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Why run states matter

Run states tell you what happened after a workflow started. They are useful because they quickly answer the first debugging question: “Did the workflow succeed, fail, or stop somewhere in between?”

Started

Started means the workflow began executing. This confirms the trigger fired and the run was created.

Completed

Completed means the workflow reached the end successfully. This is the outcome you want for normal healthy runs.

Failed

Failed means the workflow encountered an error it could not recover from. When a run fails, inspect the first failing step and its input/output data before changing the workflow.

Stopped

Stopped means execution ended intentionally before the workflow completed normally. This can happen during test or control scenarios where the run should not continue.

Timeout

Timeout means the workflow took too long to finish. If this happens repeatedly, review:
  • the number of steps
  • any waiting behavior
  • external systems that may be delaying the workflow

How to use run states well

Run states are most useful when combined with run details. The state tells you the category of outcome. The run data tells you why it happened.