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Troubleshooting permissions

How to fix common process launch problems

Standard members need explicit launch permission to start processes. Administrators and template owners can always launch. Here’s how to fix the most common issues.

Why can’t a Standard member launch a process?

Problem: A Standard member sees a template but gets “Permission denied: cannot launch process from this template.” when trying to launch it.

Cause: Standard members don’t automatically have launch permission. Administrators and template owners bypass this check, but everyone else needs explicit process_launch permission.

Solution:

  1. Have an Administrator edit the template
  2. Go to the Permissions tab
  3. Enable launch permission for the specific Standard member or “All Members”
  4. Save the template

Why is the launcher being added to unassigned steps?

Problem: When a process is launched, the launcher appears as an assignee on steps that have no one assigned.

Cause: The “Assign launcher automatically” setting (assign_run_starter) is enabled on those steps. This only applies to steps with no assignees at all - no users, no groups, and no guests. Steps that already have group or member assignments aren’t affected.

Solution:

  1. Edit the template
  2. For each affected step, open the Advanced tab
  3. Turn OFF “Assign launcher automatically”
  4. Save the template

Problem: A Magic Link doesn’t launch the process when the template has required kick-off form fields.

Cause: Magic Links can pass kick-off field values through the ko_fields URL parameter. If required fields aren’t included or are empty, Tallyfy blocks the launch and shows the form instead.

Solutions:

  1. Pass all required values in the Magic Link’s ko_fields parameter
  2. Make fields optional if they don’t need to be required
  3. Use public kick-off forms for external users who need to fill out fields manually
  4. Use middleware like Power Automate or Zapier to supply all required values programmatically

Why can’t I map dropdown fields in Power Automate?

Problem: Dropdown field values from Tallyfy don’t map correctly to other systems.

Cause: Tallyfy dropdown fields return JSON objects with three properties (id, text, value) - not plain text strings.

Solution:

  1. Add a Parse JSON action after getting Tallyfy data
  2. Access the specific property you need:
    • Display text: body('Parse_JSON')?['fieldName']?['text']
    • ID: body('Parse_JSON')?['fieldName']?['id']
  3. Handle null values with conditional expressions

Example Power Automate expression:

if(empty(body('Parse_JSON')?['dropdownField']), '', body('Parse_JSON')?['dropdownField']?['text'])

How do I fix permission errors in API integrations?

Problem: API calls to launch processes return permission errors even with valid credentials.

Cause: The authenticated API user must have process_launch permission for the specific template. Admin users and template owners are exempt.

Solutions:

  1. Use Administrator credentials for full launch access across all templates
  2. Grant launch permission to the specific user if they’re a Standard member
  3. Verify template restrictions - the template might be limited to specific members only
  4. Test manually first - try launching with the same user account in Tallyfy’s UI to confirm permissions

Checklist for avoiding launch issues

AreaWhat to check
PermissionsSet launch permissions when creating templates. Test with Standard member accounts before rollout.
AssignmentsDecide whether “Assign launcher automatically” should be on or off for each step. It only affects fully unassigned steps.
Magic LinksInclude all required kick-off field values in ko_fields. Test with sample data first.
API setupConfirm the API user has launch permission. Use Parse JSON for dropdown fields in Power Automate.
Draft statePublish the template before trying to launch. Draft templates can’t be launched.

Members > Manage member permissions

Tallyfy lets administrators control Standard member permissions at both the template and running process level across five areas — edit and read and launch and view and duplicate — so you can precisely manage who sees and changes your workflows.

Triggers > Launch via a magic link

Magic links in Tallyfy are special URLs that let logged-in users trigger actions like launching processes or completing tasks simply by clicking a link and these can be embedded in emails or intranet pages with pre-filled data using URL parameters and JSON-encoded field values.

Postman > Working with templates and processes

Tallyfy’s API lets you launch processes from templates by posting to the runs endpoint with a checklist ID and optional kick-off form data while also supporting advanced patterns like dynamic template selection and bulk launching through Postman scripts.

Triggers > Launch via a kick-off form

Kick-off forms in Tallyfy collect essential information at the start of a template and feed that data directly into subsequent workflow steps while also supporting public sharing so external users like customers or vendors can submit a form to automatically launch an internal process with email verification and progress tracking.
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