Inactive flows
Why is this an issue?
This rule flags any flow whose status is not Active, including Draft, Obsolete, and other inactive states. Inactive flows add unnecessary clutter to your org's metadata. While they do not execute, they still:
Increase maintenance burden: Developers must review inactive flows to understand if they are still relevant.
Cause confusion: Team members may be uncertain whether a flow should be reactivated or deleted.
Complicate deployments: Inactive flows are included in metadata deployments.
As a best practice, flows should either be active and serving a purpose, or removed entirely.
Examples
Example of incorrect flow (inactive):
<Flow>
<label>Old Process Flow</label>
<status>Draft</status>
<!-- This inactive flow should be deleted or activated -->
</Flow>
Example of correct flow (active):
<Flow>
<label>Account Update Flow</label>
<status>Active</status>
</Flow>
How can I fix violations?
Review the flow's purpose: Determine why the flow was deactivated.
Reactivate if needed: If the business logic is still valid, activate the flow.
Delete if obsolete: If the flow is no longer required, delete it rather than leaving it inactive.
Document temporary deactivations: If a flow must be temporarily inactive, document why and when it should be reviewed.
When should I disable this rule?
You may dismiss specific violations when:
The flow is intentionally inactive during a data migration
The flow is being kept for reference during a transition period with a documented plan to remove it
A comment is present to explain why the flow is inactive
Resources