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When a workflow triggers itself repeatedly, the HoopAI platform detects the loop and locks out the workflow to protect your account and system resources. This guide explains why loop lockouts happen, how to resolve them, and how to design workflows that avoid circular triggers.

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How Hoop detects workflow loops

Hoop monitors workflow executions in real time. If a workflow fires more than 50 times within 60 seconds on the same record or contact, the system flags it as a loop and automatically disables the workflow. When a lockout occurs:
  • The workflow status changes to Locked — Loop Detected
  • All queued executions for that workflow are cancelled
  • You receive a notification in the Notifications panel and via email
A locked workflow will not resume on its own. You must manually review the trigger logic, fix the issue, and re-enable the workflow.

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Common causes of workflow loops

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Resolving a locked workflow

1

Locate the locked workflow

Go to Automation > Workflows. Locked workflows display a red Loop Detected badge. Click on the workflow to open it.
2

Review the execution log

Open the Execution History tab. Look at the timestamps and actions to identify which step is creating the loop. Pay attention to the trigger event and the actions that modify the same record.
3

Fix the trigger or action

Modify the workflow to break the circular dependency. Common fixes include:
  • Adding a filter condition to the trigger (e.g., “only if field X changed”)
  • Adding a Wait step to throttle execution
  • Using a custom field as a “processed” flag and excluding records that already have it set
4

Re-enable the workflow

After making changes, click Save and then toggle the workflow status back to Active. Monitor the execution log closely for the next few minutes to confirm the loop is resolved.

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Designing loop-safe workflows

The simplest way to prevent loops is to never let a workflow modify the same field or object that its trigger monitors.
Follow these best practices:
  1. Use specific trigger filters — Instead of triggering on “Contact Updated,” trigger on a specific field change like “Status changed to Active”
  2. Add a processed flag — Create a custom field such as workflow_processed and set it to true at the end of your workflow. Add a trigger filter to skip contacts where this field is already true
  3. Consolidate related automations — If two workflows need to modify each other’s trigger objects, merge them into one workflow with conditional branches
  4. Use the “Run Once” option — Enable the “Run once per contact” setting when the workflow should only execute a single time for each record
  5. Test with a single contact — Before activating a workflow, run it manually on one test contact and check the execution log for repeated firings

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FAQs

Actions that already completed before the lockout are not rolled back. However, any queued or in-progress executions at the time of lockout are cancelled. Review the execution log to determine which contacts were affected and take manual action if needed.
No. The threshold is a system-level safeguard and cannot be adjusted per account. If your legitimate use case requires high-frequency workflow execution, restructure the workflow to batch operations or use API-based automation instead.
Check Automation > Workflows for the red Loop Detected badge. You can also review the Audit Log under Settings to see all workflow executions in chronological order, which helps trace cross-workflow loops.
Hoop does not currently offer pre-lockout warnings. However, you can monitor workflow execution counts in the Execution History tab. If you notice a workflow running unusually often, investigate the trigger logic before it reaches the lockout threshold.
Last modified on March 5, 2026