> ## 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.

# State Management

> Managing content state transitions in Publive

Understanding how content moves through different states is key to building reliable integrations with Publive.

## State diagram

```mermaid theme={null}
graph TD
    Start(( )) --> Draft
    Draft -->|"Submit for review"| AP["Approval Pending"]
    Draft -->|"Direct publish"| Published
    Draft -->|"Set scheduled_at"| Scheduled
    AP -->|"Approve"| Published
    Scheduled -->|"Auto-publish"| Published
    AP -.->|"Reject"| Draft
    Published -.->|"Unpublish"| Draft
    Scheduled -.->|"Cancel"| Draft

    style Start fill:#000,stroke:#000
    style Draft fill:#3B82F6,color:#fff
    style AP fill:#F59E0B,color:#fff
    style Published fill:#10B981,color:#fff
    style Scheduled fill:#6366F1,color:#fff
```

## Valid state transitions

| From               | To                 | Notes                                 |
| ------------------ | ------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| `Draft`            | `Approval Pending` | Submit for review                     |
| `Draft`            | `Published`        | Direct publish (if permissions allow) |
| `Draft`            | `Scheduled`        | Requires `scheduled_at` datetime      |
| `Approval Pending` | `Published`        | Approved by checker                   |
| `Approval Pending` | `Draft`            | Rejected by checker                   |
| `Published`        | `Draft`            | Unpublish content                     |
| `Scheduled`        | `Draft`            | Cancel scheduled publish              |
| `Scheduled`        | `Published`        | Auto-triggered at `scheduled_at` time |

## Backdated publishing

To retroactively set a publication date for migrated or historical content, override the timestamp using `custom_published_at`. See [Migration Guides](/dxp/documentation/reference/migration-guides#backdated-publishing) for details.

## Checking post status

Use the CMS API to check current status:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X GET \
  'https://cms.thepublive.com/publisher/<PUBLISHER_ID>/post/<POST_ID>/' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic <BASE64_AUTH_TOKEN>'
```

The response includes:

```json theme={null}
{
  "id": 50123,
  "title": "My Article",
  "status": "Published",
  "published_at": "2026-02-01T09:00:00Z",
  "created_at": "2026-01-28T14:00:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-02-01T09:00:00Z",
  "approver": {"id": 5, "name": "Editor"},
  "source": "HeadlessCMS"
}
```

## Access control

The `access_type` field in `meta_data` controls content visibility:

| Value  | Description                           |
| ------ | ------------------------------------- |
| `Free` | Publicly accessible to all readers    |
| `Paid` | Behind paywall, requires subscription |

```bash theme={null}
# Set content as paid/premium
curl -X PATCH \
  'https://cms.thepublive.com/publisher/<PUBLISHER_ID>/post/<POST_ID>/' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic <BASE64_AUTH_TOKEN>' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"meta_data": {"access_type": "Paid"}}'
```