When an email received, check the status of a specific workflow and turn it ON if it is OFF

An email to your FlowMattic parser address checks whether a workflow you pick is switched on. If it reports Inactive, the workflow is turned back on; if it is already Active, nothing changes.

Email Parser by FlowMattic

Tools

Filter

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4 steps Setup ~8 min Used on 2.8k sites Free to import

The When an email received, check the status of a specific workflow and turn it ON if it is OFF workflow on the FlowMattic canvas, with 4 steps across Email Parser by FlowMattic, Tools, Filter — The workflow as it appears in the builder after import. Each step opens for editing.

What this workflow does

Sometimes a workflow gets switched off, by a teammate, during maintenance or while you test something, and you want a way to bring it back without logging in to WordPress. This workflow gives you that switch: send an email to your parser address and FlowMattic re-enables the workflow you chose.

The Email Parser by FlowMattic trigger starts a run whenever a message arrives at the parser email address FlowMattic gives you. Next, the Tools step Get Workflow Status looks up one workflow by its ID and returns its status as Active or Inactive.

A Filter then continues only when that status exactly matches Inactive. Text checks in the Filter ignore upper and lower case. When the workflow is already on, the run stops at the Filter. When it is off, the last step, Turn On Workflow, switches it on.

Neither Tools step has a workflow chosen in the template. After import, enter the ID of the workflow you want to manage in Get Workflow Status, and point Turn On Workflow at the same ID, for example by mapping the workflow ID the status step returns. Any email that reaches the parser address starts a run, so keep that address private.

Re-enable a paused workflow from your phone

An agency owner who paused a client's lead workflow during site changes emails the parser address from their phone to switch it back on, without opening the WordPress dashboard.

Restart a workflow from a monitoring email

A site admin forwards the alert email their uptime service sends after an outage to the parser address, so the order-sync workflow they turned off during the incident comes back on.

A switch for teammates without admin access

A support lead without WordPress admin rights can re-enable the ticket-routing workflow by sending one email, while the actual workflow settings stay locked.

How this workflow runs

What happens at each step once the workflow is on, and what you need before you import it.

Step 1Trigger
Email Parser by FlowMattic Email Received
Runs each time a message lands in the parser inbox FlowMattic set up for you. The sender, subject and body are available to later steps, though this template doesn't use them.
Step 2Action
Tools Get Workflow Status
Looks up the workflow whose ID you set and returns its name, its ID and a status of Active or Inactive. The template leaves the workflow unset, so enter the ID of the workflow you want to manage after import.
Step 3Logic
Filter Continue If Condition Meet
Continues only when the status from the previous step exactly matches Inactive, with upper and lower case ignored. If the workflow is already Active, the run stops here and the last step doesn't run.
Step 4Action
Tools Turn On Workflow
Turns on the workflow by ID. Set it to the same workflow as the status step, for example by mapping the workflow ID that step returns, so the one you checked is the one that gets switched on.

What you need

FlowMatticCore

After importing, map your own data. To keep the template universal, not every step is pre-filled. Open each step in the builder and connect your accounts and fields (channels, lists, sheets, recipients) before you switch the workflow on.

Make it yours

Changes worth making after you import it.

In the Filter between Get Workflow Status and Turn On Workflow, add a sender-address condition to the same group as the Inactive check. Both must then match, so only email from you or your team switches the workflow back on.
Map the workflow ID returned by Get Workflow Status into Turn On Workflow instead of typing it twice, so the two steps can't point at different workflows.
Use FlowMattic Tools' Turn Off Workflow action in a copy of this workflow, with the Filter checking for Active, if you also want an email that pauses the same workflow.

Questions about this workflow

What happens when the workflow I picked is already on?

Get Workflow Status returns Active, the Filter's Inactive check doesn't match, and the run stops at the Filter. Turn On Workflow doesn't run, and Task History shows the run ending there.

Does the content of the email matter?

Not as imported. Any email that reaches the parser address starts a run. To require a particular sender or subject word, add that condition to the same group as the Inactive check in the Filter, between Get Workflow Status and Turn On Workflow.

Where do I find the workflow ID to enter?

Each workflow in FlowMattic has its own ID. Open the workflow you want to manage and copy its ID, then enter it in the Get Workflow Status step and use the same one in Turn On Workflow.

Can one email turn on several FlowMattic workflows?

Not with this template, which handles one workflow ID. Import a separate copy for each workflow you want to manage, each with its own ID in both Tools steps.