Troubleshooting: Why Is My Automation Rule Not Working?

Automation rules not firing is often due to a conflict with other rules or mismatched trigger conditions.

Before You Begin

Check three things first, because they explain most rules that never fire. The rule must be Active, the order must have imported after the rule was created, and the order must have a pending status. A rule copied inside the same account is always created inactive.

Table of Contents

• How Automation Rules Work
• Common Causes for Why Your Rule Isn't Firing
• Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

How Automation Rules Work

Understanding the core rules of rule execution is the first step to troubleshooting. Below are some of the main concepts of using automation rules. For a more in-depth overview, see How to Use Automation Rules.

• Automation rules run at the time an order is initially imported into the system. Unless the order imported from a Shopify store; then you can use the setting "Rerun this rule on order tags import." More information on this setting is available in our main article How to Use Automation Rules.
• Rules must be Active for the system to consider them on order import/creation.
• Execution Order: Rules run sequentially from top to bottom on your list.

• Rule Interaction: Since rules run top-to-bottom, a rule placed lower down in the list has the potential to override or reverse actions taken by a rule placed higher up.

  

   

  Pro-Tip

  To ensure a rule's action is final, place the most important rule at the bottom of the list using drag-and-drop on the Orders > Automation Rules page.

• Verifying Rule History: To verify which automation rules ran on an order, check the order history logs. All changes made to an order are recorded from the bottom to the top in the order history log on the order's details page.

Common Causes for Why Your Rule Isn't Firing

If you've checked the core concepts, review these common causes and follow the step-by-step guide.

1. The rule updated to a Fulfilled Status before the remaining rules could take action.
   • If an automation rule cancels the entire order or all line items, the order's status will be immediately changed to fulfilled.
   • A fulfilled status takes precedence over all other rules and prevents subsequent triggers from being applied. Other rules may still "run," but their intended actions will not execute on the fulfilled order.
   • Tip: We recommend placing these types of automation rules towards the bottom of the list.
2. The order was imported before the rule was created.
3. Another rule, placed higher up in the sequence, is running first and causing a conflict with the following automation rule triggers. For example, setting the status to 'Fulfilled' or changing the quantity of Unique SKUs on the order.
4. Using an exact match Trigger condition (like "Equals") when a partial match Trigger condition is needed.
5. SKUs, tags, or shipping methods do not match the rule's condition exactly. The most common being spelling errors and extra spaces added to the information.
6. The rule has too many conditions that rely on complex AND logic (all must be true).
7. The rule is a duplicate created inside the same account and was never activated. Same-account copies are always created inactive.
8. The rule was copied from another client account and a mapped value now points somewhere unexpected. Open the copy and confirm the vendor, warehouse, shipping method, shipping box, warehouse profile, and fulfillment status are correct for this client.
9. The rule was copied between client accounts and contains a SKU action. ShipHero does not confirm that those SKUs exist in the destination client's catalog.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1. Review the Order Log: Check an affected order's logs to verify whether the rule ran at all.
2. Check the Rule Sequence: Use the tip above: place your intended rule at the bottom of the list to give it priority over potential conflicts.
3. Examine Trigger Conditions: Review the operators and data types you are using:
   • "Equals" = Exact Match required.
   • "Contains" = Partial Match accepted.
   • Multiple Conditions: Be cautious; all conditions must be true (AND logic).
4. Field Formatting:
   • Shopify tags always begin with "shopify tag". If you are using a tag as a Trigger with the Equals condition, include that prefix.
   • State and country codes must match the correct format.
   • Avoid using "Shipping Carrier" when "Shipping Method" or "Shipping Name" is intended.

Still need help? Contact your Implementation Specialist or the Support team with the order number and the rule in question.