DocumentationExperience Cloud KCS

Resolve Manage Publication permission failures caused by missing workflow access

Last update: July 10, 2026

Manage Publication fails to start publication workflows and displays permission-related errors. To resolve the issue, restore workflow permissions and verify group membership.

Description description

Environment

  • Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS)
  • AEM Managed Services (AMS)
  • AEM Assets Essentials
  • Manage Publication workflows for Sites and Assets

Issue/Symptoms

  • Manage Publication displays Not enough rights to manage publication or similar permission errors.
  • Manage Publication doesn’t appear or fails when selecting Next or Start.
  • Workflow startup fails with Model not found errors.
  • Quick Publish succeeds while Manage Publication fails or routes workflows incorrectly.

Cause

Manage Publication requires access to workflow models, workflow instances, and workflow scripts. Missing jcr:readpermissions on workflow resources, missing membership in the workflow-users group, or custom ACLs that override inherited permissions prevent AEM from resolving workflow components correctly. As a result, Manage Publication cannot successfully start or route publication workflows.

Resolution resolution

Follow these steps to resolve the issue:

  1. Determine whether the failure is caused by:

    • Missing the Manage Publication button
    • Permission error
    • Workflow initialization failure
    • Workflow model resolution failure
    • Incorrect workflow routing

  2. If the Manage Publication option is missing, grantjcr:read permission on /etc/workflow to the affected user or group.

  3. If Manage Publication appears but cannot start, add the affected user or group to the workflow-users group.

  4. If workflow initialization fails after launch, grant jcr:readpermission on /etc/workflow/instance.

  5. If logs report Model not found, grant the jcr:read permission on the required workflow model path (for example, the scheduled tree activation workflow model).

  6. If workflow routes to the wrong participant, review workflow participant chooser scripts and grant read access to the required workflow script locations.

  7. Verify workflow folder permissions according to the deployment type:

    • AMS: Verify required permissions on/var/workflow.
    • AEM as a Cloud Service: Verify workflow-users membership and workflow model permissions.

  8. Review custom permission groups and remove or adjust ACLs that override inherited workflow permissions.

  9. Validate the configuration by starting a publication workflow, confirming workflow instance creation, and verifying correct workflow routing.

  10. Document the permission and group membership changes for future configurations.

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