# Error: action failed, no dependent actions succeeded

> For the full documentation index, see https://250highstreet.com/llms.txt

> Power Automate says an action failed and no dependent actions succeeded. Find the first failed step in the run, read its error and fix that step.

This message only means that an earlier step inside a Scope failed, so the steps after it did not run. Open the failed run, find the first step marked with a red exclamation icon, read its error, and fix that step. The summary message itself needs no fix.

## What the message means

Microsoft lists this message in its table of common error messages. The table translates it like this: "A Scope block failed, which cancelled all subsequent actions inside it." The fix on that page is: "Find the specific action inside the Scope that failed first. Fix that action."

Two points follow from that:

- The error can show up on a container such as a Scope, not on the step that actually broke. The real error is one level inside.
- Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: the same message can sit on a Condition, Switch, Apply to each or Do until. Open that block in the run and look for the first failed step inside it.
- The steps below work from the run itself, so they do not depend on guessing the cause.

## Step 1. Open the failed run

Microsoft describes the path like this: select My flows, select the flow that failed, and in the 28-day run history section select the date of the failed run. Microsoft says: "Details about the flow appear, and at least one step shows a red exclamation icon."

1.  Go to [https://make.powerautomate.com](https://make.powerautomate.com) and sign in.
2.  Open My flows and select the flow that failed.
3.  In the run history, select the failed run.
4.  Look for the first step with a red exclamation icon.

Exact names may differ on your screen. If you use the new designer, Microsoft also describes a "troubleshoot in Copilot" feature that gives "a human-readable summary of the error". Microsoft adds that it "might not work in all scenarios", so confirm what it tells you against the step itself.

## Step 2. Open the first failed step

Microsoft says: "Open that failed step, and then review the error message." The right pane shows the details of the error and how to fix it.

If the failed step sits inside a Scope, open the Scope and look at the steps inside it. Find the one that failed first. Later steps in the same block may show as stopped only because that first step failed.

## Step 3. Match the error to a fix

Microsoft's error table gives these meanings. The wording below is Microsoft's.

- 401: "Authentication failed". Microsoft says to re-authenticate the connection.
- 403: "Permission denied". Microsoft says: "You lost access to the resource, or a DLP policy is blocking the connector."
- 404: "Resource not found". Microsoft says: "The SharePoint list, file, mailbox, or endpoint was renamed, moved, or deleted."
- 429: "Rate limited". Microsoft says to add a Delay action or enable retry with backoff in the action's settings.
- 500: "Server error". Microsoft says: "The target service is having issues. Wait and retry."

For a broken sign-in, see "[Flow fails because the connection expired: how to fix it](/guides/power-automate-connection-expired-flow-failing/)". Microsoft also says, for 500 or 502 errors, that "the failure is temporary or transient" and you can select Resubmit to try again.

For a configuration error, Microsoft says the message contains Bad request or Not found, or a 400 or 404 code appears. Its steps: select Edit and correct the problem inside the flow, save the flow, then select Resubmit.

## A real example from Microsoft Q&A

A Microsoft Q&A thread shows this message on a flow that sends different emails. The run details inside it gave the real error: "Parameter 'To' cannot be null or empty." A reply from Microsoft External Staff in that thread asked the person to "check whether the parameters in your to part are correct". The thread does not confirm a final fix, so treat it as an example of how a summary message hides a plain cause. The step to check was the value passed into the To field of the email action.

If your failed step is a Send an email action with an empty To, the cause may be the same kind of problem. For checking empty values, see "[Power Automate condition to check if a field is empty](/guides/power-automate-condition-field-empty/)". For a person field that cannot be found, see "[Flow cannot set a Person column: user could not be found](/guides/power-automate-update-person-column-user-not-found/)".

## Step 4. Resubmit after the fix

After you fix the step, save the flow. Then go back to the failed run and select Resubmit. Microsoft uses Resubmit in its fix steps for connection and configuration errors. Check that the new run shows green check marks all the way through.

## Step 5. Decide what should happen when a step fails

Some failures are expected. A lookup may find nothing, or a service may be down for a minute. Microsoft describes Run after settings: "Use Run after settings to specify what should happen if an action fails, times out, is skipped, or is successful." Its example is a flow that sends an email notification if it fails at the Update a row step.

