# WhatsApp Flows Error 139002 - Publishing Flow in invalid state | Troubleshooting Guide
Author: Prashant Jangid
Author URL: https://www.heltar.com/blogs/author/prashant-jangid
Published: 2025-03-05
Category: Troubleshoot
Category URL: https://www.heltar.com/blogs/category/troubleshoot
Tags: WhatsApp Flows Error
Tag URLs: WhatsApp Flows Error (https://www.heltar.com/blogs/tag/whatsapp-flows-error)
URL: https://www.heltar.com/blogs/whatsapp-flows-error-139002-publishing-flow-in-invalid-state-or-troubleshooting-guide-cm7vtvlyv001pj4rqqc42760j

When working with Flows, you may encounter the following error:

**Publishing Flow in invalid state.**

This means you tried to publish a Flow that isn't a draft. Once a Flow leaves the draft state, it cannot be republished. If you need to modify a Flow that is no longer a draft, you'll have to clone the Flow and republish the new Flow.

This happens when you attempt to publish a Flow that is already in a non-draft state, such as Published or Deprecated. Let’s go over how to resolve this issue.

## How to Fix the Error?

### Step 1: Clone the Existing Flow

Since you cannot modify or republish an existing Flow, you need to create a new one:

- Use the clone\_flow\_id field to duplicate the Flow.

- This will create an identical copy in Draft mode.


### Step 2: Make Necessary Changes

- Modify the cloned Flow as needed.

- Ensure all updates are complete before proceeding to the next step.


### Step 3: Publish the New Flow

- Once the cloned Flow is ready, publish it.

- After publishing, direct users to the new Flow instead of the old one.


For more troubleshooting tips related to WhatsApp Business API, check out [heltar.com/blogs](http://heltar.com/blogs).


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