields are null, misnamed, or missing in the trigger or steps.
Wrong Data Type or Format
A number is sent as a string, a date format is invalid, or JSON is malformed.
Empty Results
Filters, searches, or conditions return no results and block downstream steps.
Duplicate or Conflicting Entries
An item already exists, causing failures in "Create" or "Update" steps.
Size Limits Exceeded
Payloads are too large (e.g. too many rows, too long of a note, image too big).

Improper Conditions or Filters
A Filter step always fails or passes when it shouldn't.
Bad Step Dependencies
A later step depends on data that wasn't created due to a failure earlier.
Circular Logic or Infinite Loops
A trigger causes an action that re-triggers the same Zap/flow.
Incorrect Mapping or Variables
Mapped fields don’t match the expected output from previous steps.

Insufficient Permissions
Connected apps lack rights to perform certain actions (e.g., write access needed).
Team Member Account Removed or Changed
Owner or editor of a Zap loses access or is removed from the app/platform.

Delays or Timeouts
Scheduled delays or webhook responses take too long and cause timeouts.
Outdated Schedules
Time-based workflows tied to outdated or expired schedules.
Timezone Mismatches
Actions execute at the wrong time due to misaligned timezones.

Using Sample Data That Doesn’t Reflect Real Use
Automations work with fake/test data but break with real inputs.
Test Runs Bypass Certain Conditions
Testing conditions may ignore errors or handle them differently.

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