> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.thepublive.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Lifecycle and edge cases

> How content behaves when live entries are edited, stages are deleted, or two members act at once.

A workflow touches content in ways that are easy to miss until you hit them. This page covers the cases worth knowing in advance.

## Availability

This feature is available on the **Custom Enterprise** plan only. To enable it for your workspace, contact [support@thepublive.com](mailto:support@thepublive.com).

> [!WARNING]
>
> Clear the **Pending Approval** tab for a content type before assigning it a workflow. Enabling a workflow hides that tab, and any entry still sitting in it becomes unreachable from the content list. Approve, reject, or publish every entry there first.

> [accordion] Content that existed before the workflow
>
> Turning a workflow on changes nothing for existing content at that moment. An entry gets its first stage the first time it is opened or edited after the workflow is assigned to its content type.

> [accordion] Editing content that is already live
>
> The edit returns the working copy to the workflow's **first stage**. The live version keeps serving, unchanged, until the working copy reaches a publish-ready stage and is published again. The **Unpublished Changes** indicator continues to show the difference between the two.
>
> Without this, the gate could be bypassed by publishing once and then editing freely.

> [accordion] Unpublishing content
>
> Unpublishing returns the entry to Draft, and its stage returns to the first stage. The entry then goes through the workflow again before it can be republished.

> [accordion] Deleting a stage that has entries in it
>
> Entries in the deleted stage return to the first stage, and their history is kept. The confirmation tells you how many entries are affected.

> [accordion] Two members act at the same time
>
> The first action to land wins. The second member is told what already happened, for example that the entry was already moved to **Ready to Publish**. The entry then refreshes to its current state. This applies equally when two members choose different destinations for the same entry at the same time. Neither choice takes precedence.

> [accordion] A stage nobody can act on
>
> A stage can become stuck if the only named member leaves or a role has no members. The workflow editor warns you when it detects this. Resolve it by changing the configuration or by using an [override](https://docs.thepublive.com/dxp/documentation/content-workflows/review-and-move-content.md#override-a-stage). Content never advances on its own: an entry that skipped a review nobody performed would be worse than an entry that is merely stuck.

> [accordion] Deleting an entry that is in review
>
> Deletion follows your existing delete permissions and is not blocked by stage. The confirmation notes the entry's stage so you know it is mid-process.

> [accordion] An author who is also a reviewer
>
> A member can hold both roles. Whether they can review their own work depends only on **Prevent self-advancement**. With it on at the first review stage they cannot, because they are the one who moved the entry there. With it off, they can.

> [accordion] A workflow with a single review step
>
> This is valid. Two stages, **Writing** and **Ready to Publish**, is the minimum. It gives you a real gate without a long chain.

> [accordion] Turning a workflow off
>
> No statuses change. Drafts stay drafts, live content stays live, and scheduled content stays scheduled. The publish gate stops applying and publishing returns to normal permissions. Stage history stays in every entry's timeline.

## Next steps

> [card] [Configure workflows](https://docs.thepublive.com/dxp/documentation/content-workflows/configure-workflows.md)
>
> Review the settings that control these rules.

> [card] [Content Workflows overview](https://docs.thepublive.com/dxp/documentation/content-workflows/overview.md)
>
> Back to the concepts.


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