DocumentationExperience Cloud KCS

Resolving inconsistent workflow menu availability for locked pages in AEMaaCS

Last update: July 22, 2026

This article explains how to resolve inconsistent workflow menu availability for locked pages between the Sites console and Page Editor in Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS), and provides workarounds until a product update is available.

Description description

In Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS), when a page is locked—either by being in a workflow or explicitly locked by a user—the Sites console hides the option to start a new workflow on that page. However, the Page Editor still displays the option to start a workflow, even though the page is already locked. Attempting to start a workflow from the Page Editor in this state fails silently, providing no feedback to the user. This inconsistency can cause confusion and potential workflow failures, as users may believe a workflow has started when it actually hasn’t started yet.

Environment

  • Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (all versions)

Symptoms

  • Create → Workflow isn’t available for locked pages in the Sites console.
  • Page Information → Start Workflow is available for the same locked page in the Page Editor.
  • Attempting to start a workflow from the Page Editor on a locked page fails without error or feedback.

Cause

The Page Editor doesn’t currently enforce the same workflow availability and lock checks as the Sites console, resulting in inconsistent user interface behavior.

Resolution resolution

Follow the steps below to resolve the issue:

  1. Be aware that this is a known product limitation and is planned to be addressed in a future AEM as a Cloud Service release. Monitor the AEM Cloud Service release notes for updates on this issue.

  2. (Optional) Customize the Page Editor UI:

    • Developers can customize the Page Editor to hide the Start Workflow option when the page is locked, and the current user isn’t the lock owner.

    • This can be implemented by adding a Granite render condition to the action behind Page Information → Start Workflow that checks the page’s lock state and owner. For more information on customizing UI actions, refer to the AEM documentation on Customizing the Console UI.

  3. (Optional) Add a lock check in workflow models:

    • Add an initial process step in your workflow models to inspect the payload page(s) for lock status and owner.

    • If any page is locked by a different user, immediately stop the workflow or route to a locked content path.

    • Provide clear feedback to the user (For example: by setting a workflow comment or notification) indicating that the workflow can’t start because the page is locked by another user.

  4. After applying these workarounds, verify that:

    • The Start Workflow option is hidden for locked pages in the Page Editor for non-lock owners.

    • Attempting to start a workflow on a locked page provides immediate and clear feedback to the user.

recommendation-more-help
experience-cloud-kcs-help-kbarticles