---
url: https://docs.notice.cx/tower/workflows.md
description: >-
  What NoticeOS runs on its own for your sites and your work, when each one runs
  next, and how its runs went.
---

# Workflows

A **workflow** is something NoticeOS does on its own, on a schedule, for your sites and your work: reading outcome checks, updating the tasks that track them, filing review tasks, sending notifications. Each has a purpose, a schedule and a history of runs. The **Workflows** page lists them; the jobs that keep NoticeOS itself running, such as collection and backups, are on **System health** > **Background operations** instead.

The Workflows page shows whether anything NoticeOS runs on its own is failing, and when each one runs next.

## What you see

**The summary.** **1 of 5 workflows need attention** counts the ones that failed or whose state cannot be confirmed; otherwise **No workflows need attention**. The line under it counts every other state once, such as **3 succeeded · 1 paused**. The header shows which time zone every time on the page is in: **Times in** your browser's zone.

**Two tabs.** **Activity** (`/workflows`) shows the last 24 hours; **Schedule** (`/workflows/schedule`) shows the next 24.

**The list.** One row per workflow, grouped by category (**Outcomes**, **Tasks**, **Notifications** and the rest), each group heading counting its states:

| Column | What it holds |
|---|---|
| **Workflow** | its name, which opens its page |
| **State** | its latest state, such as **Succeeded**, **Failed** or **Paused** |
| **Hourly activity** | on **Activity**: the last 24 hours as one bar an hour, green when its runs succeeded, red when one failed and grey when they were skipped; a low line is an hour with no runs. Under it, how long ago the latest run started |
| **Now** to **+24h** | on **Schedule**: when it will run over the next 24 hours |
| **Next run · Local time** | when it runs next, and its schedule in words, such as **Hourly at :50** |

A count under the list shows how many of the installed workflows are listed.

**A workflow's page.** Its name and state, then **Schedule · Local time**, **Next execution** and **Category**. **Execution stages** draws the steps of one run, with its state, start time, how long it took and whether you started it by hand (**Manual**); **Run** selects which run is shown. **Recent runs** lists the latest 10, each opening its stages.

## What you can do

* Search by name, and narrow the list by **State** (**Needs attention**, **Failed**, **Running**, **Succeeded**, **Inactive**) and by category.
* **Sort** by **Latest run**, **Needs attention**, **Next run** or **Name**; **Group** by **Category** or **None**. Every choice is in the page's address, so a link includes it.
* Select a workflow to open its page, or the age under its bar to open its latest run.
* **Edit schedule** on a workflow's page: turn it **Enabled** or **Paused** and pick **Every few minutes**, **Hourly**, **Daily** or **Weekly** with a time, then **Save schedule**. **Restore default** puts back the product's schedule. Pausing stops future runs and their catch-up after downtime.
* Pick a run under **Run**, or in **Recent runs**, to read what each stage did.

## States and labels

* **Succeeded**, **Failed**, **Running**, **Skipped** (it ran and had nothing to do), **Paused** (its schedule is off), **No runs** (it has never run) and **Awaiting approval**.
* **Unknown** means NoticeOS cannot confirm the state: the scheduler has not reported recently, or the run history could not be read. It counts as needing your attention, because NoticeOS never treats an unconfirmed state as fine.
* A banner over the list shows why a state is unconfirmed, such as **Live operation is unconfirmed. The scheduler has not reported recently.**, with **Check system health**.
* **Next run** shows **Unconfirmed** when the scheduler has not confirmed the schedule, **No upcoming run** when the workflow is paused, and **Saved change pending** when a schedule you saved has not reached the scheduler yet.
* **No workflows run here yet.** means none is installed; **No workflows match these filters.** means your filters hide them.
* **This run is not in the retained execution history.** means a link pointed to a run old enough to have been dropped from the page's history.

## Related guides

* [Scheduled jobs](/operate/scheduled-jobs), every job with its default time and its catch-up after downtime
* [System health](/tower/health), where the background operations run
* [Attribution and measurement](/concepts/attribution-and-measurement), for what the outcome checks read
* The design in [doc 22, Workflows](../22-workflows-research-and-design.md)