Microsoft's Azure Logic Apps page describes the same idea in more detail. It says: "By default, an action that you add in the designer runs only if the preceding action completes with Succeeded status." It also says: "When an action throws an unhandled error or exception, the action is marked Failed, and any successor action is marked Skipped." That page is about Azure Logic Apps, not Power Automate. Power Automate's own page confirms the Run after settings exist.

One way to start, using Microsoft's try and catch pattern:

1.  Put your main steps in a Scope and name it Try.
2.  Add a second Scope and name it Catch.
3.  Set the Catch scope to run after Try has failed.
4.  In Catch, add steps that send you a message with a link to the run.

Microsoft describes it this way: "Place your main actions in a 'Try' scope and create a 'Catch' scope for error handling. Configure the 'Catch' scope to run if the 'Try' scope fails." Microsoft also says the result() function can be filtered to get the error. Its caution applies: it warns that heavy custom logging "can result in excessive custom logging and an increased number of actions". Keep the Catch scope short.

## What to avoid

- Do not edit the flow before you open the failed run. The run shows the first failed step. The flow definition does not.
- Do not fix the step that is only marked as stopped. Look for the first failed step.
- Do not turn every step into "run after anything". The flow then keeps going after real errors and can write wrong data. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: use Run after only on steps where you know what should happen next.
- Do not skip the Resubmit check. A saved flow is not a working flow until a run finishes green.
- Do not paste private data from run details into public forums. Run details can include names, emails and list values.

## Honest limits

This message has no single cause. Microsoft's table explains it for the Scope case, and a Microsoft Q&A thread shows an email field case. The only reliable method is to read the first failed step in your own run. If that step shows an error you cannot read, copy the exact text. Microsoft says that when an error is not listed, the fastest path is to search for the exact message text in its community forums or its cloud flow error code reference.

If the error says a DLP policy is blocking a connector, only your admin can change that. Check with your admin.

## When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: \$5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "[What a SharePoint tracker costs to build](/guides/what-a-sharepoint-tracker-costs/)". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: [Tools I built](/portfolio/)

## FAQ

### Is "An action failed. No dependent actions succeeded." the real error?

No. It is a summary. Microsoft's table says it means a Scope block failed and cancelled the actions inside it. Open the run and find the first step with a red exclamation icon to see the real error.

### Why does the error point at a Scope and not the broken step?

Microsoft's table says a Scope block failed and cancelled the actions inside it. Open the Scope and look at the steps within, in order, to find the first one that failed.

### Will Resubmit fix it?

Only after you fix the failed step. Microsoft says to select Resubmit after you fix a connection or configuration error. For 500 or 502 errors, Microsoft says the failure is temporary, so Resubmit may work as is.

### Can I get an alert when a flow fails?

Yes. Microsoft says repair tips are sent to flow owners by email whenever a cloud flow fails, and can be turned off from the properties menu for the flow. You can also add a Catch scope that sends you a message.

### The error is on a Condition, Apply to each, Switch or Do until. Where is the real error?

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: inside that block. Open it in the failed run. For a loop, page through its runs until you find one with a red icon, then open the first failed step in it.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Learn, Troubleshoot cloud flow errors](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/troubleshoot-flow-errors)
- [Microsoft Learn, Troubleshoot a cloud flow](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/fix-flow-failures)
- [Microsoft Learn, Employ robust error handling](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/guidance/coding-guidelines/error-handling)
- [Microsoft Learn, Organize your flows with scopes](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/guidance/coding-guidelines/create-scopes)
- [Microsoft Learn, Handle workflow errors and exceptions in Azure Logic Apps](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/logic-apps/error-exception-handling)
- [Microsoft Q&A, An action failed. No dependent actions succeeded](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1707720/an-action-failed-no-dependent-actions-succeeded)

## Related guides

- [Stop a flow early with Terminate in Power Automate](/guides/power-automate-terminate-action/)
- [Fix 401 Unauthorized in Power Automate](/guides/power-automate-401-unauthorized/)
- [My Power Automate flow run timed out: what it means and how to fix it](/guides/power-automate-flow-run-timed-out/)
- [Fix the InvalidTemplate error in Power Automate](/guides/power-automate-invalidtemplate-unable-to-process-template-language-expressions/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/power-automate-action-failed-no-dependent-actions-succeeded/