> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hub.equipme.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hub.equipme.io/equipme/automation/workflows/get-notified-when-a-flow-fails.md). # Get Notified When a Flow Fails Flows run quietly in the background — which is exactly the point, until one of them doesn't. If a flow runs into an error, you want to know about it right away, not stumble across it days later while checking Logs.
Here's how to set up an email alert for flow errors, and how to read what the alert tells you. **How it works: the "On Error" trigger** Every flow can include an **On Error** trigger. Add it to a flow, and it fires whenever an error occurs anywhere in that flow — capturing details like the error message, the component that failed, and the flow name. Connect it to a **SendEmail** action, and you have an automatic alert for that flow. **Setting it up** * Open the flow you want to monitor in the Flow Designer.
* Click the **Controls** component on the canvas, then open the component picker and use the **Filter actions** search field. * Search for **OnError** and add it to your flow. Its description confirms what it does: *"This trigger fires when there is an error in the flow."*
* In the OnError settings panel, set **Limit** to the number of errors you want it to pick up per run. This caps how many error events the trigger surfaces at once.
* Connect the OnError trigger to a **SendEmail** action (or Slack, or any other notification component you prefer). * Use the Variables picker to pull the error details — message, component, flow name — into your email content, so the alert tells you exactly what went wrong and where. * Make sure the flow is switched on with **Start Flow**. An inactive flow won't catch anything, no matter how it's wired. ### **Good to know**
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It's not instant

The trigger checks for errors periodically rather than reacting the moment something breaks, so expect a short delay between the error and the email.

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The flow has to be running

If a flow is paused or was never started, the On Error trigger inside it won't pick anything up.

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It needs a real, logged error

A quick manual test without an actual failure won't trigger it — the error has to actually occur and be written to the log first

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**One alert per flow** The On Error trigger is scoped to the flow it lives in. If you want email alerts across several flows, add the trigger (and a SendEmail action) to each one you want covered. **If something still looks off** If a flow still isn't behaving the way you'd expect, check the flow's Logs first — they show you exactly what happened during each run, error or not. See [Troubleshooting errors](https://hub.equipme.io/documentation/automation/workflows/troubleshooting-errors) for how to read them. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://hub.equipme.io/equipme/automation/workflows/get-notified-when-a-flow-fails.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.