> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.fanaura.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Toggling Flows On and Off

> Learn how to activate and deactivate your automation flows, what happens to enrolled fans, and best practices for managing flow states.

Every flow in Fanaura has a simple on/off switch — the **is\_active toggle**. When it is on, the flow is live and executing. When it is off, it is dormant. Understanding exactly what happens when you flip that switch is important for managing your automations without disrupting fan experiences.

***

## The is\_active Toggle

The toggle is a simple switch with two states:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="On (Active)">
    * The flow's trigger is listening for events
    * New fans are being enrolled
    * Actions are executing for enrolled fans
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Off (Inactive)">
    * The trigger stops listening
    * No new fans are enrolled
    * **Fans already in the flow continue their journey**
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Warning>Toggling a flow off does **NOT** stop fans who are already in it. It only prevents new fans from entering. Existing fans continue receiving messages and progressing through the flow until they complete it.</Warning>

***

## Where to Toggle

You can toggle a flow on or off from three different places in Fanaura:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Flow Detail Page" icon="pen-to-square">
    Open the flow in the Flow Builder. The **is\_active toggle** is in the top-right corner. Most common location.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Active Triggers Overview" icon="list-check">
    Navigate to Launches and find the Active Triggers Overview. Each trigger row has an inline toggle. Best for managing multiple flows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Launch Detail Page" icon="rocket">
    Open a launch and look at the flow cards under each cycle stage. Each card includes a toggle indicator.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## What Happens When You Toggle ON

When you activate a flow:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Trigger Starts Listening">
    Whatever event your trigger is configured for (presave, DM keyword, email open, etc.) is now being monitored in real time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="New Enrollments Begin">
    Any fan who performs the trigger action from this moment forward will be enrolled in the flow.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Actions Start Executing">
    Enrolled fans begin moving through the sequence — delays start counting, emails start sending, conditions start evaluating.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Flow Appears in Active Triggers">
    Your trigger is now visible in the global Active Triggers Overview dashboard.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### First Activation Checklist

<Warning>Before toggling a flow on for the first time, verify every item in this checklist to avoid sending broken or incomplete messages to fans.</Warning>

* All nodes are configured (no empty actions or unconfigured conditions)
* Email content is finalized and test emails have been sent
* SMS messages are reviewed and tested
* Conditions are correctly configured with the right criteria
* Delays are set to appropriate durations
* [Flow Settings](/flow-builder/settings) are reviewed (timezone, time windows, re-entry, etc.)
* [Active Triggers Overview](/launches/active-triggers) checked for conflicts
* You have triggered the flow yourself for an end-to-end test (if possible)

***

## What Happens When You Toggle OFF

When you deactivate a flow:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Trigger Stops Listening">
    No new events are captured. If a fan presaves right now, the flow will NOT enroll them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="No New Enrollments">
    The total enrolled count stops growing. No new fans enter.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Existing Fans Continue">
    Fans already in the flow keep moving. Their delays keep counting, their scheduled actions keep firing, and their conditions keep evaluating. They will complete the flow as designed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Flow Disappears from Active Triggers">
    The trigger is no longer listed in the Active Triggers Overview since it is not active.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Why Existing Fans Continue

<Info>This design is intentional. Imagine a fan is halfway through a 7-day email drip sequence and you toggle the flow off. It would be a terrible experience if they suddenly stopped receiving the sequence mid-journey. Fanaura lets them finish what they started.</Info>

If you genuinely need to stop all execution for all fans (including those already in progress), you would need to delete the flow entirely. But in nearly all cases, letting existing fans complete is the right behavior.

