Action failed – One of the actions in the flow failed, typically with no detailed error message

The “Action failed” error in Power Automate means that one of the actions in your flow did not complete successfully, often without a detailed error message. This can be frustrating, but the issue usually falls into one of these categories:

1. Incorrect or Missing Data (e.g., empty fields, wrong formats)
2. Connection or Authentication Issues (e.g., expired credentials)
3. Timeout or Service Limitations (e.g., API call took too long)
4. Incorrect Expression Syntax (e.g., invalid formula in dynamic content)

This guide will walk you through step-by-step solutions to identify and fix the issue.

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Step 1: Check Flow Run History for Errors

1. Go to Power Automate → My flows.
2. Find the flow that failed and click on Run history.
3. Look for red X icons (failed actions) and click on them.
4. Expand the action to see if any hidden error messages exist.

• If there’s an error message, take note of the error code (e.g., 400, 403, 500).
• If no specific error message appears, continue troubleshooting using the steps below.

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Step 2: Check Action Inputs & Outputs

1. Expand the failed action in the run history.
2. Click on Inputs to see what data was passed into the action.
3. Click on Outputs (if available) to check the response.

Common Issues in Inputs:

✅ Empty or incorrect data – The action may fail if required fields are missing.
✅ Wrong data format – Ensure the input matches what the action expects (e.g., dates, numbers).
✅ Incorrect dynamic content reference – Some fields may return “null” values, causing failures.

Solution:

• Add a Condition or Null Check before the action to validate inputs.
• Use default values for optional fields to prevent empty submissions.
• Test using hardcoded values first to ensure the action works.

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Step 3: Check Connections & Authentication

1. Go to Power Automate → Data → Connections.
2. Look for any connections marked as “Needs attention”.
3. Click on them and re-authenticate if necessary.

Common Connection Errors & Fixes:

Error Code	Cause	Fix
401 (Unauthorized)	Expired or invalid credentials	Reconnect the service
403 (Forbidden)	Missing permissions to access data	Ensure user has correct access
429 (Too Many Requests)	API rate limit exceeded	Wait before retrying or reduce API calls
502/504 (Gateway Timeout)	Service is slow or unavailable	Retry later or optimize request

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Step 4: Verify Expression Syntax

If the action uses expressions (e.g., concat(), if(), length()), check for:

✅ Typos or incorrect syntax
✅ Using null values in expressions (e.g., length(null) causes failure)
✅ Referencing missing dynamic content

Solution:

• Wrap expressions in error-handling functions e.g.: if(empty(triggerBody()?['FieldName']), 'Default Value', triggerBody()?['FieldName'])
• Use “Configure Run After” settings to handle failures gracefully.

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Step 5: Check for Service Limits & Timeout Issues

1. API Rate Limits

Some services (e.g., SharePoint, Dataverse, Outlook) have rate limits.

• If you get 429 (Too Many Requests), add a delay between actions.
• If your action makes multiple calls, consider batch processing.

2. Long Execution Times

• If a flow takes too long, it may timeout.
• Optimize performance by filtering data early instead of processing large sets.

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Step 6: Test the Flow in Isolation

1. Create a duplicate of the flow and remove unrelated actions.
2. Test each step manually with static values.
3. If the isolated test works, the issue is likely with a dependent action.

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Step 7: Enable Debugging & Notifications

• Add “Scope” actions to group steps and isolate failures.
• Use “Terminate” actions to capture errors in logs.
• Set up email notifications when flows fail.