Building automations using Salesforce Flow has become the norm for Salesforce professionals, but as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. It is essential to ensure automation functions as intended before activation, proactively identifying and addressing potential issues to guarantee seamless operation across all scenarios.
In this post, we’ll look into the Debug option within Flow Builder, why it should always be part of your workflow, and how this functionality has been reimagined.
Debugging a Flow
Primarily, if an existing flow is failing and you need to dig deeper, this feature will be your trusted sidekick that reveals what went wrong and where exactly the error happened. Also, if you are building a Flow and editing an existing one and now getting ready to activate the new version, it’s always worth taking the time to debug it first, right within Flow Builder.
The debugging functionality has been around for a long time with the purpose of triggering the flow execution exactly as it would happen in a real production scenario, for you to spot or replicate any potential issues.
For record-triggered flows (including scheduled paths) or even screen flows, for instance, you should always use this option to ensure the automation or wizard you created works as expected. (Debug runs can also be used to generate Flow Tests, but that is a story for another time.)
Let’s take a look at an example. Below is a record-triggered flow that notifies the Account Owner when a High Priority Case related to an Account they own is opened. If the Case is still open after seven days, a reminder is sent for them to reach out to collaborate with the assigned service agent towards a faster resolution for their customer.
Clicking the Debug button used to open a modal for you to input details, but that’s no longer the case with the Winter ‘26 updates! Instead, the same options that previously popped up on the screen will be displayed in the side panel. So even if you want to run an immediate path or a scheduled one, or you have to input different parameters, such as the triggering record or a variable in certain cases, all magic will happen on this side panel.
Within the Debug Panel on the left-hand side that appears following the run, you can see the breakdown of which criteria were met as well as how the flow executed given the selected record, as well as details for each of the elements used, alongside the execution time. There are a few available filters, as well as the option to expand or collapse all the debug details.
While this is a very simple flow with just a couple of elements on the path I selected to run and cause a recipient error, troubleshooting more complex automations can be quite time-consuming. What if going through these details and finding exactly what you’re looking for could be so much faster?
A New Look and More Features
Salesforce professionals using Flow Builder were already delighted by the multiple Summer ‘25 enhancements, and it seems Winter ‘26 will be no different! Along with the modernized look and feel, which came just a few short months ago, the Debug Panel has significant updates to improve troubleshooting and user-friendliness in even more areas.
When debugging a flow now, you will immediately notice the new way all the details are organized in cards. This new grouping style offers an immediate view of all components, as well as a summary at the top of each one for you to know what happened without having to expand the details for the element.
To add to this, Records and Record Collections will also be much easier to understand when reviewing the CRUD, Collection Filter, and Collection Sort elements in the debug details. Starting Winter ‘26, each card also has a ‘View on Canvas’ action, which will certainly come in handy in flows with multiple elements, removing the need to search for the component you need to review.
You can also say goodbye to unnecessary scrolling, as the entire panel can be expanded to up to 80% of the screen, and all details can be copied to the clipboard with just a click of a button for easy sharing outside of Salesforce. On top of this, you can also switch between the Settings and Details tabs within the panel, so that you can debug with another record, for example.
But wait, there’s more! While you can still expand all cards to surface the details, there’s no need to go through all of them or even use Ctrl/Cmd + F as you used to before Summer ‘25. The newly introduced search bar allows you to quickly find the keywords you’re looking for within the panel, be they in the name of the card, summary, or the details section. Bonus: the card will be automatically expanded to show you the results of your search within the element details!
To further improve navigation, a new addition to the already exciting new debugging experience is the ‘Toggle Debug’ button, which allows you to hide the entire panel while navigating the canvas, just like you do with the errors or toolbox. With the debug panel positioned on the left now (it used to be on the right-hand side in Summer ‘25), you can quickly have both the debug details and a flow element open at the same time.
What About Screen Flows?
While the first iteration of the new debug experience covered other types of flows, Screen Flows still had the old experience. But that’s no longer the case! In Winter ‘26 enabled orgs, you are in for a treat if you try to debug a Screen Flow.
The new left-hand side debug panel will appear as soon as you click the debug button on a Screen Flow, so there’s no longer a new tab to worry about. Similar to the example above, you will be able to set your inputs, as well as the settings in that same panel, before debugging.
For Screen Flows specifically, the debug panel does not cover only the individual components, but it goes down to individual screen components and inputs, so that you get the level of detail you need! During the debug run, the canvas will be split into two tabs:
- Screen: The individual Screen for you to input data, make selections, and navigate, just like you did in the previous debug experience when the new tab was opening.
- Flow Canvas: The actual flow canvas where you can go back and review each element.
This means that you can easily go through the screens, while at the same time reviewing the debug panel on the left, then seamlessly navigate to the elements within the flow if changes are to be made. Isn’t it a breeze?
Stay tuned for our deep dive into using the new debug experience within Screen Flows, coming soon!
Final Thoughts
All in all, automations don’t always go according to plan, and having the readily available debug option to see exactly what is happening within your Flow can streamline the entire troubleshooting process, now with an even easier to analyze output. Be they record-triggered, autolaunched, or, as of the latest release, screen flows, the overhauled debugging experience keeps getting better.
It is evident that Flow Builder is on a continuous path of improvement in all areas, so we can’t wait to see what Salesforce has in store next!