***

## When to Toggle OFF

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The Campaign Is Over">
    Your launch has completed and you no longer need the flow. Turn it off so it does not keep enrolling fans from stale triggers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You Need to Make Changes">
    If you need to significantly edit an active flow (restructuring nodes, changing conditions, modifying the trigger), it is safer to:

    1. Toggle off
    2. Make your edits
    3. Test the changes
    4. Toggle back on

    This prevents fans from entering a half-edited flow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A Conflict Was Detected">
    The Active Triggers Overview shows that this flow conflicts with another flow's trigger. Turn one off to prevent duplicate messages.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Debugging an Issue">
    Something is going wrong — fans are receiving the wrong messages, conditions are misbehaving, or errors are piling up in the execution logs. Toggle off to stop the bleeding while you investigate.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Seasonal Pause">
    A flow that runs during a specific period (holiday merch campaign, summer tour promotion) should be turned off when the season ends. You can always turn it back on next time.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## When to Toggle ON

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Everything Is Ready">
    You have built the flow, configured the settings, tested the messages, and checked for conflicts. It is go time.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Reactivating After a Pause">
    A seasonal flow is ready to run again. Toggle it on and the trigger starts listening immediately.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A New Stage Begins">
    Your launch moves from Pre-Release to Release. Toggle on the Release-stage flows and consider toggling off Pre-Release flows that are no longer relevant.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Impact on Other Flows

Toggling a flow on or off **only affects that specific flow**. Other flows are completely unaffected, even if they share the same trigger type.

<Note>Turning off one presave flow does NOT affect another presave flow. Turning off all flows in one launch does NOT affect flows in other launches. The toggle is flow-specific, not trigger-specific or launch-specific.</Note>

***

## Go-to-Flow Interactions

If Flow A has a Go-to-Flow action that redirects fans to Flow B:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Flow B Is Active">
    Fans redirect successfully and enter Flow B as expected.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Flow B Is Inactive">
    The Go-to-Flow action will still attempt to redirect. In most cases, the redirect succeeds because Go-to-Flow bypasses the trigger requirement — it is a direct enrollment.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Tip>If you are deactivating a flow that other flows redirect to, check whether any active flows use Go-to-Flow pointing at it. You may need to update those references.</Tip>

***

## Quick Automations Toggle

Quick Automations (standalone flows not tied to a launch) work the same way. They have their own is\_active toggle in the Automations tab on the Launches page. Toggle behavior is identical — on means active, off means no new enrollments but existing fans continue.

***

## Best Practices

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Before Toggling ON">
    * **Check Active Triggers Overview**: Prevent conflicts by verifying no other flow uses the same trigger
    * **Send test messages**: Email, SMS, and DM content should be verified before fans see it
    * **Review Flow Settings**: Timezone, time windows, and enrollment rules are configured correctly
    * **Start with one flow**: If your launch has multiple flows, activate them one at a time and verify each is working before activating the next
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="After Toggling ON">
    * **Monitor Execution Logs**: Check within the first hour for any failed actions or unexpected behavior
    * **Check Enrollment**: Verify fans are entering and progressing through the flow
    * **Watch for conflicts**: If the Active Triggers Overview shows a new conflict, resolve it quickly
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Before Toggling OFF">
    * **Check Active count**: How many fans are currently in the flow? They will continue to completion.
    * **Notify your team**: If other people manage your Fanaura account, let them know you are deactivating a flow
    * **Document why**: Add a note to the flow description explaining why it was deactivated and when/if it should be reactivated
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="After Toggling OFF">
    * **Verify in Active Triggers Overview**: The flow's trigger should no longer appear in the active list
    * **Check for Go-to-Flow references**: Make sure no active flows are trying to redirect fans to this deactivated flow
    * **Monitor existing enrollments**: Fans in progress will continue — keep an eye on execution logs for a few days
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## The Golden Rule

<Warning>**When in doubt, toggle off rather than delete.** Toggling off is completely reversible — you can toggle back on at any time with no data loss. Deleting a flow is a much bigger action (even with the 30-day recovery window). Toggle off first, investigate, and only delete if you are certain the flow is no longer needed.</Warning>

***

## What Happens Next

You now have a complete understanding of the Fanaura Flow Builder — from creating flows and configuring triggers to building branching logic, personalizing messages, managing settings, monitoring enrollment, debugging with logs, and controlling activation. Go build something amazing for your fans.