Troubleshooting Project Automations

Last updated: March 23, 2026

OnRamp has two different kinds of automation — and they solve very different problems.

This article covers Project Automations: automations that live on Projects and Playbooks, run after a project exists, and call out of OnRamp (CRM updates, webhooks, file uploads, module additions).

If your issue is that a project was never created, that's a Workflow problem — see Troubleshooting Workflow Project Automation Errors instead.

If your project exists but something didn't happen afterward — you're in the right place.

First: Did the Automation Run at All?

Before assuming something "failed," start with the most important question: did the automation ever run?

  • The automation ran and failed

  • The automation never ran because trigger criteria weren't met

These are debugged differently.

Scenario 1: The Automation Never Ran

If an automation does not appear in logs at all, the trigger event did not occur, or the trigger occurred but conditions were not met. This is not an error — it's expected behavior.

Common Reasons an Automation Didn't Run

❌ Trigger type mismatch — task was edited not completed; module completed but trigger listens for task completed; project updated but trigger listens for project created. Fix: confirm the trigger type exactly matches the event you expect.

❌ Conditional logic not met — all criteria must match. Common issues: wrong task selected, wrong sub-task selected, expected answer doesn't match exactly, task completed before the answer was filled in. If any condition fails, the automation quietly stops.

❌ Data field triggers didn't change — the value must actually change. Re-saving the same value will not trigger automation.

Automations do not run retroactively and only evaluate events after they are published.

Scenario 2: The Automation Ran and Failed

If the automation appears in logs but shows a failure, the trigger fired, conditions were met, the action attempted to run, and something blocked execution.

Where to Find Automation Logs

  1. Open the Project.

  2. Go to the Automations tab.

  3. Click the Logs tab.

Each log entry includes: timestamp, action attempted, success or failure, payload sent, and error response (if failed). Click any log to see full details.

Common Project Automation Errors

❌ Field does not exist — CRM field was renamed or deleted, or wrong object selected. Fix: confirm field name and object mapping.

❌ Insufficient permissions — integration user lacks write access. Fix: update CRM permissions for the integration user.

❌ Either id or uuid must be provided — no valid CRM record reference was passed. Fix: ensure the automation includes a populated record ID field.

❌ Webhook failed — endpoint unreachable, authentication rejected, or invalid payload. Fix: validate endpoint, headers, and payload structure.

A Simple Debugging Flow

  1. Trigger the automation intentionally

  2. Check Logs

  3. If no log appears → review trigger + conditions

  4. If a log appears → review the Error

  5. Inspect the Payload

  6. Fix only what the error points to

  7. Re-test

Best Practices

  • Keep trigger logic simple

  • Use exact-match values intentionally

  • Always map a CRM record ID explicitly

  • Re-test automations after CRM schema changes

  • Don't assume silence means failure — it often means conditions weren't met

When to Contact Support

Contact support if logs show failures you can't resolve, automations fail inconsistently, errors don't match your configuration, or you suspect an integration-level issue. Bring: automation name, project name, error message, and a payload sample.